# How to get anything done? - 4 tips

If you have **low self-esteem and constantly worry** (like I do), your own thoughts might be the
biggest obstacle preventing you from getting great things done.
Here are **4 mental tips** that I use to overcome my objections.

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## Start enough times

Don't think about finishing a project. About the end of it. You will get there.
**Just start working**. Because this is not how things get done most of the time:

<img src="<%= src_fit("how-to-get-anything-done/start_one_time.jpg") %>" width="100%">

This is:

<img src="<%= src_fit("how-to-get-anything-done/start_enough_times.jpg") %>" width="100%">

If you start enough times, and continue making progress every time, you will
eventually finish the task. So notice how you [perceive time](http://blog.arkency.com/2013/11/chronos-and-kairos/) .
and just start working on the next task. Without the promise or expectation that you will finish
anything in current session.

## Accept negative feelings and start working

Awful lot of people get stressed about their work before it even begins. Often in
the mornings, during commuting, before you even open the door of your office.
If you are like me, you might even get stressed the evening of one day before (especially on
Sundays).

_Do i have the skills to do this task? Will I have to use the library of framework
I am not yet fully comfortable with? How long will it take? Will I end up writing
code that I am not fond of? Maybe even ashamed? Will my coworkers like it? Will it
work? Will it deploy without any problems?_

**When we worry we tend to avoid** the job and _procrastinate_. We don't want to be
confrontend with the fact that it might not work, that are we not as good as we think
we are. We don't want our _ego_ to get hurt.

Don't run away from those feelings. They are real. Try to accept them.

_Yes, I worry. Yes, I am not sure if I can do it. Even less sure if the end effect will
be pretty and likeable_. Accept it, confirm it, don't deny it. But, **start working**.
With the negative feelings, alongside with them. The only thing that makes them fade
away is progress.

## Love the grind

_aka_ [*stack the bricks*](https://unicornfree.com/stacking-the-bricks). Your success or
failure don't depend on one big thing. Your success or failure is compound of thousands
(if not millions) of micro-failures and micro-successes.

It doesn't matter what your job is. Even if you are working at your dream company
(what is it nowdays? Tesla, Apple, Google, Airbnb ...?) your job will still consist of
some amount of _repetitive tasks_. Can you learn to love it? Could it be **enjoyable** like
in [games](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grinding_%28video_gaming%29) ?

Or could you do them anyway, despite your feelings? **Because you care**. You feed
your animals even when you are tired and exhausted. You make sure that your kids are safe
and loved even at the end of a very long day. Because you care.

If you are working on things that matter to you, that you care about, you can **learn
to love the grind**. Why are you doing this blogpost, this side-project? Do you remember?
Is that important to you?

## Detach yourself from results

More than one year ago I wrote a [rails related blogpost](/2013/12/rails4-preloading/) that is
still visited by more than 4K developers every month. That's a lot in my world. It set the bar
very high for me. I am still trying to beat it.

But when I worry about pageviews, likes and upvotes on reddit and hackernews, it's
very hard to ship anything. **So I lowered my expectations. I write a blog post to help
a single person**. If I helped one person, then I am good. It was worth writing, worth
spending time, worth the effort.

Sure, from time to time you write a post or create a [product](http://rails-refactoring.com)
that helps hundreds or thousands. But you might also get 4 upvotes, dozen of visits and
that's it.

_Detach from results_ doesn't mean to ignore the data. You can use it to get
better, to improve (especially product). But your code
is not you, and **your upvotes are not you**. That might sound _obvious_. But I still need to 
remind myself about it.

You might even start to believe that you are not helping anyone according to some random
internet comments.
But then one year after a not-much-noticed blogpost, someone writes you an email to say
_thank you_ and ask a very good question regarding the topic.

Remember, **most of posts that were helpful to your
readers won't get a retweet, comment or upvote**. I don't jump quickly myself into saying
_thank you_ for every blogger that helped me today finish my task. Perfectly normal.
But the appreciation is there.

## Now

Few weeks ago in a shopping-center I got a wristband from
[anti-cancer group](http://fundacjarosa.pl/rkbndefenders/) for filling out a survey.
It says **best time for action is now**. 

<img src="<%= src_fit("how-to-get-anything-done/best-time-for-action-is-now.jpg") %>" width="100%">

I don't want to wait till cancer to get myself
into doing something meaningful. This wristband actually changed something in me for the
better. I do more. Now.

That's it, going back to writing [a book](/beginners-guide-to-starting-with-react-in-rails/).