Sometimes when I'm supposed to be doing something, I find I'm drawn to doing something else--usually something easier and less important. Entrepreneur and writer Peter Gasca discussed a similar problem in an interview on Inc.com:
"I am mostly too organized, bordering on O.C.D., and have a mild case of Adult Attention Deficit Disorder (self-diagnosed). This often gets me trapped in endless loops of being productive and getting meaningless things done. I have found this causes creativity paralysis, which is the inability to start a creative endeavor for fear of not being able to complete it.
I have mostly overcome this by engaging in projects that have deadlines, or giving myself deadlines, which forces me to start and complete a task, even if at the last minute."
He has a way of looking at deadlines that I like:
"I have come to understand that by having deadlines, artificial or real, my mind turns off the ‘input’ process and switches to ‘output,’ which forces me to be deliberate about a task in front of me."
That speaks to the danger of continuing to research the topic or to watch lots of videos and read lots of articles because, who knows, maybe there'll be something useful in them. Those are all 'input.' With a deadline, it's easier to be aware of when to throw that switch to 'output.'
(You may also be interested in the productivity techniques in my book, Focus: Use the Power of Targeted Thinking to Get More Done. It's published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon or your other favorite bookseller.)
