One strategy for children learning how to speak without stuttering is to ease in to what they're about to say, so they don't get hung up on the first word.
This is a great strategy for real life too.
A benefit to getting up a little earlier is that you can ease in to your day, perhaps spending a few moments doing something for yourself before you start taking care of everyone else or race off to whatever's scheduled that day.
If there's a project or task that doesn't light your fire but has to be done, you might benefit from easing in to it by just spending 15 minutes the first day, or by doing some preliminary research, or by mapping out a timeline, or by starting with what you think will be your favorite part of the project.
Making one small change to your diet each week might benefit you more than starting a whole new way of eating. You might be a person who can run 3 miles the first day you set out to build a running habit, but if you're like me you'll benefit from starting small. If you've been in the same line of work for a while and want to make a change, you might ease in by taking on small projects in that new line of work or by brainstorming how you can tweak your current job responsibilities to acquire more of the skills you'll need.
Sometimes you'll want to run headfirst into the water, the project, the day. But sometimes it's smart to dip your toe in, test the temperature, take a few more steps, and then immerse yourself.
Ease in.
Photo by Christopher Sardegna on Unsplash