Tag: National Procrastination Week

National procrastination week (No, you don’t get to procrastinate)

Did you know? The first full week of March is National Procrastination Week, supposedly an entire week dedicated to putting things off.   

Um… you know that is NOT what I’m going to recommend, right?  Instead, let’s look at how to get things done, even when the path is difficult!

I am a solo entrepreneur, which is a fancy term for a small-business owner who does EVERYTHING.  In the midst of delivering organizing services, coaching and offering presentations, I also need to plan and grow my business for the long term with new ideas and products.

 Lately, I’ve been wrapping my head around a remarkably daunting project (hosting webinars), and last week, I mentioned to a fellow business owner that if I was an employee in charge of this particular project, I would have fired me by now!

Sometimes, we just need to do what needs done!  Can you relate?  Either professionally or personally?   Got a project you’ve been dragging your feet about?

If you’re procrastinating, it’s time to figure out what exactly the problem is.  You need to do something, but:

You… Don’t know how.

  • Call in your experts.  Years ago, I spent time and energy worrying if I should become an LLC or an S or C Corporation.  What a waste of time.  I didn’t need to figure out, I just need to contact a trusted friend, my attorney Eileen Kerlin Walsh. She knew exactly what I needed and made it happen with a minimum of fuss.  The same strategy worked when I needed to update my website.  I didn’t need to learn how to build a new one, I called my expert, my webdesigner Claire at Aplify7,  and she made me look great with no hassle!
  • You don’t need to know everything, you just need to reach out.

You… Worry about the cost, monetary or otherwise, of working on a project.

  • Is this project worthwhile?  Explain out loud why you need to do this thing or meet this goal,  and perhaps that will help motivate you to act.
  • Sometimes action costs money or time or other resources, true.  But if you’re procrastinating around a business venture, or health care issue that you can’t seem to make the appointment for, or house repair that you’ve been avoiding, the better question is “Can you afford to NOT do this?”
  • While I wrote this, a friend reached out to me about trademark and copyright laws for protecting their business brand.  I don’t know the answers, so I asked my experts and of course, they stepped up! But this was a great example for weighing the potential high price of working with a knowledgeable attorney vs. the even higher cost of NOT acting and having your brand damaged.

You … Don’t want to, it may be uncomfortable.

  • Have you ever noticed?  We spend far more time dreading the unknown task than it usually takes to complete it.  I missed an article deadline recently for another publication, and I dreaded (and avoided) for days fessing up and letting the publisher down.  And they were kind and not bothered at all.  I spent far more time being uncomfortable about NOT doing something than actually doing something about it. Seems rather silly now.
  • Know yourself. We like to be comfortable, right?  So agree to be just A LITTLE uncomfortable, try just a small new thing, in the interest of progress.  Once you try something, it’s not new anymore.

You… Don’t want to start when there isn’t time to finish. 

  • Do you hear yourself when you say these things?  We tell ourselves we only want the finished project, but we never start?  That, my friend, is what we call a Contradiction.
  • Set a timer, focus on time dedicated and not completion of the task.  Some progress towards a goal is still progress, even if you don’t complete the project this time.
  • Acknowledge that Perfectionism and Procrastination often go hand in hand, and may be working against the actual completion of your project.

You… Don’t know how long it will take.

  • Yup, this one terrifies me. For example, I procrastinate about making phone calls.  Not logical or wise, I know. But my very real fear is getting stuck on the phone and not knowing how long the call may last.  But I can decide how much time to dedicate to a task.  Even if I won’t complete the task, I can still start.

You… Are just not feeling it right now.  

  • We’ve all been there.
  • Long ago, a client said she was waiting to wake up one morning and be suddenly motivated to exercise, keep her house clean, get a job, etc. And because she was paying me to, I asked the tough question “Has that EVER actually happened?”  And the answer was… uh, no.  So, we fake it until we make it.
  • Intentionally procrastinate for a few (JUST A FEW!)  minutes.  Set a 10 minute timer, step back, change your scenery, get up and grab a cup of coffee or tea.  Then get back to work!
 Rest assured, I am saying these things to ME right now, too!  Observe National Procrastination Week by actually getting over some procrastination!
To:

Receive more ideas and suggestions like these;
Book time with me in person or virtually;
Arrange a presentation for your upcoming event; or
Discover the benefits of Organizational Coaching;

Please contact me.

Call / text 708.790.1940
Online at  http://peaceofmindpo.com
www.Facebook.com/MColleenKlimczakCPO
Via Twitter, @ColleenCPO

Clutter and Procrastination: Making Room for Harry Potter

Sometimes there are actual hurdles – physical barriers! – between procrastination and organization.  Let’s seek them out, identify and remove them so we can get things done!

I love the Harry Potter books.  I’ve collected the hardback novels as they were released.  My set has seen the attentions of me and all three 3 sons as they read the series, too.  These books have seen the inside of many school backpacks,   traveled the country, been read and re-read, and are loved to the moon and back.  And they are showing their age (who isn’t?).

So, when a friend mentioned he was downsizing and had the full set in pristine condition, we jumped at the offer, in case one of my sons wanted to have a set to call their own.  Another generous friend recently shared a collection of organizing books with me (which I will share on this blog some day), too.

So, herein lies the problem.  Our bookshelves were full.   And I needed to make room on the shelves for these new additions / editions.

I’ve wanted to tackle the basement book shelves for a month, but just haven’t gotten around to it. But now, a pile of Harry Potter books lived in my office for a few days, then moved downstairs NEAR the bookshelves but still not ON the bookshelves.  Same went for the organizing books – oh, the irony.

I procrastinated about putting them away because there were actual barriers to putting them away.  Sound familiar?  Have you ever said or heard:

  • I can’t put away last year’s taxes because the file drawer is too full, or
  • I can’t put away last year’s taxes because of that pile of old printers stacked in front of the file cabinet.
  • I can’t schedule that appointment because I misplaced my calendar (a week ago), or I haven’t bought one for this year yet.
  • I can’t get rid of that old empty file cabinet before I find the keys (yes you can).
  • I can’t put the groceries away because the cabinets are disorganized, or are too full (I kid you not).
  • I can’t take those checks to the bank until I find a deposit slip (of course you can, the bank has piles of blank deposit slips!).
  • I can’t put stuff away on the book shelves because there are bags on the floor in front of the the bookshelves.
  • I want to organize that closet, but the light bulb burned out.

We’ve all had moments like this, I’m sure.   The good news for me and Harry Potter is that an hour on Saturday morning spent clearing off the bookshelves resulted in plenty of space for the new books, clean and dust-free shelves, the discovery of a few gems, and 3 bags of books in excellent condition donated to my local library yesterday morning.

So, this week, I want you to walk around your space with an eye on your Task List and also on the physical barriers that may be making you procrastinate instead of completing your tasks. Piles here and there, minor home repairs, maybe something as simple as taking out the trash, dropping off donations, or loading up those printers to drop off at your local EWaste recycling site.  Remove those physical obstructions, and get things done!

To:

Receive more ideas and suggestions like these;
Book time with me in person or virtually;
Arrange a presentation for your upcoming event; or
Discover the benefits of Organizational Coaching;

Please contact me.

Call / text 708.790.1940
Online at  http://peaceofmindpo.com
www.Facebook.com/MColleenKlimczakCPO
Via Twitter, @ColleenCPO