There’s a tendency I’ve noticed in myself (and many others) that I’ve started to call “In a Hurry to Be Done.” When I’m starting to learn something, or building a new habit, or starting a work project … there’s a big part of me that wants to be at the end, when I’m already getting the benefits of the habit, learning, or project.
For example, if I start lifting weights, I want to already be in the future, when I’m strong and I have nice muscles (which will take more than a year, at least). If I’m learning chess, I want to already be a strong player (which might take years). If I’m building a YouTube channel, I want to already have 10k subscribers, which will definitely take awhile.
When I start a process, I want to already be at the place where I’m getting the benefits of the process.
That’s the idea behind the “In a Hurry to Be Done” tendency.
Interestingly, this is also the source of the overwhelm that most of us feel when we’re faced with a big list of tasks, or an overflowing email, or a big house full of clutter that we want to simplify. It’s overwhelming because we want it all to be done already, instead of having to face the pile of things one at a time.
Here’s what I’ve noticed about this tendency:
This content is only available to subscribers
Subscribe now and have access to all our stories, enjoy exclusive content and stay up to date with constant updates.
Unlock contentAlready have an account? Sign In
