Alicia Forest of ClientAbundance.com, a great friend as well as a great coach, recently published a post on her plog that I just had to share since it dovetails so nicely on our current theme. Her post on “4 ways to gracefully set boundaries” is both informative and thought-provoking - I hope you find it true for you!
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Do you feel overwhelmed with your to-do list? Is it something that can be compartmentalized, or delegated? Consider doing so… here’s some ideas:
1) Can you delegate some of the chores? If you have willing spouse/children, can they handle some of the chores for you? How about neighbors who offer services - petsitting, lawn services, etc. - can you free yourself up sharing the load?
2) Can you hire someone to take over the responsibility full time? First, decide what’s important to you. Second, analyze your calendar. What are you doing that is NOT important to you, but you continue to work on? Third, find someone else to do these tasks for you. In my case, I found a couple of someones, who can each focus on areas that they are strong in. (After all, if I’m trying to be efficient, I should play to my team’s strengths, right?)
3) Can you eliminate the task altogether? I’ve been doing this with my email account - weeding out the information, either unsubscribing, or auto-filing the notes for future reference. I used to subscribe to several ‘gurus’ in the field… now I’ve cut that down to 2 or 3. And only one of those is left in the inbox - the others are filed automatically, bypassing the inbox.
Any of these should help you divide and conquer - let me know which ones work for you!
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Now, after two posts on the importance of taking “time outs” for thinking and re-charging the mental batteries, it’s time to discuss the dirty habit that lies just on the other side of productive time off-task and task avoidance. Yes, I’m talking about procrastination.
According to Dr. Piers Steel, an expert in the study of procrastination, at least 95% of people procrastinate and for 15-20% of us it is a consistent problem. (http://www.procrastinus.com/)
There are many theories on the causes of procrastination, and much debate over the validity of these theories. There are even more people and companies with websites and programs offering advice on how to overcome procrastination. In fact, I was overwhelmed (and intrigued) at all the info out there. You can count on hearing more on this topic in future posts. In the meantime, I ask you, “Why (or what) do you procrastinate?“
To get the ball rolling, I’ll admit to procrastinating on getting my car serviced.
At first there was just the engine light, which was explained to me as a secondary sensor being out, and that it was not crucial to be fixed immediately. Next the brake light came on, of which I was told the brake pads need to be replaced soon, but I could get by until my next payday. The third warning was the add coolant light – which I would never ignore, although I have been able to postpone repair by periodically adding water. The final straw for me was when the display read “SERVICE!” with an accompanying high pitched beep. So now, the car is screaming at me for attention. And just yesterday, I noticed the A/C not blowing as cold as usual. Finally, I’ve made the appointment to bring my car in. The main reason I didn’t do it before was simply the inconvenience of having to arrange for alternate transportation. I am sure I’ll pay for this when it’s time to pay the service bill!
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Goofing off has a bad rap. Kids who do it in school are called unfocused. Adults who do it are labeled as irresponsible, or worse. And why? What’s so bad with goofing off?
I prefer to think in different terms:
- Recharging my batteries
- Blue-sky thinking
- Strategic musing
Some of my best and most creative ideas have come after a short period of goofing off – stopping in a store after lunch to browse the sale rack; taking the long way home from a meeting, just to drive the twisty road (Austinites, if you’ve ever driven Westlake Drive, you know what I’m talking about…) or heading to the beach for a well-deserved break from it all. While I’m disconnected from the chaotic business world, even for 30 minutes, I notice solutions I’ve missed; opportunities I’ve overlooked; and to-do tasks I’d forgotten to handle.
So the next time you’re stuck on a problem, consider running out for an ice-cream cone; taking an aimless walk; practice your golf swing, bike technique, or swim stroke; or other ‘aimless’ pursuits – and see if it doesn’t jostle something loose and break up the mental log jam!
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Do you feel guilty for taking time to think?
Thinking is important; really important…so why are we embarrassed when we are caught thinking? Thinking is not the same as daydreaming. Deep, productive thought cannot always be accomplished while multi-tasking. Just because you are not typing on your keyboard doesn’t mean that nothing is being done.
I think we are harder on ourselves then we realize when it comes to taking time to think. In fact, we actually stop ourselves from thinking when that little voice in our head says, “You need to get busy!” We’re so used to jumping when we hear our inner voice that we don’t even challenge that thought. Try answering that thought with: ‘Hey, I am busy, I am thinking and you (voice) are interrupting!”
When you let your thoughts be interrupted by the notion that you need to get busy, the outcome is potentially dangerous. Here are some reasons why:
So, I’m suggesting you take some time to think, fight the urge to look busy and see how your quality of work improves.
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