The inertia of action

[Verisimilitude]

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it. – Plato

Have you ever had one of those days where you just feel like you can’t do anything? You have a ton of work to do, but you can’t just get yourself moving enough to do it. You might even get to the point of setting everything out and then you turn on the TV and lose it all.

Then there are those days where you feel like you could conquer the world. You accomplish all of your goals and more, and still can’t fall asleep because you have so much energy.

The reason why you can accomplish so little one day and so much the next is because action is contagious. Once you start, you can’t stop and the longer you don’t start, the less you accomplish.

I call this the inertia of action. Inertia is defined in Newton’s first law as:

“The vis insita, or innate force of matter, is a power of resisting by which every body, as much as in it lies, endeavours to preserve its present state, whether it be of rest or of moving uniformly forward in a straight line.”

Think of a huge train car. It might take a lot to get the train moving, but once it does, it will take a long time to slow down. Action and productivity is just like that train car.

So how do we go from stuck at the station to flying down the railway?

The easiest way to start the inertia is to start early and easy. The longer you stay at rest, the more likely you are to sit in bed all day. So start early, even if it’s only starting by showering and shaving. The actions will give you the momentum you need to carry yourself into other things.

But what if you haven’t started early? How do you get moving when you haven’t gotten off to a good start?

Fortunately, inertia and productivity can be hacked.

The next time you’re feeling lazy, close your eyes for a few minutes and imagine the work that you have done today. It can be big or small; it just has to be productive. I got myself off my butt to write this article by remembering that I shaved, showered, cut my nails, and got my hair ready for today. If you haven’t done anything productive today (which I doubt, especially if you read Girls Chase often), then visualize yourself being productive or remember how the productive things you have done in days past. Visualization is a powerful tool.

There are times however, when your productivity just falls flat. In these times, the only thing you can do is get back to it, or visualize and get back to it. If this sounds familiar to some of the other teachings here, it’s because it is. The inertia of action is closely tied to the idea of social momentum.

A way to avoid these setbacks is by refusing to get distracted, facebook, twitter, vine, snapchat and tinder are all huge time wasters that can easily derail your productivity. When you’re in the zone, get rid of your phone and keep at it.

Some days are easier than others. One day, you might be a cheetah and it’s very easy to get motivated and moving. Other days, you might be as slow as an elephant and have to do some serious visualization. But it is always possible to get moving to top speed if you just get started.

But top speed sometimes isn’t enough. It might be a new job, more free time, or demands from friends or school, but there will come a time where you have to condition yourself to work harder than you ever have before. Or it may just be when you start to feel as though you aren’t doing as much as you can. No matter the reason, the problem is the same: You’re at a plateau and you need to push past it.

The way to do this is by using visualization and keeping track of how much you work each day. When I studied for the LSAT, I had less free time than ever before. I had less than one hour of free time a day. But eventually, it felt normal. In fact, if I didn’t work that hard, I felt like I still had more to do. I got myself to that point by planning out my day and pushing myself. Keep track of how much you work and realize that you’re actively improving. Take time to appreciate your progress and to acknowledge that you are capable of putting in that much work.

This is powerful stuff. This can get you from stuck in a lazy day to accomplishing more than you thought possible.

So the next time you’re feeling lazy remember:

1. Start early and easy, and work to bigger things.
2. There’s always some work you put in today.
3. If you truly haven’t done anything productive, then start by visualizing yourself being productive or listing the productive things you’ve done this week.
4. If you get stuck, push through and get back on track or visualize yourself working and then do it
5. It’s always possible to reach top speed, no matter what time it is.
6. Inaction destroys us.
7. Don’t sit on plateaus. Keep pushing. Recognize improvement and reward yourself

Stay in motion,

V