When something new doesn’t work straight away
How often do you manage to master something new perfectly on the first try? And if it doesn’t work straight away, what do you do? Do you give up or look for another way? The latter isn’t always easy, but it does help you move forward.
Knowing how to be more productive is different from actually doing it. It’s easier said than done. You read a great tip or see a colleague say no more often. You’re inspired by a quote or a powerful insight, or you read a GTD article – but acting on it doesn’t follow. ‘Not succeeding’ can take many forms: not now, not fast enough, not good enough, not all at once. That’s frustrating. And that leads to less motivation.
You don’t have to get everything right first time. You learned to walk step by step too. Children show us how important the process is when learning something new. Lots of practice, repetition, trying again, getting frustrated, asking for help, trying again, trying a different way – and then suddenly it clicks. That’s not the end of learning, but the beginning of a new way of seeing the world. By using the new skill often, it becomes second nature. The foundation for new skills. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
What could you achieve if you looked at your own learning like this: it doesn’t have to be perfect first time, it’s allowed to come with trial and error?
You’re holding yourself back (sometimes unconsciously)
We all sometimes believe that things have to be right first time. It’s also known as the fixed mindset, a concept by Carol Dweck. In that mindset, you reason like this: If you can’t do something the first time, it’s clearly not meant for you. So you give up. Or you don’t even try something new. Even if we don’t consciously choose it, we all have that fixed or static mindset, Dweck writes. If not for everything, then at least in certain areas. It shows up in statements like: “I’m not creative”, “I’ve never been good at languages”, “GTD just isn’t for me.”
The opposite is the growth mindset. Then you believe you can get better at something and that intelligence is something you can develop. That mindset helps with learning. You say “I can’t do it yet”, instead of “I can’t do it.” You reflect on your learning: “I’ve tried a and b, what else can I try?”
Step by step towards mastery
You can summarise GTD in 2 minutes, but you won’t implement it in 2 minutes. You can keep improving it and making it work for you throughout your life. GTD isn’t rocket science, but it sometimes requires you to do things differently than you’ve done before. That takes getting used to. It doesn’t always work straight away. But once you’ve developed a habit or mastered a skill, it opens doors to new habits and skills that help you live and work with full attention. You’ve taken your first steps, you’re walking. That means you can reach new places. And maybe even start running. Or dancing.
- Be kind to yourself. It doesn’t have to be perfect straight away. It comes with trial and error, it takes practice. And even when you’ve mastered it, you’ll still stumble now and then. That’s part of it. Get up and carry on.
- Use the word yet. You can’t do something yet, for example: “I haven’t yet managed to consistently collect everything.” “I’m not yet doing my Weekly Review every week.”
- Reflect regularly. What have you tried, what works, what doesn’t? What else can you try? “I do collect notes from meetings and questions from colleagues, but not yet my own thoughts and ideas.” “I do a Weekly Review every month and I do look ahead in my calendar every week.”
- Visualise your next step. Once you’ve decided what you want to tackle, imagine when, where and how you’ll do it. “Tomorrow after lunch I’ll go to a quiet workspace. I’ll grab a blank sheet of paper and do a mind dump.”
- Start small (really small!) and work towards automation. The automation is more important than applying the full habit or skill straight away. Start after something you already do successfully.
- Create your own success. Start with something that’s of great value to you or that you’re excited about. If you enjoy it and see results, you’re giving yourself a reward. That motivates you to take more steps and tackle the next habits.
What can’t you do today yet, but would like to? What’s your next step?
