Tag: NAPO Chicago

Is It Really Procrastination? Or Are We Unknowing or Unable?

Perhaps you have noticed, or perhaps you haven’t: I don’t talk much about procrastination.

I think it’s time.

And that is funny, yes? That I’ve waited this long to talk about procrastination?

Yep, there’s that word. I don’t talk about it. Similar to my feelings that I shared in my article and podcast about Overwhelm, I feel the word Procrastination is overused and misunderstood.

Procrastination IS. That it exists is undeniable.  It is a feeling, a strategy, an occurrence. It’s a lot of things. It can be all of those things and more.

But I don’t talk about it because it’s also too easy. It is too easy to just wave off an occurrence of not getting something done and say, “Yes, I procrastinated.” It’s too easy, and it’s not helpful.

And that’s the bigger problem.  When it is used in conversation, the word Procrastination is not specific enough to actually help us figure out what the solution should be. We tend to only look at the symptom instead of digging deeper. 

Imagine: I have a stuffy nose. I can blow my nose, and that solves the current problem. But I get stuffy again.  Or blowing my nose DOESN’T solve the problem, and I’m still stuffy. Stuffy is a symptom, not the cause.  The cause may be allergies, a cold, the flu or something else.

Similarly, if we don’t look at WHY we’re procrastinating, or get specific around what exactly the problem is, we’re unlikely to make anything more than temporary progress. We need to get specific about procrastination, both the word and the event!

So, let’s get specific!

The definition of procrastination is “the action of delaying or postponing something:”, or to “willfully choose to NOT do something for absolutely no good reason”, or “to put off intentionally and habitually the doing of something that should be done”. Now, in truth, there are many people – all the time! – who willfully choose to not do something purely for the sake of not doing it.

So I’m not saying that it doesn’t exist, but I am saying that very often when we say, “Ugh, I need to stop procrastinating on this thing”, what we’re really saying is, I know that I need to do it and it’s important, but there’s still something stopping me from doing it. And so what could that be? Again, back to that overwhelm definition or that strategy when we were taking apart that word.

But today, we’re going to look at two reasons why we delay action that are mislabeled as procrastination. Sometimes we delay for no good reason, but sometimes we delay because we lack the know-how or the resources to get something done.

And this is going at be at least a 2 part series!

Let me share a few theories on why we procrastinate, or more specifically, why we call something procrastination, and it actually isn’t procrastination.

In my podcast and my writings, I have talked about essential structures in Coaching. They are Support, Self-knowledge, Action and Education.  And essential structures are the scaffolding. They’re the essential structures that are required for us to actually do things that need done. They are the things, the people, the habits, the knowledge that help us live what we consider successful lives. We have scaffolding, we have strategies that we can use to help us to live more successful lives.

And sometimes we don’t have those things that we need to take action on a task or a project. So we’re procrastinating on it because, for example, we lack the know-how to do something.

For example: I knew I wanted to formalize my business. But It took me months if not a year or two to determine if I needed my company structure to be a C Corp, an S Corp, or an LLC. I felt like I was procrastinating which is not comfortable for me! But in truth, I was thinking about it. I was researching my options, reading things online, working through worksheets. I did all the things, but I still lacked the knowledge to make the right decision. And even if I decided one way or the other, I lacked the legal expertise to actually set it up.

So it’s not that I wasn’t doing anything. I was taking steps, but they weren’t the right steps, because, honestly, that’s not my wheelhouse. Those are not my strengths. And thank goodness I figured that out.

I do not need to learn how to do it,  which is what I was unsuccessfully trying to do.

What I needed to do was find an expert and let them help me. So I called my attorney, Eileen, and said, “Hey, I’m trying to figure this out. You know me, you know my business. I want know formalize my business and register with the state, protect my name and my family’s assets, separating my company business from personal business.

She replied that I needed an LLC and that she could set that up for me. And every year, her office sends in my paperwork to the state to keep it current. It costs a certain amount, and I sign off on it every year, and then it was done. So that is an example of when what looks like procrastination was me not seeing the path forward until I called in an expert. Sometimes we lack the know how, and that’s okay.

Most importantly, being aware of what the real problem is can help us seek the right solution.

Another reaction of NOT DOING that we could call Procrastination may actually be a lack of resources.  Let’s define what a resource is. In this example, a resource is a commodity that we already possess. A resource is our own brain, our education, our experiences. It can be time, it can be money, it can be energy. When I talk about resources and productivity, those three – time, money and energy, are the three I talk about the most.

For example: For a very long time, I wanted to start a podcast. I was very excited at the prospect. I had it all thought out. I had reached out to and spoken with the expert in my community who had a successful podcast.  This expert became my producer Chris because he also hosts and produces podcasts for other people.

My brand community had asked me for a podcast. 

I am a pro at professional speaking and singing, so I’m comfortable behind a microphone.

Many people struggle with consistent content for a podcast, but I was already in the habit of producing content every week for my community, so that wasn’t a stretch.

I had a plan.  I had the know how. I had the supportive people around me, to help me with it, too.

But what I was worried about were resources. Finding the time to add another task, another responsibility to my already full to-do list. 

This was not news. I knew I wanted to start a podcast for years, but I did not have the time to add the podcast in while in the midst of everything else, working full time, managing a household, being present for my family, doing all the things that I needed to do.

Last Fall, my youngest left for college.  And if I haven’t mentioned lately, I adore my kids, my people.  They are the coolest humans on the planet. I do not begrudge one moment I have spent with them.

But I didn’t procrastinate on starting the podcast as much as I chose to not make it happen for a time.  As my responsibilities shifted, I launched my podcast in November of last year. 

Sure, I talked about it for a long time without acting.  At times, when I was frustrated with myself, I would accuse myself of procrastination. But honestly, I knew the opportunity was coming soon and I was waiting for the resource of time became available, and that is the answer. I wasn’t procrastinating as much as I was recognizing how I and the people around me needed to spend my resources.

And what is the awareness here?

Don’t use the term procrastination without digging deeper! Are you procrastinating around something because you don’t know HOW to do it?  Or you lack the resources to make it happen? Well then let’s call the problem what it really is – a lack of know how or resources, and then actively do something to remedy the problem!

Find Focus and Fight Distraction!

Recently, I recorded a live video on my back deck. I wanted to talk about Focus. I was feeling out of focus, just blurry. And I was taking steps to get back on track and thought that would be helpful to my community to talk through.

What is really funny to me is that the video did not go well!

The day before, a friend had mentioned that she had “seen my car videos on Instagram”. I do not want that to Be The Thing! “Colleen recording from her Car”! So, I wanted to shake things up a little. I couldn’t record from my front stairs, as I have also done, because we were watering the grass that morning. So, back deck was plan C. I scrapped the first recording. On my second try, as soon as I started recording, my neighbor came out of his house (I live in the Chicago area and my back door is very close to my neighbor’s back door). So I adjusted. And then his dog – and I like my neighbors and the dog – started barking. And then there was a train a mile away that decided to blow its horn. A Lot.

You get the idea.

And this was a recording about focus. Life is just funny.

Sometimes I feel out of focus. I think we all do.

I could spend time dissecting WHY I lost focus. And that is important long term, I suppose. Personally, I am clear on WHY I was feeling unfocused last week. But for today’s purpose, I want to talk about how to find focus again, sharing basic tools to Find Focus and Fight Distraction.

First, we have to start with recognizing the lack of focus. Then, we can think about what to do about it!

When I teach productivity and time management, I mention that one of the most empowering things to know is that we ourselves can change and improve our situation for better productivity and satisfaction. Knowing there are adjustments that I can make helps me to feel better immediately!

So the topic of Focus, and what adjustments we can make when focus is lacking. Because I know for me, I can’t always force focus. And sometimes I try. Early in lockdown, it came to light that I talk to myself while I work from home. Often, to loudly tell myself to FOCUS! And yelling at me, forcing focus… doesn’t work.

Let’s look at what DOES work!

  • The first step, as it always is in coaching, is Awareness. In this case, awareness that you’re out of focus.
  • I have several check-in points in my days:
    • I can use times of transition – like leaving the house, or coming home, or leaving a client’s house or arriving at my next appointment; or
    • There are natural times, too, like getting up, getting out of the shower, transitioning from work day to family time, etc., and these are all great opportunities to check in on myself and my focus.
  • Many times a day, I do a Body Scan
    • If I am feeling unfocused, I can ask some easy questions and check in with me.
    • First question is, What needs need to be met?
      • Maybe I am STARVING! Yep, that can steal focus and cause distraction.
        • Blood sugar can dip, our brains (and bodies) need food and energy to function.
      • Maybe I am Thirsty.
      • I can check in on that body scan – is there anywhere that I am holding tension? Do I have pain or discomfort anywhere?
      • Am I too hot or too cold? I have to say, in summer, I often find myself unfocused because my office is REALLY HOT in the late afternoon and that makes me drowsy. So, I can pull the blinds, turn on a fan, move to a different area of the house, etc! If I’m aware!
      • Maybe it’s time to get up, stretch, take a nature break, etc!
  • Awareness, too – Here is something we don’t often realize that affects us: Our senses.
    • Working in a too dark or too light room can be distracting, even if we don’t realize it. So, check in!
    • Noises – more or less – yes, these matter, too!  Often, we have auditory distractions that are not consciously registering.  So, intentionally scan our selves and our surroundings can help us adjust our environment
  • Other tools we can use:
    • Breathwork:
      • Also in my time management classes, I teach basic breathwork.
      • I teach my participants square breathing – Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, exhale for 4 counts and hold 4 counts. That’s IT! This can be a 30-60-90 second exercise – I usually call it a mini-vacation – where we concentrate just on our breath.
      • The re-focusing of our thoughts with the added bonus of an more oxygenated brain almost always helps me to refocus.
    • The Pomodoro Method for productivity,
      • The cycle of 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of rest that we practice in my Finish Line Friday sessions is a tool I use ALL DAY EVERY DAY to get things done.
      • 25 minutes of work 5 minutes of break, and the reminders to re-focus, just in case I have gotten off track.
      • If we’re going to talk about rest, that leads me to the reminder of my recent podcast on rest and recovery. Check that out if you would like to know more.
    • Body Doubling:
      • If you find you’re feeling distracted, and lacking focus, by all means try some of these other tools as well, but also consider phoning or checking in w a friend via text, then open a zoom room or join a group!
      • You can change your location, too, to work near someone around you who IS focused. Since it’s back-to-school time, I think of a library.
      • In college, I would set up in the library and the entire space was dedicated to focus! Quiet, separate from personal distractions, just the work I needed to do in front of me, and other people around me who were seeking the same focused work! So consider what that looks like for you!
  • What does finding your focus look like to you? Consider these tools next time you feel the focus un-focusing!

How To Help Future You!

Last week in a video on Social Media, I asked the question “What would help you the most to be done with, to get completed this week?”

As in, asking myself: “If I could get this one thing… (fill in blank here…) done:

  • a lot of other things would fall into place;
  • I wouldn’t have to spend anymore mental energy on it;
  • I could move on to other tasks or projects; or
  • I could just stop thinking about it!”

For me, the answer last week was: moving clients to the scheduled column; and taking care of some errands that were once-and-dones (and not recurring errands).

Also, last week, I attended my monthly Leadership / Non-profit Mastermind meeting where we discussed how the summer schedule is often different than the rest of the year, and how that different schedule can provide different opportunities. And, how to take advantage of those different opportunities.

So, my question to you and to me this week, is to zoom out a little and ask:

  • “What would help you the most to be done with, to get completed this summer? What can you do now, in this more relaxed and expansive time, to set yourself up to succeed this Fall?

Summer is indeed different for me, schedule- and responsibility-wise. Professionally, not too much changes with my client load and presentations. But my other responsibilities are different. For example, I attend MANY fewer meetings in the summer.

Did you know? I am a school board member for my local school district. And summer has more committee work and planning since students are not in the buildings. The day-to-day work is much different. The work for me is more self-directed and the deadlines are farther in the future.

Of course, self directed learning is is sometimes dangerous territory – it’s easy to get distracted when working isn’t URGENT! But I digress.

The point is, for Board work, if I ask myself this question:

What would help the most to be done with, to get completed this summer? What to do now, in this more relaxed and expansive time, to set up to succeed this Fall?

The answer is, In the summer to do myself a favor this Fall, I can close out some small projects and clean up some documents that never seem to get completed during the year.

In addition to board work, I run a choir for my Parish. Post-pandemic, I am very happy to say that we returned to a more consistent schedule after Easter this past Spring. We still take summers off, but I know we will sing Masses this Fall. And for me, the most time consuming and stressful part of running a choir is NOT managing a dozen people or singing in front of hundreds, it is setting up our song lists every week and month.

So, to ask the question again, “What would help you the most to be done with, to get completed this summer? What can you do now, in this more relaxed and expansive time, to set yourself up to succeed this Fall?

Here is the thing – If you don’t know this, I am Catholic and the readings and therefore the song selection works on a rotating year schedule, and are determined years in advance. Which means I can use summer time to set the line-ups now for September 2023 to May 2024 and save myself a while lot of struggle during the busier time of year.

So this is how this tool, this question, can work!

Let’s break it down a little more!

  • First, we need to look at our Focus Areas (if you need to review, you can go back and check out episode #5, or check out this article).
  • Once we know what is important to us, we can look at what projects we can complete or perhaps start in this summer schedule. My board work and my choir work are both part of my Focus Area of Service, and since I know they are important to me, I can look a little closer at what to do this summer to help me all year round.
  • Once we’ve identified the project, we need to BREAK IT DOWN INTO LITTLE TINY PIECES. A highly effective strategy to fight overwhelm and to make progress on any task is to recognize that all large projects are a series of small projects.
  • And then take action, and stay on track! And, how to stay on track?
    • Remind yourself that completing this project will help future you!
    • It’s important to make room for those important but non-urgent (see my Eisenhower Box blog article, or re-listen to podcast episode #4!) tasks to still make they happen. Do not leave your scheduling up to chance! Dedicate white space – actually schedule time to complete those project pieces!
    • Perhaps you can schedule the project time in place of the typical scheduled time. For example, during the school year I have a monthly meeting on a Monday afternoons – I could absolutely use that found time this summer to work on my school board notes and projects.
    • Or
    • I can use a couple for hours on a Wednesday evening when we typically would be in rehearsal to work on my weekly mass line-ups for Fall, since I am often thinking musical thoughts that evening anyway!
    • Finally, create at least a little urgency, if you find that motivating. I know I do.
      • In talking to a friend and networking partner today, she said and I quote “Oh no rush on those items you promised, just take your time.” and I said “No! Never tell me to take my time, or I lose urgency!” So I will take care of our tasks ASAP and let her take her time in responding!

“What would help you the most to be done with, to get completed this week?” And this summer?

Once we have created multiple small projects instead of large ones, we can assign deadlines at regular intervals throughout the summer months to create some urgency and get things done! Do future you a favor, set your plan and then make some progress on those tasks that will help Future You the most!

What Does “Ready” Look Like For You?

What does Ready look like for you?

In one of my favorite short presentations entitled “How to Never Be Late Again”, I list 4 ways to never be late again. I feel like that presentation would make a great podcast around back to school time in August, so stay tuned!

For today, though, one way to never be late again deserves it’s own article and podcast episode!

The idea is to “Prepare to leave again as soon as you arrive home.” Get back to “ready”, return to ready, whatever that looks like for you.

This is my typical strategy for most things in life, so I don’t even think about it most days. But a friend recently mentioned that my firefighter analogy resonated with her because she had gotten out of the Back to Ready habit during the pandemic and was slowly getting back to it.

So, here we go:

Consider ambulance drivers and fire fighters. They clean up and reload their rig after every call. Now, for the rest of us, Life is not an emergency, but it’s easier to be flexible when we know we’re prepared.

Did you know? I have a firefighter family. My dad is a retired firefighter, his dad was a firefighter and my oldest brother just retired after 30 years.

I remember visiting my dad at the firehouse when I was a kid, and there was a tower for the hoses. It seemed tall to me. Most things do.

When the rig comes back from a fire, from using a fire hose, the hoses are washed and hung up in the tower to dry, to unkink and smooth out, etc. Because you have to take really good care of fire hoses.

The pressure, the amount of water that courses through those, per minute is astonishing when they are being used to put out a fire. They need to be well tended so they don’t burst.

That means washing them, drying them out between uses, hanging them straight so there’s no kinks or folds, letting them hang out and dry and then rolling them up.

Once the firefighters hang out the recently used hose, they restock the rig with the clean and dry ones. Immediately upon returning back from a call, they also restock the rig with supplies, their turnout gear, safety precautions, and medical equipment. And imagine an ambulance, right? Same deal.

So if you called 911 and need an ambulance or a firetruck, do you want to imagine that they are standing in the bay of the firehouse, restocking the rig after you call?

No. You want them to be already on their way when you call, right?! They need to have all the things, but not too many things. They need to have everything they need and not much more because that would be a very full rig. But you, as the caller, want to know that it’s restocked and ready and waiting. And honestly, that next call could come in 2 minutes, or it could come in 2 hours, but it doesn’t matter because whenever it happens, they’re ready to go.

Back to ready. Right? Right. whatever that looks like for you.

So the idea is to prepare to leave again, as soon as you arrive home.

What I am NOT suggesting is that we need to live in this heightened state of panic, anxiety, emergency. I never want us to feel that way. And actually, what I’m suggesting – Getting into the practice of getting ready to leave – would help you to feel a lot less stressed. More prepared, less stressed, more ready for whatever the day may bring.

What I also like about this strategy, too, is that it can be personalized. You know for yourself and for your family or your office, your work, whatever what ready looks like. I think that that’s a big piece of it, is, knowing what ready looks like.

I was on a retreat in February of 2020. At one of the presentations I attended, the presenter talked about your core.

She didn’t say getting back to normal, she talked about getting back to your core, your baseline? What is your core? What is your starting point on any given day or week? What is that for you? My return to ready.

I spoke last week about helping with transitions by having a physical location to drop all the things out of our pockets and a habit around cleaning things out.

So you’re ready to repack and put things away and whatever that would be. So again, what is that for you? What is ready?

Certainly when I get home, there are things that I do. I put my bag in the same place every day when I arrive home. I unpack my water bottles and put them in the sink. I make sure that my keys are clipped onto my handbag (it’s a backpack).

And if I’ve used up anything in my backpack that needs to be replaced (gum, tissues, a pen, cash), I replace that immediately, because I am going to remember that I used something up much more clearly the moment I get home versus a day or a week or a month later when it comes time for me to leave. If I wait to check everything over again and maybe refill then I’m going to forget something. My go-to is to make sure that I have restocked immediately upon arriving home, as opposed to waiting until it’s time to leave to do the restock.

Do you see the difference? It is a big difference. It’s a different way of thinking of things. But it really does matter when we shift to being ready, no matter what, versus having to prepare when it’s time to go.

Now, if my husband’s listening to this, he also knows that sometimes when I’m getting ready to go, lately, occasionally, I have forgotten my phone. (In my defense, that “forgetting” means I walk out the back door and get in the car before going back for it, so is that really forgetting?)

The most likely reason that I have forgotten my phone is because I am distracted, often by people. The second most likely reason is because it wasn’t where it belonged, which, if it’s not on my person, is supposed to be my desk, unless I’m in bed and then it’s on the table next to me. So I have habits around those things. That’s what ready means to me. Ready to go. This is truly the opposite of, an emergency.

I mean, it’s still an emergency if somebody calls 911 and needs a fire truck or an ambulance. My other example is from when my kids were little. And if you ever had to take a child to the ER, you don’t want to have to stop and pack the diaper bag. If you want to go, you need to go, right?

You also need to have an idea of what stocked looks like, right? So, again, it’s not that I packed a million outfits or whatever, but, for example, a stocked diaper bag for the babysitter’s house was six clean diapers. The wipes were wipe container was full. There were two sleepers, two outfits, two pairs of socks, let’s say two blankets, let’s say five burp cloths, whatever that standard level of packed or ready was.

And I knew what that was, and as soon as we would get home from going places or the sitter, I would make sure that it was restocked and ready to go. I would replace what had been used and make sure we were back to ready. I didn’t pack a million things. I just made sure the essentials were covered, bag was packed, we were ready for whatever whenever!

If we needed to just up and go, we absolutely could. And that was so freeing. We could go in an emergency but we could also just head out the door and go to the park or go to the library or whatever, and I didn’t have to fumble and repack because that was already done. And we didn’t get stuck anywhere without the essentials. We could set it aside and forget it, which is great. That is what Ready meant for us.

So how do we translate that into our everyday? Where is it in your life? What goes with you? What is it that needs to, be easier? Where would this idea help you? Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear from you!

Metrics In The Dentist Chair!

Today, I want to talk about metrics. Performance metrics, to be specific, though applied to personal development.

Metrics. Let me explain:

I don’t know if you know this. I didn’t, for certain.

At my dental check up this week, my very nice hygienist, Mary Kate, was very good at explaining what she was doing. I was meeting Mary Kate for the first time, and perhaps she is always this thorough but no one else had ever talked me through the process.

I’ve had teeth for 50-some years now and I just learned from Mary Kate about perio-charting or probe scores. So there you go. There’s your new idea for the day. Perio-charting or probe scores.

The hygienist uses a tool which I’ve never looked closely at before. It’s kind of pointy, looks a little scary. There are lines on the probe that allow the hygienist to quantify the health of my gums.

The goal is to not have a lot of recession, I guess, or dips in the gums around your teeth. And the farther your gums recede, the higher the number of stripes on this tool that they see when they poke your gums, and the more damage you have and the more concerned you need to be, or the more work that needs to be done.

I didn’t know this. Did you know this? I thought it was very cool!

As I sat in the dentist’s chair, I was already reflecting about this article that I wanted to write about Metrics and here I was presented with an excellent example of quantifying something that I didn’t even realize was quantifiable, in the interest of gauging current status and also checking in again later to determine progress over time.

Yep, that’s a Metric. Performance metrics are used to measure the behavior, activities and performance of a business. Or a person, for today’s purpose of my podcast and newsletter.

Mary Kate explained there is an objective, standard, quantifiable, reproducible number to measure gum health. If you have a score of four or under, your gums are pretty healthy. A little higher and we should start to worry. And a seven or eight is cause for alarm. (Mine were healthy, by the way!)

A different hygienist in a different office would still get the same number. Because a metric is information that is quantifiable and standardized. And the best part about Metrics is if we measure something, we can also improve upon it and measure our progress over time.

Every six months when I go in, they’re going to use the same tool and the same charting method. We will identify if there is a problem. And if take action to alleviate the problem, we can measure if it’s helping or not. This is huge, right? I mean, we all need to know this!

There are metrics, or habits or activities or progress, that we can identify as being important to us and quantify in some way. Of course, lots of factors are measurable and therefore trackable. And if we can track something, we also can improve something. My website expert Claire reminds me that “if you don’t track it, you can’t improve it”. It comes down to metrics.

So, with metrics, we can:

  • identify what metric, habit or data is important for us to track;
  • identify how or in what increments we want to track it;
  • consider what progress will look like (I would like to extend my walk time from 30 minutes daily to 40 minutes daily over the course of a week);
  • identify how and how often we want to track the habit or data; and
  • set up the habits and tools that help us make this all happen!

As you listen to my podcast about this article, consider that I can check the Podbean app where my podcast is hosted and see how many people listen. I can see the data (metrics) from day to day and from episode to episode. I have a “total downloads” over time. I can see that my numbers are much better at the 25th episode than they were at the first (thank goodness!).

Because “number of listens” and “downloads” are important metrics as an indicator of success, I could also try to boost my numbers more from week to week through marketing or advertising, and then track if those activities have a positive impact on my listens and downloads. Metrics.

Let’s look at where else this could apply.

Lately, I’ve been using metrics to track my health and wellness habits. I track if I completed the habit this day (“Yes, I took a walk” or “No, I did not take a walk”), how many minutes (30, 60, etc.), and how many steps overall in a day. Or…

  • How many hours of sleep I get a night.
  • How many cookies I eat a day (kidding!).
  • How many ounces of water I drink a day.
  • Did I meditate, and for how long?
  • My daily weight.
  • Morning journaling, by number of minutes.

Let’s make this useful to us. What is an area of your life you would like to improve upon, and what would be a metric around it?

  • For example, recently I realized I need to drink more water, for myriad health reasons.
  • I read the recommendations and committed to drinking 100 ounces of fluids per day.
  • I tracked my normal water consumption and realized I was doing okay but I need to do better every day to reach the 100 ounces goal.
  • To make tracking easier, I fill a 32 oz. jar with filtered water first thing every morning and fill my water glasses and bottles through out the day from that jar. I consistently refill the jar one time during the day (64 total), so the goal this week is to refill the jar 2 times during the day to bring me to 96 ounces.
  • I TRACK THE NUMBER OF JARS! I set up an Evernote Document with the “ounces of water” metric, and also others (exercise, meditation, productivity, etc.). I can copy my list of metrics from day to day, and the the document has pre-formatted check boxes I can add to make tracking even easier. I broke the check boxes down into “32 oz jar” increments x 3 every day, and can click the box accordingly.
  • I have reminders on my phone late in the day to track the ounces and also to remind me to finish up if I haven’t yet met the 100 ounce goal.

Since I am tracking my habits, I know if I’m hitting my mark or not. I can celebrate the successes! “Yeah Me! Establishing good habits!”, which helps me stay motivated for tomorrow!

And if I’m not there yet, I can stop and realize that I’m not hitting my mark. Perhaps I give myself a little pep talk! “You know what, I’ve been doing really great. I’ve been exercising for 30 minutes a day. I get good sleep. I’ve been making healthy nutrition choices. But… I’m not drinking enough water.” And then I can ask me, “What else can I do to support this habit?”

Some of the supports are the ideas I am already using.

  • I made tracking fun by creating my own personalized Metrics Document with my list and motivational quotes at the top.
  • I made it easy by creating the daily template of metrics and their check boxes. And it’s also easy because I use Evernote all day every day so adding another document to that habit is easy.
  • I’m pretty consistent with tracking habits in the morning and mid day, but not so much in the evening, so I added another time for an evening reminder. And the timer goes off early enough in the evening that I can still catch up if I want to.
  • It’s fun for me to track metrics, so there’s a dopamine boost that I get from crossing things off the list.
  • And flexibility is actually a big plus, too. Creating my own check list based on my own metrics means that I can add a habit if I want to, or subtract it if I find that it’s no longer helpful.

So, do I want to meditate more, reach out to one family member daily, have time outside in fresh air… or what else? What else do I want to do that would support any kind of healthy habits or, um, wellness activities that I’m trying to accomplish?

Metrics are self knowledge, actual quantifiable data, that we can use to track and then improve behavior.

My challenge to you this week is to consider what is an area of your life you would like to work on, what would a metric to track to indicate progress and success, and to start tracking! I would love to hear from you about a performance metric, either personal or professional, that you want to improve and therefore track. If you have an app that you love and that I could share with others, please let me know!

Finish Your Week Strong With Finish Line Friday

Did you know? I host a free weekly productivity session, “Finish Line Friday”, for my community.

Based on the ideas of Accountability and Body Doubling (both recent Weekly Themes), my participants and I spend time together working side by side on our own tasks.

Statistically speaking, the most productive ratio of work to rest is 52 minutes of work and 10 minutes of rest, repeated in cycles. In Finish Line Friday, we use the Pomodoro Technique (read more here!) for productivity. The Pomodoro Technique takes the 52 / 10 ratio and breaks that into cycles of 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of rest.

We work through 4 cycles of 25 and 5, and then wrap up and taking a little longer break before getting back to work.

Some of the benefits of Finish Line Friday include:

  • Camaraderie and a pleasant group to work with:
    • And some positive energy to share!
    • I am a verbal processor and it helps me to say out loud to others what I want to work on for the next 25 or 50 minutes
  • A deeper dive on Time Management:
    • Participants report arriving at a better grasp of just how long certain types of task take, and getting better about budgeting the time to get things done.
    • Similarly, participants have mentioned that FLF helps them to know what 25 minutes feel like. Or 50.
      • Which, again, helps us going forward with planning our work and our time.
      • We don’t often know what a certain amount of time feels like.  And since we all have many responsibilities, it is helpful to know how long to dedicate towards a project before we need to pause that work and switch to other work.
    • Breaking down projects into 25 minute chunks keeps us making progress without feeling overwhelmed!
  • Building the Productivity Muscles!
    • In life, we don’t always get to complete a task or project.  But making progress on it today, even if we just get to work on it for an hour or two, is still better than not working on it all.  And the more progress we make, the better idea we get of just what is left to finish until we can call the work complete!
  • Conversely, we’re reminded that productivity improves when breaks happen!
    • Using the Pomodoro Method helps me be better about taking breaks.  Whoo boy, I am seriously terrible about this sometimes!
    • I love it when I seem to hit a stride in my work and can just focus and keep working on getting a project complete.  So I have been known to just commit to work and sit… at  my computer… for 3 or 4 hours straight with hyperfocus.  And then… the brain starts to get fuzzy, my shoulders are tight and I have a headache, I’m starving, my feet fell asleep, my water glass has been empty for hours and now I am completely spent.  So, as much as I LOVE a good focus session when I am in the zone, I MUST get up and move around at regular intervals.

Consider joining us for Finish Line Friday, for productivity and a supportive community! Email me to sign up, Colleen@peaceofmindpo.com!

Adopt the “Clean As You Go” Habit

“Are you a ‘Clean-As-Yo-Go’ person?”

Why yes, yes I am. 

This article, and the related podcast, will be highlighted in Clutter Awareness Week, the 4th week in March.

I want to share an idea that can shift your thinking.

Let’s start Clutter Awareness Week by being aware of how we create clutter and how we can make a simple change that helps clutter NOT EVEN HAPPEN!

Clean As You Go (CAYG for today) as a strategy makes life flow so much more smoothly.

There aren’t messes to clean up because they either never existed or they’re already gone. Because, let’s face it, I am more certain about having the time to take care of things now in this moment than I am of having the opportunity later.

And if you know me at all, obviously, I’m not actually talking about cleaning. Or not just about cleaning.

At Thanksgiving, my brother and I were chatting in the kitchen as I put together a casserole.  Amid whatever else we were talking about, most likely life and/ or Euchre, which are one and the same for my family when we’re all together, he commented – “Ah, you are a Clean As You Go person.”  This is the same brother who claims I have turned OCD into a business model to which I object, but his observation was no surprise. And in this case, it felt more like an acknowledgement of like and like. 

And, yes I am absolutely a Clean As You Go person.

I won’t say messes don’t happen, because – Of Course They Do! They just don’t stay. Messes aren’t there because they’re already gone. Clutter doesn’t stay.

AS I baked cookies the other night for a friend, I realized the process was an excellent example of how CAYG makes life easier.

  • I have cookie baking down to a science, for real.  Baking is a love language for me. I was making a double batch of basic chocolate chip cookies. Recipe by memory, full butter and eggs, extra vanilla of course, two kinds of chips.
  • A friend on Facebook accused me of storebought cookies (gasp! the horror!) because in a picture I posted, my cookies were too consistent and “pretty”. I shared the secrets of my kitchen aid mixer, parchment paper and steel spring loaded 1.5″ cookie baller. Yep, we are pros. But I digress.
  • Let’s look at my baking through the Clean As You Go lens:
    • I start with clean counters, of course. Mine is not a big kitchen, so clean counters ensure available work space.
    • I run a sink of hot soapy water.
    • I take out and line up all the ingredients:
      • butter was on the counter coming to room temperature;
      • brown sugar, white sugar, flour containers from one shelf in my baking cabinet;
      • vanilla, salt, soda and chocolate chips from the shelf below;
      • eggs from the fridge;
      • kitchen aid mixer, measuring scoops and spoons.
    • I am working towards a clear counter again by the time I am done.
    • I measure out then put away the sugars as they cream together with the butter.
    • I splash in the vanilla and put that away, too.
    • I add the eggs, tossing the shells in the garbage disposal and putting the carton away while the eggs beat into the mix.
    • I add the flour, salt and soda then chips, put those away, and immediately slide the measuring scoops and spoons into the sink to be washed.
    • The counter cleared of ingredients is the signal to me that all of the ingredients are in the dough.
    • Other than the inevitable scattered dusting of flour and sugars when I start to ball the dough, the counter is clear of stuff and ready for my cookie sheets
    • I am working towards a clear counter again by the time I am done.

WAIT, WHAT?

For the third time,
“I am working towards a clear counter again by the time I am done.”

“The counter clear of ingredients is the signal to me that all of the ingredients are in the dough.“

Yep, that is what CAYG can do for you. And, as I mentioned earlier, I’m not actually talking about cleaning or baking, or not just cleaning or baking. This is Life.

Another trick I’ve learned to make really good cookies is to move the cookie sheets around in my oven half way through their baking cycle. So I set a 6 minute timer, shift the cookie shets to different shelves, and then bake for 5 more minutes.

And I use those 5 and 6 minute blocks of time amid the baking cycles to finish balling up the cookie dough on another clean cookie sheet, load the mixing bowl and measuring cups in the dishwasher, wipe down the mixer and put it away and wipe off the counter so I have somewhere to put my cooling cookies when they come out of the oven. By the time the first pans come out to cool, the kitchen is back to clean.

Cleaning as you go, in cookies and in life, make It makes life flow so much more smoothly.

Where else can we use CAYG?

  • I use it when I travel, immediately repacking my dirty clothes into empty packing cubes so when it comes time to leave, I’m already packed.
  • How about when I put my tools back in my tool bag while at a client house? I don’t want to leave a mess at a ckient’s house, and I don’t want to forget anything behind.
  • Or this idea, one of my very early articles about my morning line-up?

Let’s step out of my kitchen and into my office for another example:

We can use the CAYG strategy in our email in-box, too. My email inbox is sorted with the most recent items first (of course). As I act on email messages and complete the messages or tasks associated with them, I move them to subfolders and out of my main in-box. Back to the goals listed above, translated from baking to productivity,

“I am working towards fewer email messages (mine is never at Zero, but it’s less!”) again by the time I am done.”


“No new emails in my inbox is the signal to me that the work is complete.”


And once this strategy is a practice, so much of this can be accomplished with clear focus during small blocks of time!

My challenge to you this week, then, is to look around at your physical spaces and also at your calendar / tasks / etc.!, and determine where else this strategy can be applied! Then pick an area and flex that CAYG muscle in that area until it becomes a habit! (and then, of course, move on to the next area!)

What My Producer Learned From Me About Organizing

I recorded the 15th episode of my podcast last week.

15 episodes.

15 Episodes!

Since I launched my podcast in November, the process has become smoother. Thank GOODNESS! Not that the process was hard, but getting over the initial fears and and bumps in the road took a little time. Everything was new and different, so I had to adjust and also learn how to make the process a sustainable habit integrated into my typical weekly schedule.

And I learned. Hooray!
And I had help. Also Hooray!


My producer Chris Lanuti with BroadcastBasement.com set up my accounts across all the podcast platforms and created my graphics. He makes me sound good every week, writes my descriptions every week (I like his better than mine), and continues to guide me along the podcasting path.

I am gratified to say that while I have been learning SO MUCH from Chris, he mentioned that he has learned a lot from our time together, as well. He is present as I record every episode and then he produces the episode, taking out all my goofs and ums / ahs, adding my theme music, etc. So the poor guy listens to me at least twice through every episode and content area! And he has learned a few things in all that listening!

As I grow professionally and grow my podcast, I would like to have guests with me for some episodes. Chris offered to be my first guest, and here are highlights from our recording session!

What My Producer Has Learned From Me About Organizing:

Prioritize Your To Do List!

Chris says he has always been a list guy, but sometimes he would look at the unprioritized list, only cross off a few things in a day and feel frustrated that he didn’t get anything done.  And yep, I feel the same sometimes!

But the better quesiton is, for Chris and for all of us, did he get done the work that NEEDED to be done TODAY? After listening to the organizing podcasts, he is better about prioritizing what is on the list.

For example, using the Eisenhower Box idea (Podcast Link, Blog Article Link), his tasks are broken into three categories: “Top”, “Next” and “Ahead”. And he gets more done more easily, without tasks slipping through the cracks.

  • “Top” tasks are both urgent and important and need to be done today.
  • “Next” tasks are important tasks that can perhaps wait a day or two or more. They’re important but they are not yet urgent. And
  • “Ahead” is a parking place for ideas for later, in the next month or two, or longer.   The ideas are safely kept on the list until it’s time to work on them.

How can you better categorize your to-do list to get more done?

***********************************************

Client communication / Newsletter:

In January, as we recorded one of my episodes, we were discussing “unsubscribes” from our client email platform (we both use Constant Contact).  I think we both had maybe 2 unsubscribes one week. He mentioned he didn’t usually click to see who unsubscribed but he did that week and was suprised to see they were people he knew pretty well and saw occasionally. And it felt personal!

So we both had to get over the fact that Yes, subscribers may come and go sometimes, especially in January when folks are cleaning out their inboxes! But that lead to the conversation around newsletters and communcating with our clients.

A Podcast is a tool of communication in itself!  But we have to communicate more directly, too, so let’s talk newsletters!

We both use newsletters to reach out to our community. Consistent, value-added communications are the best way to keep in touch. Recently, he changed the format of the newsletters he sends out. He said he “stole” the idea from me, but it’s a generally accepted practice, so I called it “incorporating a good idea”: In the same way that I have sections of my weekly newsletter to highlight my different product offerings, he now has info on the current episodes, an “if you missed a recent episode, here’s where you can listen”, and calls-to-action to check out and actually subscribe to the podcast plus check out other podcasts he also hosts.

Chris is better about segmenting his address list than I am.  His lists segmented by which podcast a person listens to, current advertisers, possible advertisers, etc. My address lists are segmented, depending on where I met someone (networking, classes, clients, etc), but I send out the same newsletter to all my subscribers every week.  Because…

  • I’ve been in business for 20 years, and the lines have blurred for many of my community members!
    • Organizing clients have become friends or networking partners or coaching clients, class participants have become coaching or organizing clients or friends, etc.
  • I consider you all my Community. And
  • Any subscriber can reach out to me for any reason, to hire me to coach, to organize, to set up a presention, to share an organizing or recyling resource, etc.

How can you better communicate with your community?

***************************************************

Experts: In business and in life, Find your experts.  Use your experts.  Be the expert for others.

Chris and I talked a bit about who our experts are, and how we use those connections that we have.

An example of how I use my experts is hiring Chris to set up and now produce my podcast. Since 2020, the not-knowing-how kept me from starting my podcast. Chris and I had talked about it, but it took me two years to take the leap. It took some courage, but I had the idea and the expert to help me get from idea from to finished product.

In the interview, I also mentioned how I puzzled for months over how to set up my business – C Corp, S Corp, LLC? I pondered, I read lots of information, I worried. And then I realized I had an attorney, my friend and networking partner, who could tell me what sort of business structure would best suit me and my situation. One phone call and about 15 minutes later, I was on my way (and she is still my legal expert, www.KerlinWalshLaw.com).

We must consider how long something will take us to figure out versus how someone else – our expert – can complete a task more quickly and competently than we can. This is a slow lesson to learn sometimes, but when we step out of our own way and let our experts practice their art, we can regain time (and therefore money), mitigate stress and have things done right the first time!

What expert do you know that could make your life easier today? Call Them!!!

Give a listen this week!

If you would like to know more about getting started with your own podcast, or if you want to check out any of the other podcasts from the Broadcast Basement, check these out!

Distraction: The State of Being and The Thing That Distracts

February is National Time Management Month. My goal to dig deeper into Time Management strategies this month means I am also publishing all new content. Whew!

And that means that, even though I tend towards distractibility, I need to manage myself and my attention if I am going to continue to produce content and services efficiently in the time frame I intend for it.

Cue, today’s topic: Distraction. Reflecting on “Distraction”, I realize this is another instance of ‘Words Matter’. Distraction can be a state of being distracted, and also the thing that causes us to be distracted, that thing that prevents us from giving full attention to something else.

Distraction IRL (My own personal reflection today):

It is ironic to me that I was managing distractions as I wrote this article.

What I WANTED to focus on is writing the article. However, my attention was being pulled elsewhere. For example:

  • My morning had not gone as planned, not by a long shot.
  • My Monday morning to-do list was long (as always!) and ideas were popping like popcorn in my brain.
  • My first appointment for the day needed to be rescheduled as the fellow participant was feeling poorly.
  • My second appointment started late and therefore ended late as well.
  • A family member in another state was having a minor health issue RIGHT NOW that I hope stays minor and I was waiting for news.
  • My husband had a planned day off AND was sick, so worry for him is certainly a distraction.
  • My window was open as it is unseasonably pleasant here in Chicago this week (and I want fresh air to clear out the germs), and my neighborhood was bustling with activity.
  • And then, well, clients texting me and notifications on my computer screen and occasional phone calls, etc!

Oh.
My.
Goodness!

And I just wanted to finish this article, and do a good job on it, and then move on to the other 14 dozen things I need to do today and this week.

Ugh.

So, let’s pick this example of distraction apart, learn from it and use some tools to make it better! The question comes down to, How to manage distractions or at least get back on track more quickly when distractions happen?

  • First, we need to understand that distractions will occur. We will distracted sometimes! And that’s ok.
  • In addition to acknowledging that distractions occur, we need to actively plan for distractions.
  • And we need to get good about coming back to productivity from distraction.
    • To circumvent distraction at the root, it helps to know what is and is NOT important to us. Recently, I shared the idea of the Eisenhower Box in my newsletter and podcast to help us determine our high priority activities.
    • Relatedly, I have also recently discussed Knowing Our Focus Areas and sticking with them!
    • Routines and To-Do Lists
    • And obviously, when scheduling, we need to leave extra time to get things done on deadlines.
  • Look at your interactions with others, and ask: With what other people are you distractible?
    • For example, I am a verbal processor and I find that when I am with other verbal processors / extremely chatty people, I can easily get distracted.
    • And for a very long time, I believed distractions were just a part of parenting small children and to some extent, they are. But I don’t mind so much now, since what could be more important than focusing on our family? My family, my sons still win – meaning, I welcome distraction by them – even though they are grown, because they’re most important. And I can get back on track when the distraction has passed.
  • Look at other situations in your life and where you get distracted.
    • For example, we all may get distracted by external drama and the internal processing of it. Meaning, when things are going on in the world around me, even if I limit the external stimuli or reminders, my head and my heart still know and are still processing. This is good awareness to have if I find myself wandering off task.
  • In coaching terms, I have spent a lot of time working on self awareness around my own distraction this week! I thought perhaps I was distracted by visuals in my own home / office environment, as in emails, the little red circle on my phone screen, etc., but what is truly the root of that is the “notification” part of those visuals. The notification that someone might need me to respond quickly, or that I may need to do something to act on the notification. The perceived urgency and possible importance of the notification distracts me!
    • Wow. Mind blown by that one. The belief that I never have enough time to do what needs done and therefore the perceived need to multi-task to get it all done.
  • Understand your Learning Styles and Processing Modality.
    • The 4 most common Learning / Processing styles are auditory (hearing), verbal (speaking), visual (seeing), and kinesthetic (doing).
    • I am easily distracted by noise. AND I can use noise, like white noise or my calm app for the sound of ocean waves or forest rain to help me get back on track.
    • I am distracted visually by visual clutter or unexpected movement, AND I can use a calm visual or a mandala to help me refocus after being distracted.
    • So, what distracts you? And what can bring you back from distraction?
  • Knowing our Learning Styles can help us strategize reminders to bring us back from distraction. For example, I am more likely to respond to an auditory reminder. So I use timers and alarms ALL THE TIME to keep me on track. I use timers to remind me to do something (so actively distracting me from what is in front of me, on purpose!) but also as an opportunity to check in and make sure I haven’t gotten too far off track, and to recommit if I have!
  • What times of day are you more distractible? Personally, I am aware that I get fatigued late afternoon and again in the late evening, therefore my focus wanders and my productivity is more susceptible to being derailed by distractions. I can choose to group and complete several small and simple tasks during those times, or take extra breaks and head to bed as appropriate!

Like so many things in terms of Better Time Management, the challenge and even the solutions to the challenges all start with awareness. We need to be aware of distractions, so please ask yourself some of the questions I just posed! But also be aware of just how many tools and strategies there are to bring us back from distraction to focus and productivity!

The Word “Overwhelm” Is Not Specific Enough

Words matter. And there are so many possibilities! However,

In presentations, I used to say that “if I had a nickel for every time someone said to me ‘I’m so overwhelmed, I don’t know what to do!’, I would have a lot of nickels.” And I would.

But I am increasingly annoyed with the word “overwhelm”. Not with the people who say it, of course, but with the word itself. It’s too vague. The word has become so broad and ubiquitous, it has lost meaning. In addition, all of the ways the word is used have negative connotations. (And for the purpose of today’s article, we’re discussing “Overwhelm” as not a momentary panic but a longer term state of being.)

Google says overwhelm means “to bury or drown beneath a huge mass; to defeat completely; and to give too much of a thing to (someone); inundate.” Maybe it’s positive, like when we are overwhelmed with someone’s generosity or when our team victoriously overwhelms another team, but “overwhelmed” is overwhelmingly negative.

“Whelm” has somewhat negative connotations, too: “verb: engulf, submerge, or bury; or noun: an act or instance of flowing or heaping up abundantly; a surge.”

Ironically, even “Underwhelm”, the seeming opposite of “overwhelm”, still has negative connotations, “fail to impress or make a positive impact on (someone); disappoint.”

There is no middle ground.

In sharing this article idea with my accountability partner last week, she said “Using ‘overwhelm’ sets us up [in a negative] mindset”. It ends up being an excuse, a blanket statement, a catchall phrase. And with such subjective, negative, vague and undefined meaning, it’s often difficult to see a way out of the feeling.

Saying you’re “overwhelmed” can be a starting point, but it is NOT the answer to the problem. And while there is no judgement about saying we’re overwhelmed, it is not some place that we want to STAY!

In coaching, change and progress start with awareness. This week, let me propose that we work a little harder and come up with different words for our feelings of overwhelm so that we can start to make things better. When someone tells me they’re overwhelmed, I ask if we can explore that a bit and get more specific. For example, if you’re overwhelmed, you may be more specifically or also feeling:

  • confused,
  • overstimulated,
  • unclear,
  • discouraged,
  • frustrated,
  • despondent,
  • that’s there’s just too much to do (inundated),
  • unprepared,
  • vulnerable,
  • unsure,
  • overscheduled,
  • incompetent,
  • hopeless, or
  • helpless / powerless.

Consider, too, that you and I may feel multiple emotions, and even conflicting emotions concurrently. Of course we do, we are humans after all. We are fabulous and complex creatures, capable of feeling many emotions at the same time! We can feel both excited about a new work opportunity and also terrified of change! OR proud of the people our children have grown to be and also sad because we miss them!

(Or, as I read in a fellow bloggers post just this morning, “Sticking to your guns and compromise are not opposites. They’re both important tools. Both tools will need to be used on the path to your desired future. Sometimes at the same time.” (https://www.gabethebassplayer.com/blog/tools-for-the-path-ahead))

You also may be feeling something REALLY STRONGLY, and the strength is what is engulfing you.

And, when we’re feeling overwhelmed, we may also or actually be tired, sad, ill, depressed, grieving, etc. And a situation that would not overwhelm us on any other day overwhelms us today. Just the other day, I spoke with a client who said she was feeling overwhelmed and then realized that “on any given day, [her] situation would not feel overwhelming but [she] hasn’t slept well the last few days and her emotional reserves for dealing with life are just low right now.”

So, let’s look at this.

There are so many more specific and therefore useful words out there! When we drill down and get more specific, then we can identity the actual problem and then start working on solutions. Because, with unspecific feelings or measures, how do you ever know when you’re done feeling overwhelmed? “Overwhelmed” needs a time limit!

Let’s move out of OverWhelm and on to something better!

Let’s get more specific about how and what we are feeling so we gain some insight in how to start to make life better. Ask yourself:

  • What does “Overwhelm” mean to you?
  • What else are you working on or dealing with right now?
  • Where do you feel “overwhelm”, and what does it feel like? What is your body telling you? (a great question from my coach Laine!)
  • For example, my stress and therefore my overwhelm shows up in my shoulders and in migraine headaches.
  • Are you struggling to take a deep breath? Are you tired before you even begin a task?
  • These are all questions that can help you gain insight into what you are really feeling.

And, most importantly, what tools are you using to handle the feelings of overwhelm?

  • First step is awareness. Take a few minutes and ask yourself those questions about what you’re really feeling!
  • What are some of our other available tools in the moment!
    • Call your therapist, your friend, your coach!
    • Meditate or do some deep breathing;
    • Take a “nature break” and take care of actual physical needs like hunger and thirst (my hiking guide Kevin used that term first and I kept it!);
    • On a larger scale, make sure you’re managing sleep, nutrition, exercise., etc.
    • Look outside of your own situation and do something kind for someone else.

Let’s dig a little deeper this week and get more specific with the root of our overwhelm. And empowered with that awareness, we can start to conquer those feeling and move toward something better!