The “Clean Garage” Trap: Are You Productively Hiding?
Picture this: You have a massive goal. Maybe it’s writing the first chapter of your book, launching your website, or making that cold call to a potential client, prospect, or even potential partner.
It is the one thing that will move your life or business forward.
So, what do you do?
You clean the garage.
You mow the lawn.
You organise your email folders.
You go food shopping because the fridge is looking “a little empty.”
This is the most dangerous form of self-sabotage, it’s called:
Productive Procrastination.
Then we play “The Justification Game“
We love Productive Procrastination because it gives us a bulletproof excuse.
When we binge-watch TV, we feel guilty because we’re chilling and entertaining ourselves. But when we clean the garage? Come on, that’s actually doing something useful. We therefore feel virtuous.
We tell ourselves, “I’m getting my life in order so I can focus.”
Here is the hard truth:
You aren’t getting organised. You are hiding.
That big task isn’t delayed because you’re busy; it’s delayed because you are afraid.
You have built this task up in your mind to be a terrifying, complex monster.
When all that’s happened is that your mind has just been playing tricks on you.
Fear of failure (or even fear of success) creates resistance, so your brain seeks a “safe” win—like a tidy garage.
The Monster is a Myth
The irony of all this? The anticipation of the task is the agonising part, but the task itself is rarely as hard as you think.
We suffer more in imagination than in reality. The moment you actually sit down and type the first sentence or dial the first number, the monster shrinks.
You realise that the challenge wasn’t a brick wall; it was a paper tiger.
The only way to conquer the fear is to walk right through it.
Your Challenge for Today
Identify the One Big Thing you have been avoiding. You know exactly what it is.
Now, look at your “To-Do” list. Cross off the laundry. Cross off the emails. Cross off the food shopping. Those can wait until another time.
Do this instead:
- Set a timer for 15 minutes.
- Commit to working on that One Big Thing only until the timer goes off.
- Just start.
You will likely find that once the timer rings, you won’t want to stop.
The fear vanishes the moment you begin.
Don’t clean the garage today. Build your dream instead and just begin.