The only thing we have to fear is fear itself

Franklin D Roosevelt, inaugural address, March 4 1933.

Tyler Cowen quotes Jonathan Mead on getting things done.

“The hardest part is often just starting. I’ve found that it’s especially hard for me to start when a task is difficult or complex. The more importance and weight a certain activity has in my life or business, the more I seem to put off starting.

However, if I can just get moving on it, even for a few minutes, it tends to get easier.

Because I know this about myself, rather than setting the intention to finish something, I resolve myself to start. The more often I start, the easier things get finished. Overcoming that first bit of inertia is the biggest challenge (just like getting started on a run, or the first push of getting a car moving).

Once things are moving, momentum is on your side.”

Mead’s point is an everyday illustration of Roosevelt’s. There is more.

Which famous English novelist wrote a book on time management? Arnold Bennett, with his How to Live on 24 Hours a Day.