A week ago, I was out of town to do an assessment of a division at another university. It was a case of somebody-knowing-somebody who knew me, and I was invited to come in and provide a fresh look at the structure and staffing that was in place. Another colleague and I received a 24# box of materials in the mail prior to our visit, then we interviewed people in person for three days. I left with a notebook full of notes and a head full of ideas.
Unfortunately, information in that format is not easily sharable. So I spent most of Saturday trying to translate and type up comments, create an executive summary and compile appendices to somehow translate my observations into a meaningful format.
About an hour after I reluctantly drug myself into my home office, I got immersed in my task. It became a giant puzzle to assemble and a personal quest to finish the work that day. Somewhere in there, I got lost in the zone. I worked on it for hours, took a break for dinner, and willingly was back at it again.
The screen saver on my computer says: “The secret to getting ahead is getting started.” It is good advice that I don’t always heed, but this weekend was validation that it is true. Keep the mantra in mind the next time you are putting off a task that seems undesirable or daunting. Just start, and more often than not, the energy will follow.
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