Procrastination

“You may delay, but time will not.”  - Benjamin Franklin

 Last month my newsletter listed the benefits to getting organized.  I’m just going to guess….some of you are probably still putting it off?  Trust me, you are not alone.  I usually procrastinate until the last minute to write this newsletter (among other things).  The fact that you are subscribed to this newsletter means that getting organized is important to you.  But if getting organized is such a high priority task, what holds us back from getting started?

 Research has shown that 70% of New Year’s Resolutions are abandoned by February 1^st.  Why is this?  There are a few possible reasons:

1)      The task is difficult - “I don’t know where to start.”

2)      The task is unpleasant - “I would rather be (fill in the blank here).”

3)      The task takes too long - “If I start organizing, I could be here all weekend!”

4)      Fear of failure – “What if I don’t complete the job?  What if I don’t finish and my office is in more disarray than it was before?”

5)      Fear of success – “What if this is a success and I do get more organized?  Will people walk by my desk and think I’m not working as hard anymore?”

What can we do to overcome this type of thinking and just get started?  Here are a few tips:

 1)      Replace “have to” with “want to.”  You are not doing this because someone is telling you that you have to do it.  It is important to you to get organized.  Think of it as a gift you give yourself, like getting a massage or spending a weekend focused only on you.  Tell yourself that you want to get organized because it will be the next step towards meeting your goals of having more time with your family or increasing your profits by at least 50%.

 2)      Replace “finish it” with “begin it.”  What does Nike say?  “Just do it!”  Don’t get consumed by when and how you will finish.  Once you start you will probably get into a groove and get more accomplished than you intended.  Tell yourself that you are just going to start the process and set aside a dedicated amount of time.  This process, called “timeboxing,” helps to build positive momentum.  Get what you can accomplished and set another date to continue.  You may want to even start with just 30 minutes.  If you stay dedicated to organizing for that entire time, reward yourself.  Simple rewards such as a tall latte or a personal phone call to a friend may be all the incentive you need. 

 3)      Replace perfectionism with permission to be human.  As hard as we try, our offices are never going to be perfect.  There are going to be days that we feel out of control.  However, just getting the process going and a system set up will offer improvement.  I tell my clients, “If I can improve your productivity by just 10 or 15%, would it be worth it to you?”  Most say yes, and most improve by much more than that!

 4)      Replace deprivation with guaranteed fun.  How many of you have ever dieted or exercised to get in shape?  Getting up to exercise every day sounds exhausting, right?  However, if you have ever hired a personal trainer or attended an exercise class, you know that exercise can be a lot of fun!  The same goes for organizing.  Setting aside 3-6 hours of your day can be a lot of fun if you have a friend or relative help you, hire a professional organizer, or use a program that was designed to make the process fun.  If you are looking for a program to get started immediately, here is one I recommend: http://www.organizeyourlifetoday.com/.  You can make the most of your time by listening to the instructional CDs in your car (my kids actually enjoy them!), and you can use the worksheets to break the process down into manageable pieces (also referred to as “chunking it down”).  This program works great for organizing a business office or any area of your home!

“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage to say 'no' to other things.  And the way you do that is by having a bigger 'yes' burning inside.”
~ Stephen Covey

Remember, we all have to start somewhere.  If you run into trouble, give me a call.  I would love to give you some ideas of things that have worked well for me, my clients, and friends or just give you a pep talk to get started.  I also love hearing your success stories, so please share your results!  Good luck!

Nicole

Sources:

“Overcoming Procrastination” by Steve Pavlina, CEO, Dexterity Software.

Getting Organized by Chris Crouch, Founder, DME Training and Consulting.