Not feeling it? Read this.

 Funny how some days you're just not feeling it. The task list is too long - or so short that you have all the time in the world to finish it. Perhaps someone else put some of those things on there, and there's a rebellious little part of you that resists the recommendations or requests of certain others. Are you feeling the whispers of your inner child, encouraging you to chuck it all and play hooky?

You're not the only one. The question is whether you're contemplating giving yourself some well-earned respite or whether you're avoiding something, for some reason that only you know. You know you can always come up with some reason why now is not the right time to take action. What's up, really?

• You might legitimately need a break. You cannot go and go and go and not take time to refuel, or you will grind to a halt - and it might be at the most inopportune time that it happens. So take a break - just give yourself a limit so inertia doesn't way you down later.
• You might be worried about failing on the task at hand. We wouldn't be the first to say that the longer you wait to start, the more looming the deadline will become. If you persist in procrastinating it will be more difficult to give the task a worthwhile effort. If it's a problem that you're supposed to solve, the problem will have time to get worse while waiting for you. If you're worried about how you will look if you fail, get over yourself. It's not about you. The task is the focus.
• You might not see the value in doing it. There are things on our plate that have big ramifications for you, your family, your job, etc. And there are some that are nice but not necessary. If you're reporting to someone, it would be useful to find out whether there are implications that you had not yet considered, or of which you were not previously aware. There might be a cost associated with getting it done, and a reward at the end. What's the upside opportunity as well as the downside risk?
• It's too big, or too big for the small chunk of time you have available. So split it up into smaller chunks, do just a part of it right now to get a start, or delegate all or part of it. If it's important enough, it might be time to shuffle other priorities to make room for it in your calendar.
• Somebody else should be doing it rather than you. Why? Are you too big for it? Is it not in your job description? Is it in anyone's job description, or does it need to someone to take it on? Once you see it, it won't be going away unless and until you do something about it. That could include outsourcing it, assigning it, or doing it yourself.

Back away from this task for a minute for a bigger picture. Is what you are doing now- sitting on your hands- tension relieving or goal achieving? A woman named Linda Martin said this more than 30 years ago to a group of entrepreneurs who were frustrated with sluggish sales. What is it really? Are you unnecessarily standing in the way of your own success? When you move closer to the achievement of your goals, when you reconnect to your vision, tension seems to melt away as progress helps you see your dream becoming plausible, and ultimately real. Goal achieving IS tension relieving. Get over yourself. Get on with it. Cross the starting line to be one step closer to the finish.