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Is there something you need to do, want to do, or maybe just HAVE to do... but you're struggling to get started?

First, know that this feeling is pretty normal and common. We're not machines with on and off buttons. Instead, we're busy people who need to set priorities ... and sometimes that means things get pushed down that to-do list. And the more times we delay them, the harder it can be to get started.

Or, sometimes it's not so much that we're too busy but that we're too afraid. We're worried about failure, plain and simple.

I think more often than not, we're just overwhelmed by everything we need to do to get started in the first place. We turn the whole thing into a towering mountain and seems nearly impossible to climb. It feels too BIG to tackle.

Does any of this seem familiar? You really aren't alone. I come up against this all the time, too.

So I have THREE powerful techniques to begin the hard stuff I've been putting off, and I think at least one of these will work for you, too.

Delay Rewards

The first technique is to delay a reward until you begin. I do this all the time, pretty much every day. This technique helps when I feel too busy, because it forces me to move things up the priority list. Because, in the end, it's all about our priorities, now isn't it?

For example, let's say you have to write a blog post and your week is just CRAZY BUSY INSANE. You just don't know how you're going to fit it in. I've felt this way this week. Yet I know this needs to be done. I firmly believe our blogs need fresh content weekly. So I MUST find a way. I could just attempt to rearrange my priorities, but when I'm pulled in many different directions, it's difficult. So, instead, I turn something I really want into a reward, only given if I get something else done. This thing you delay can be something as simple as another cup of coffee to something bigger like being able to relax with a video or game at the end of the day.

Don't laugh, but I'm currently doing it with a Target run. We're completely re-doing our living room with new paint and new furniture. It's mostly in place, and now the wall unit looks exceedingly bare because we have SO many more shelves than before. So I want to go stroll the Magnolia home decor aisle for inspiration and ideas. I even have a built-in deadline, because I have family coming over this weekend and I want my living room looking good for them. Hence, perfect reward to delay -- I want to go to Target, but I can't until I find time to work on my blog post, and this will force me to move that blog post up my priority list and FIND A WAY to fit it in.

Think Bigger

The second technique is to identify something BIGGER than whatever is scaring you. This can light a fire under you when nothing else can. Here's an example:

I have a large mailing list now and I can get gunshy about sending them an email, especially if it has any product offers in it. It's so much more comfortable to give than to take. However, I know that being comfortable all the time is not the way forward. So when I feel afraid to send out that email during a product launch to SO many people, I search for something BIGGER than the fear. Meeting a sales goal or keeping my spot on a leaderboard is bigger and stronger than my fear. Getting thank-yous and kudos from my readers is bigger. And inspiring others to do more themselves is also bigger than my fear. I imagine myself realizing this big thing and I find it pushes my fear away and I can do it!

I remind myself that I everything to gain.

I know many people feel fear about mailing their people. What if they hate us and unsubscribe? It's pretty common to feel this way. So instead of focusing on that fear and possible negative outcome, think instead about something bigger, like how amazing it is going to feel knowing you conquered this, or made a sale, or helped someone with your words. If necessary, find a bigger fear that overshadows the original one and gets you moving -- like the fear of not getting people to back to your blog to grow it to what you want. I mean, which is scarier, pushing the Send button or having your blog fail?

Just think bigger.

Take Baby Steps

The third technique is to just begin with baby steps. This works really well when we're feeling overwhelmed by the hugeness of it all, because a baby step breaks it down into smaller and simpler components that we CAN do.

For example, I create video tutorials for many of my blog posts these days. My video tutorials are rather grand affairs with lots of different shots, voiceovers, and editing. They are NOT easy by any stretch, even now after making about 35 of them. I still struggle with the immensity of it each time, and I can procrastinate because of it.

So when push comes to shove and I must get started, I begin by taking one little baby step. Just one little thing that can give me forward momentum. That might be opening up Google and starting my research. That's a little thing, I can sit comfortably at my desk while I do it, and it's pleasant and easy.

What I usually find is that it was way easier than I was making it out to be, and the sense of accomplishment I feel at just starting can help me take another step. And then another. And before I know it, I have momentum.

Let's say you're struggling to create a new product. It seems HUGE. Instead of just staring at the idea like a deer in the headlights, so a little thing like sit down and brainstorm some ideas for it. Just a list, nothing more. Just tell yourself you'll take a few minutes and write down whatever comes to mind, with no expectations of having to do anything after that. This makes it seem so much more doable and removes those high expectations we put on ourselves. But when we do just the little thing, we can gain momentum and find we're okay with the next baby step, and the next, and the next.

Stack for More

Sometimes I even stack these techniques together for really powerful motivation. Take the videos, for example. I can tell myself that if I will just go buy the materials I need for the project in the video. That's a baby step. I can stack that with a delayed reward, getting a fun thing for myself while I'm shopping, but tell myself I can't have it/use it until I've recorded the video. And then I use the "think bigger" technique to start the editing process, because the fear of not realizing my big video subscriber goal of 100,000 viewers by the end of the year is bigger than my objections to the hard work. I stack them like this all the time and it keeps pushing me forward to start the hard and scary stuff.

I want you to pick one of these techniques and try it with something you've been putting off. Either delay a reward, think bigger, or take a baby step.

If you're not sure which one to do, try a baby step. Everything big thing can be broken down into baby steps.

If you need to make a blog post, just go click "New Post" and type in a title. Boom.

If you need to make a freebie, just make a list of possible ideas. Boom. If you need to work on promoting your posts, just go pin one post to Pinterest. Just one. Boom.

One baby step. And when it's done, see if you can take just one more baby step. And then just one more, always knowing you're taking just the one step and can stop afterward if you want.

I think you'll find that the baby steps are enough to help you build momentum before you even realize it.