Overcoming Inertia
The challenge of starting is often the hardest step, but once in motion, momentum makes subsequent steps easier.
Also known as: Breaking inertia, Getting started
Category: Concepts
Tags: productivity, actions, momentum, progress, psychology
Explanation
Starting is the first step, and often the hardest. We can contemplate work to be done and feel overwhelmed, scared, or stuck in over-analysis, thinking we will never succeed. But by doing so, we prevent ourselves from taking the most crucial step: taking action. The good news is that while overcoming inertia is truly hard, the next steps get easier and easier as you gain momentum. There are two types of inertia: inertia in motion and stationary inertia. It is hard to get the ball rolling, but once it is rolling, it can become hard to stop. This principle encourages us to focus on just getting started, knowing that the initial resistance will diminish once we are in motion.
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