How to Just Start and Slay Initial Resistance You know the feeling. You sit down to work on your ColdFusion app. Or a presentation. Or that gnarly piece of technical documentation. And then... Nothing. Just a blank screen staring back at you like the Eye of Sauron, judging you. But fear not, brave devs and middleware wizards! This week we begin your training in the ancient art of Getting Stuff Done. In Part 1 of our Productivity Scrolls, we’ll explore two battle-tested strategies: 1. Just Start 2. Overcome Initial Resistance Together, they’ll help you crush procrastination and kickstart even your most intimidating projects. 1. Just Start: Trick Yourself into Progress I once asked a fellow coder how he beat coder's block on a big app. His answer? “I do whatever I need to do to start coding.” Simple. Sneaky. Brilliant. We think “starting” means hammering out a function or building a feature. But really, “starting” begins the moment you fire up your laptop, close Slack, and open the file. Each tiny step builds momentum. Before you know it, you’re halfway through your task and thinking, “Hey… this isn’t that bad.” Here’s how you can cheat your way past a massive project: Or to give a non-coding example: Let’s say you’re preparing a CF conference presentation. Your original to-do list might look like: * Research topic * Outline talk * Build slides * Rehearse * Present Looks terrifying, right? Let’s make it friendlier: * Spend 5 minutes googling examples * Write 3 bullet points about your topic * Find one visual for slide 1 * Write a dumb joke for the intro Suddenly, your epic quest is just a few easy steps. Pro Tip: Give each step a short time box. “Find 3 graphics for slides: 20 minutes.” Endpoints give structure. Structure creates progress. 2. Overcome Initial Resistance: Stop Thinking, Start Moving The first step doesn’t begin when you start walking. It starts with the decision to move. And that’s where most people get stuck. The resistance isn’t in the doing. It’s in the thinking about doing. So stop thinking. Instead, ask yourself one magic question: WWIT? (What Would It Take?) Inbox overflowing? Ask WWIT to get through it in 10 minutes. Big project on your desk? WWIT to hit 20% completion today? Go with your first answer. Don’t overthink. Don’t debate. Your intuition already knows the shortest path. Bonus Hack: The Pomodoro Technique (aka Temporal Wizardry) Use this when you’re really dragging: 1. Choose a task 2. Set a timer for 25 minutes 3. Work without interruption 4. Take a 5-minute break (walk, stretch, sneak a second breakfast) Interruptions reset the clock. Treat your Pomodoros like sacred time. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress. Onward! 🌟 Whether you’re debugging legacy code or just trying to write an overdue report, remember, the key isn’t to finish. It’s to start. Next week, we’ll finish our four-part toolkit with two more habits that turn mere mortals into productivity machines: Avoid Perfectionism (because chasing flawlessness is secretly ruining you) Learn to Say “No” (to distractions, devices, and maybe even “Game of Thrones”) Spoiler: you don’t need to reply to every email immediately. P.S. If your CF application feels as weathered and weary as the road to Mordor, fear not, tireless 'Samwise of Servers'! Send word by the light of a star, whisper through the cracks of ancient stone, or scrawl your message in the dust of long-traveled paths. As loyal as Sam bearing Frodo up the slopes of Mount Doom, we’re here to carry the load, refine the code, and see your project through to the end. Let’s finish this journey strong — and come home to something better than before. 🌋🛠️