Doing Nothing Gets Nothing Done

Doing nothing gets nothing done.

It is such a simple concept, and it is on the surface. But is it that simple as you begin to dig into it?

I've yet to do much regarding my gardening, social media growth, or anything really when it comes to our homesteading dreams since returning from our vacation a few months ago. 

It was a much-needed break and mental reset, there's no doubt about that. Spending time with family and friends, disconnected from technology and society in general, breathing in fresh mountain air, and enjoying nature in its glory. 

While camping in the mountains, I began forming a reinforced sense of my goals and validation that choosing the homesteading path was correct.

Then I returned from vacation and, for the most part, have done nothing to improve myself or draw closer to our goals.

So what happened? I felt like I needed a break, and I got it. And while on my vacation, I felt a renewed sense of motivation, validating our goals. And then, nothing.

It may have been the hot Arizona summer. That's it. The heat was too much, and the garden was slowly dying and ending its cycle. 

But the hot temps, dying garden, etc., are just excuses to justify not doing anything. As it were, when we returned, the garden was unpruned and overgrown, loaded with tomatoes that needed harvesting, not dying.

I could have at least been planning the fall garden or many other activities related to developing skills and drawing us closer to our dreams. What about that sourdough project I've been telling myself (and you) that I would get started? Or more canning sessions to improve on preserving our harvests? The list goes on. 

But what else is to blame, if not the weather or dying/overgrown garden space (aside from myself)? Unfortunately, nothing. I am truly the only one to blame. And to be honest, that makes it feel even worse.

So, trying to understand what happened to my sense of motivation and validation and having it turned into procrastination, I started looking into analysis paralysis and procrastination and found several ideas explaining why.

Too many choices, fear, anxiety, and stress seem to be the main antagonists. Each of these can lead to forming a habit of procrastination as a coping tool, along with several other manifestations and explanations. Along with reasons as to why procrastination might have developed, I came across several "coping strategies." Ways to stop the trigger and break the habit.

But I found even looking into the causes of why I had become stagnant and developed this habit and the potential methods of overcoming it became an excuse to not move forward and continued to feed this "monster," if you will.

But I began to realize something. Being in this state is my doing, then making the correction and moving forward can be my doing, too. As with all habits, I can break it. If I can successfully quit smoking after a couple of decades of being a heavy smoker, this should be easy! Once again, it sounds simple, right? 

Except this is a habit of putting things off. A pattern of telling yourself, "I'll do it later." And eventually, even the notion of "I'm going to break this habit" gets procrastinated. The good thing, though, is that you can break habits. And in this case, breaking the habit will propel you forward.

And as I have said before, when experiencing moments of doubt and procrastination, the only way is forward. At least, that is what works for me.

Just like quitting the habit of smoking, I had to find what works for me. There are tons of methods and opinions on how to stop the habit. And repeatedly, you hear of methods working for some while it doesn't cut them for others. In my opinion, you have to find what works for you. Find your motivation because your willpower and motivation determine your ability to move forward. You are the key. 

And so I had to remind myself that getting off of my hind end and getting to work is the way forward. Action is the way to get past these barriers. You know you can overcome the mental blocks but must choose to. 

Realize that doing nothing gets nothing done. 

So that's where we are now at the "new" starting line—realizing and re-evaluating our goals if necessary and remembering why I chose to walk this path and decided to share my story. 

I am not providing professional advice. I'm not a therapist. But maybe sharing my story, and not just the good, will help some of you in the same boat. Maybe, by not just identifying that you are procrastinating but recognizing that all of the "reasons" are simply hurdles you can overcome. Understand that this habit of putting off what you should be doing to propel you towards your goals is breakable. And you're not the only one in this similar spot. And realize the only way forward is forward. 

If fear is the predominant trait, fear of failure, fear of looking dumb, stupid, or even silly. Fear of not living up to your expectations, remember that no success is without loss. Everyone has failed at some point and will most likely fail again. Nobody's perfect.

Learn from that failure and rise above it. And remember that the better you become, the more you will continue to fail and grow.

The idea is not to be perfect but to improve.

Whether it's improving with each project or improving in your daily routine, no matter what it is, improving. And just by small measures each time. 1%. Improve by just 1%. 

And, of course, remember, doing nothing gets nothing done.

Once again, thank you. Thank you for following us on this journey. Thank you for being so supportive. Thank you for the input, the ideas, and even the corrections. Thank you, and we'll see you on the next one.