68: How to Drown Out Noise in Your Head That Prevents You From Getting Shit Done

Thank you so much for responding to my request and letting me know what questions and topics you'd like me to cover. And if you haven't yet, you can still email me at [email protected]! 

Ok, on to today's question:

"How do you drown out noise in your head that prevents you from getting shit done?"

I totally get it. I used to be a master of not getting shit done.

I struggled in high school, I struggled in college, and I struggled in grad school. I used to have nightmares about the half-assed projects I barely finished. I wanted to do better, but the noise in my head prevented me from getting shit done.

I struggled as a teacher, I struggled as a new runner, I struggled as a blogger, and I struggled as a podcaster!

Great! What a way to live life!

And then I created systems to help me get shit done, and now I don't really struggle... well, at least not as much.

1. Ok, let's start by acknowledging what that noise is, right? It's your thoughts! 

You have noisy and busy thoughts, and when you listen to those thoughts and get tied up in them, you do an action which is actually an inaction- You listen to the thoughts and you sit still and continue running loops around in your head.

Your thoughts --> inaction

Example:

Noisy thoughts: I'm supposed to run. I think it's cold out. What if I go outside and I feel terribly cold? I hate feeling cold. I should probably not go out.

Prevent You From Getting Shit Done: Stay inside and don't run

So all that noise in your head was just your thoughts.

Your thoughts are there *trying* to protect, but in protecting you, you don't go do an action and then you stay the same or you get even worse because later on, you're frustrated with yourself for not doing the action.

In the above example, the thoughts about the cold weather were trying to protect you from feeling cold. It is true that frigid cold weather could cause you to freeze and die!

Again, they were trying to protect you!

But in trying protecting you, they were sabotaging the outcome you wanted.

Is the cold weather that cold? Would you actually die from the cold weather or would it just feel a little bit uncomfortable and you'd actually be fine?

Let's do another example:

Noisy thoughts: I am supposed to write this blog, but I really don't want to. I don't want to do work today. It's just going to be too hard. I don't have the energy. I just want to go downstairs into my bed and feel snuggly.

Prevent You From Getting Shit Done --> Go downstairs and snuggle in bed, not get blog done

Those thoughts were trying to conserve calories. Thinking and writing is work and forces your brain to use calories. The thoughts get you to go to bed and rest, but now you're effed because you didn't get the blog done!

And another one: 

Noisy thoughts: What if I go to the race and I am the slowest one there? What if I am the last one to finish the race? What if I don't even finish? 

Prevent You From Getting Shit Done --> Stay home. Don't run. Watch TV instead.

Those thoughts were trying to protect you from embarrassment and being shunned from the group, but now you're home and not with any group!

Ok- so here are my tips for drowning out this noise and getting shit done:

2. Anticipate that noisy thoughts are going to show up, so take notice of your go-to noisy thoughts.

They're going to be there in your head. Don't act like it's a surprise that you have thoughts about not wanting to get shit done.

Some of my clients' noisy thoughts:

"It's just this once. It's not that big of a deal."

"You can start over on Monday."

"I just don't want to."

"It's just going to be too hard/too scary."

"Maybe this isn't for me."

3. Have a go-to response ready!

You knew you were going to have this noisy thought! You know yourself best! Have a response ready!

I talked about this in this blog post here: The Magical Thought That Will Help You Take Action.

If you say: 

"It's just this once. It's not that big of a deal."

 Go-to response:

"This one time right here IS a big deal. Go do the thing."

If you say: 

"Maybe this isn't for me."

Go-to response:

"I decided this is who I want to grow into being. I need to take this baby action to grow into being that person."

4. Expect less. Start out small. Go A to B.

I have 2 little Mindset Direction Cards reminding me:

1. Go A to B and not A to Z.

2. Get your system in place before you take on more.

The noisy thoughts might be popping up because the thing you're trying is waaaay too hard. You're going waaaay outside of your comfort zone, it's feeling waaaaay too uncomfortable and alarming the panic.

Instead, you need to just go a little outside your comfort zone and repeat, repeat, repeat until it feels normal.

Watch the video on holding yourself accountable and Zone of Proximal Development here.

5. Create a system instead of having no structure in your day.

I used to think I wasn't a structured person, and while it's true that I wasn't born with Type A tendencies, I've learned that I need to create structure in my life, or I listen to the noisy thoughts, don't get things done, and then fall into depression.

I have systems in place that I follow through on even if I don't feel like it.

I didn't feel like going go a run this morning. I still did it. 

I didn't feel like going downstairs to get my water and Vitamin D. I still did it.

My computer was at 45% and I looked at the charger 2 feet away from me, groaned about how I didn't want to move to plug it in, and then I still did it.

6. Take time to connect with your pain/pleasure/current identity/aspirational identity.

I started taking this seriously when I got sick and tired of not having my life together. Even if I don't want to do the actions to get shit done, I don't want to have a life where I'm not getting things and I am in my head the whole time.

Read more here about finding your motivation.

7. Use a timer! Get out of your head, get into your body, use a timer, and get shit done.

I use a timer for most things. It helps calm the noisy thoughts in my head. I have this fear this isn't enough time to get the things done that I need to get, but then I stay in my head and roll though the fearful thoughts instead of of just doing the thing and inching towards getting it done. My noisy and fearful thoughts about not having time exacerbate not having time!

What helps me better use my time and get things done? Using a timer!

When I go for a run in the morning, I only have to go for 20 minutes! I will run 10 minutes out and then run 10 minutes back in.

When I start writing a blog, I set a timer for 60 minutes!

When I mediate in the morning, I use Headspace and do their 5 minute meditation.

8. Move your phone. Delete the social media apps!

I wrote extensively about phones and social media apps here, but lemme tell you- since I've stopped using my phone so much, I am able to really be aware of my noisy thoughts.

I don't have a time-consuming app to numb myself with and I have fewer distractions. 

I am less wired. Less impulsive.

My eyes don't hurt as much. And I have more energy to get things done.

Work on your phone addiction! It will help you with the noisy thoughts and getting things done!

Hope that was helpful!!

My tips for drowning out the noise in your head that prevents you from getting shit done:

1. Acknowledge that the noise in your head is your thoughts trying to keep you same/safe.

2. Anticipate that noisy thoughts are going to show up, so take notice of your go-to noisy thoughts.

3. Have a go-to response ready!

4. Expect less. Start out small. Go A to B.

5. Create a system instead of having no structure in your day.

6. Take time to connect with your pain/pleasure/current identity/aspirational identity.

7. Use a timer! Get out of your head, get into your body, use a timer, and get shit done.

8. Move your phone. Delete the social media apps!

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xo,

Jaclyn