Newton’s First Law and its Power Over Productivity
Have you ever looked at a single mom who is successful in her online business and also works a full-time job and thought “How does she do it? I will never be able to do all those things. I want to be like her, but there is no way!”
Or your dad who works a full-time corporate job, spends time with his family, and also built the garage of his dreams by hand in one year. Well, that’s my dad and his work ethic has become what I model mine after.
Both of these people are highly motivated, disciplined, and productive. They get exhausted and burned out too, just like you and me, but something else sets them apart so that they can accomplish incredible things.
We all have big goals and dreams as entrepreneurial people, but accomplishing them is no walk in the park. You are probably reading this trying to figure out how to be more productive. You are probably burnt out, lacking motivation, and tired of being stuck in a loop. You want to start making progress on your goals and dreams, but just doing the bare minimum is too much right now.
I see you. I know where you are. I know it is hard and exhausting.
The steps towards your goals don’t have to be large in order to see progress. They can be tiny baby steps and that is still progress. This is where Newtion’s First Law comes into play. You are probably thinking “Ewww I thought I was done with science for good”. No! Science governs everything around us! Including our productivity.
“An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force” -NASA
An object in motion will stay in motion! If you are efficient with your time, get your side hustle work done on top of your day job, move your body, spend time with family, and work toward your goals, it is natural to continue to do those things, even if you don’t feel motivated.
An object at rest will stay at rest. If you come home from work, sit on the couch, order takeout, and watch tv till bedtime, it will be natural for you to continue to do so. That is not to say that you have to be stuck there, but it will take more energy to get unstuck.
An object will continue what it is doing unless acted on by a force. To change your patterns, you need force. It requires initial energy to change, but once you do, it becomes easier and easier until you are now an object in motion. Change is hard and it is hard to find extra energy to add more things to your plate, but keep reminding yourself that an object in motion will stay in motion. Your efforts are adding up to baby steps that get you closer and closer to your goals. Every additional minute spent is helping you become more productive in the long run.
These are the stepping stones of discipline that in six months, a year, or five years time someone will look up to you for how productive you are.
