Motivation is a bit of a weirdo
No, really. Motivation is a bit of a weirdo. As I started writing this post, the app was allegedly launching in less than a week and I couldn’t seem to bring myself to do any of the Very Important Things that I really needed to be doing. I really expected to be in a bit of a frenzy that week, but…
The app wasn’t yet available in either the App Store or Google Play store. Because reasons. You don’t care, and don’t get me started. (Let’s have a moment of sympathy for my husband who has had to listen to me go on and on and on.)
I wanted/expected it to be in stores a few days early for a soft launch, but I had no idea if that was going to happen. (Spoiler alert - it didn’t, but the app was actually available on the launch date, which has really turned into more of a soft launch. But I’m getting ahead of myself.)
I mean, I knew the app was going to be available soon. The app existed. I’d tested it to make sure it worked. (Let’s have a moment of sympathy for my stalwart app developer who made more design and functionality changes during the testing phase than should be legal. As a client, I’m a handful and a half.) I just had to deal with some administrative hurdles (aka the stores reviewing the app).
The problem is that I’d been close to that point before. OK, not THAT close, but close.
A couple of years ago, I founded Accomplist with a partner. I spent a whole summer going on podcasts to promote this app that was totally gonna be done by September. It wasn’t, and I no longer have a business partner, and you can take from that what you will.
The whole thing was pretty mortifying.
But when you’re a hot mess (pardon me, Professional Imperfectionist), you get used to bringing embarrassment down on yourself. Also, I’m incredibly stubborn. (Let’s have a moment of sympathy for my mom who learned this fact when I was a toddler.)
So I figured it out eventually after a few twists and turns that you don’t care about. And now Accomplist the app exists.
You don’t even have to take my word for it.
But until the app actually was available for download, there was a part of my brain sitting in the corner with its arms crossed, insisting that it will believe the app is going to happen when it sees it in the App Store, and not a moment sooner.
The rest of my brain was torn between admitting that the sulky bit has a point, and nagging me to get all this pre-launch stuff done.
I certainly didn’t do all the pre-launch promotion I’d planned. A strategist told me to focus on getting the first 1,000 users. I really didn’t think it was possible to get there by the end of the first month. I was right.
And that’s OK.
I was a techie back during the dot com era. I’ve seen first hand that quick success can lead to spectacularly quick failure. (There was a company called Kozmo.com that was essentially Postmates that no one had really thought through. If they had been slower to launch and grow, they might’ve succeeded and the gig economy might not exist. But I digress.)
Slow growth is sustainable. Not just in business (see also everyone who goes to the gym every day in January in a burst of enthusiasm and then stops going because it’s too crowded thanks to all the other people who joined in a burst of enthusiasm).
When I look back over the last decade or so, I don’t think there was ever a point when I felt like I was progressing in life. At the time, it seemed like I’d been spinning my wheels. And yet, I’m literally and figuratively miles away from where I was 10 years ago.
What I’m trying to say is that procrastination isn’t laziness, and there’s often a solid psychological reason you’re feeling unmotivated. But also, meandering does get you somewhere.
This is why I love that Accomplist lets you mark tasks Skipped. Because “yeah, I was totally going to do that and didn’t” isn’t failure. It’s not even a bump on the road. It just is.
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