Getting too into our heads is a major cause of first procrastinating, then abandoning new projects, habits, ideas, etc. Listening to a chapter from Oliver Burkeman’s upcoming book, Meditations for Mortals jolted me awake from a slump. There’s a simple power when you just start doing something instead of thinking about doing it. I had to talk about it in this episode!

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Hello, hello, hello. Welcome to The Feel Good Factor. I’m Susmitha Veganosaurus, and I’m so glad you’re here today! If you like this podcast, then you’re going to love my newsletter, The Feel Good Tribe.

A couple of years ago when I read Oliver Burkeman’s book, Four Thousand Weeks, it blew my mind

It completely changed the way I saw a lot of things, the way I worked, my views on productivity, creativity, all of it. I liked the book so much I read it twice. Well, I listened to it once in the audiobook version. Then I got an e-book and read it. And as I read it, I kept making highlights and all that.

I would not shut up about that book. Everybody I’d speak to, I’d ask them, “Have you read Four Thousand Weeks? It’s so good! Read it, read it, read it.”

I wrote about it in my newsletter. I spoke about it here on the podcast. And a lot of in-person recommendation happened too.

I wanted the whole world to read that book because a lot of what he shares is so meaningful

Soon, his next book is coming out. It’s called Meditations for Mortals. Needless to say, I’m very excited to read it.

On his newsletter recently, he shared an audio preview. He read out one chapter from the book. As I listened to it, I was like, “Oh my God. Cool!”

To be honest, I initially thought, hey, I’ve learned everything I can from this man in Four Thousand Weeks. What else can be there in this new book that would blow my mind? Especially because I’m also a subscriber to his newsletter, and I continuously read whatever he shares and agree with most of it.

But this chapter had a very, very good reminder. It’s about how when we want to do something, sometimes we become so involved in the planning, in the long-term goal, of moving ahead so fast, and having a guarantee that it’ll work, that finally we don’t even do the thing that we’re meant to do.

We don’t take that first step at all, because we’ve immersed ourselves in the planning

Now look, obviously some amount of research, some amount of basic planning, you know, foundational level planning and organisation is important. It’s good, it’s useful for sure.

Whether you’re starting a new project, building a course, creating a new product or service for your business, a new marketing campaign, right? Or in your life, in your creativity, anything. Yes, some planning is important.

But often we think, “okay, I’m going to become this person who creates this, or who has this brand-new habit, and I’ll be this type of a person.” And you’re thinking so much on those terms that you don’t actually start doing what you need to do for it.

So, I asked myself what areas of my life have I kind of stopped myself from doing something because I got too caught up in the initial thinking and analysis, and then dropped it. And also, I asked myself, where have I closed my eyes and just started doing something?

“Will the end result lead to whatever I wanted, whatever I’d pictured in my mind? What’s going to come out of it?” Without thinking of any of that, just started and taken action, baby steps, one at a time, one at a time. Where have I done that?

I compared the two, and realised…

Where I’ve just started off things, it’s paid off, where I was thinking too much, I’ve only procrastinated

For example, every Wednesday at 4 p.m. India Time, I do a live Om Chanting Meditation Session on Insight Timer. I started it a while back without any intention of it becoming a regular thing.

I thought, “I’ll do one session here, one session there. Let’s see how it feels.” It was just a way to keep things simple, instead of planning too many things and be like, “I’ll talk about this topic in the first session, we’ll cover that topic in another session.”

I didn’t want to complicate it, I just wanted to start doing it, so I said, “okay, we’ll just do 21 Om Chants”

That turned out to be so good in terms of how I feel during and after the session, and also the response I’ve been getting from the people who join. It’s turned out so good, the simplicity of it, that I’ve just continued it every single Wednesday. Now, I’ve been doing it for over two months!

And it actually surprises me when I think of it. “Oh, already two months are done since I started? This has been going for a long time!”

But it’s been going consistently. Every week, I show up on Wednesday afternoon on live, start doing the session. And every week, there are some people who will show up every single week. And sometimes there are new people coming in and out.

Insight Timer Live has this option for anyone to join a live session while it’s going on. So sometimes there are new people, sometimes old ones, but it doesn’t matter. Every single week, the session’s been beautiful and powerful.

When I started out, I didn’t think of this as some kind of a plan

• What am I going to get out of this?
• Where is this going to lead?
• What’s the point of this?

I didn’t consider any of that. I just felt called to do something positive, you know, bring this positive vibration, this resonance, this energy in the world.

Anyway, I’m going to chant for myself! I might as well go live and chant with others. That’s all. That was my thought. I began it. And I can see the benefits of it, just how grounded and connected and calm I feel. It’s a beautiful midweek reset!

By the way, if you’d like to join also, go here, and you’ll get to know about the next live event. It happens every week. You just need the free version of the app. No need to pay anything. It’s a free event. You can join me. It’s very, very, very powerful.

Anyway, that’s how the not thinking too much has paid off with the Insight Timer thing. But then…

There’s this course I’ve been wanting to build

I want to create this mentoring program for vegan entrepreneurs. And I’ve had this idea for a long time. I’ve jotted down some topics I want to cover, all of that. But I’ve only been thinking, planning, thinking, thinking, thinking, planning. Then I forget about it, put it off. Then I come back, think and plan again. And then I put it off.

All because I’ve been too mired in the planning, in the framework, in the organisation of it, so much so that I haven’t even started working on the actual lessons.

So when I listened to Oliver, I was like, yeah, this is a great reminder, because even if you know this, you still forget it. We all do.

We need really good reminders about certain things like these habits we fall back on – the over analysing and thinking and getting too much into our heads, so that we don’t actually physically take action

Then I remembered, the fastest course I’ve ever created is this one thing from a couple of years ago, Harmonious Multi-Passionate Life.

It’s a course for people who have several interests. In terms of work, creativity, learning, whatever, they have several interests. How do you harmoniously live a life pursuing all of them? Including all of them in your life without it being overwhelming. Or without just starting, stopping, starting, stopping, you know.

It’s mainly for multi-passionate entrepreneurs and creators

How to decide what should be a business, what should be the be a hobby, what leads to what. It’s a month long course, there’s pre-recorded content, plus there are weekly small group coaching sessions.

The reason I created that course super fast is because I didn’t think too much. I jotted down ideas for the lessons, those flowed very well. And then I didn’t think, “I’ll record this first, in this order, do it this way”, nothing.

I just picked one topic each and every day and recorded the lesson for it. A 10 min (or under) audio lesson. So, I just picked a topic, recorded, picked a topic, recorded.

I simply took action without even knowing…

• Is there going to be an interest in this course?
• Whether people will want it.
• If it’ll turn out great.
• How’s the end result going to be?

Nothing.

It was a new idea for me to do this hybrid course of recording plus live class. I just worked on it, one step a day, little by little by little. And then I had all these 21 recorded audio lessons ready! I started loading it up into my academy and launched the course saying, “This is what it includes. Who wants to join?”

I’ve run two rounds of it, two Harmonious Multi-Passionate Life rounds. And both times people have loved it! Not a lot of students joined, but whoever did join turned into long-term people in my circle. And it’s so beautiful!

All because I didn’t overthink it, I just started

So, I’m like, “okay Sus, if you could build that course so quickly, you know, just going ahead with it, why are you thinking so much for this other course you want to build now? Why are you hesitating so much?”

That chapter from Oliver Burkeman’s new book was such a great reminder for me! So I thought, I have to talk to you all about it. First of all, if you haven’t read Four Thousand Weeks, please read it. And then, yes, look forward to Meditations for Mortals. Obviously, whenever I read it, I’m going to come and tell you more about it because I know I’m going to learn so much more!

Meanwhile, ask yourself two questions, similar to the ones I asked myself.

1. What is it you want to do, been planning to do?

Some project, some new habit. It could even be like a fitness habit or learning something.

It could be anything that you’ve been thinking about, like, “I want to do it, I want to do it, I want to do it, I want to start”, but you haven’t done it because of all the planning, over thinking, telling yourself, “I need to learn more, I need to understand more, I need this set up, that set up, build this, that,” whatever. A hundred things stopping you.

What is it you’re thinking of? What action can you take right now, this moment to just start it?

See, tomorrow if it continues, it does. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Forget the end result, forget the long-term goal. Just start it for the pure joy of starting it and experiencing it.

2. What have you already done in a simple, uncomplicated, no overthinking way?

Think of what things in your life you’ve done already or continue to do. That way, you’ll have examples of how well just starting actually works.

So, sit and contemplate a bit today and think, “what actions do I just take without worrying too much, without analysis, without thinking of – what the end result will be, where it’s going to lead, how it’s going to pay off?”

Taking action just for the sake of it.

• Where are you already doing that?
• How does that make you feel?
• How is it working out for you?

And then take that attitude and apply it to this new thing you want to do and just begin!

Of course, there’s flexibility, you can always modify later

As you learn things, as you understand, you can fine-tune, tweak, make it a little better, a little better. Or make it work according to you, your schedule, your life. You can make it work later the way you want it to. Sculpt it.

But at least start it. Otherwise, nothing’s going to happen. It’s just going to be sitting there.

All right! That’s all I wanted to share today. Thank you so much for listening. I really look forward to talking to you again next week.

Take care. Bye.

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Susmitha Veganosaurus

“I read voraciously, find humour in most things, and I’m most in my element when I’m teaching, writing, and playing with clay. I believe authenticity and kindness are the key to a joyful world. Sign up for my free newsletterwhere I share Life and Business Tips, Vegan Hacks, Holistic Guidance, and more.

Vegan cuisine and holistic business building are my two biggest passions. If you’re looking for guidance with vegan cooking, or want to grow your conscious business with joy and fulfilment, explore ways we can work together here.”

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