procrastination

Posts Tagged ‘procrastination’

Doing the Difficult

July 6th, 2010 | Author: rtaylor913

My wife and I are in the middle of what we considered an impossible project.

Ten years ago, we moved in our home in the Dallas area. In the intervening decade, our two girls graduated from college and both got married within a 9 month span. That year our bank account emptied and our garage filled. We were left with the residue of college furnishings and various catering-type equipment. Sandwiched in to our memories, my wife’s mother passed away and she inherited dishes, trinkets, and old clothes which became a Mount Everest of memories in our garage.

We wanted to clean it up, organize it, and dispense with the clutter. My wife wanted closets back for such mundane things as clothes. Cars sat in the elements while junk was dry and protected.

We had visions of what to do, but it seemed so daunting. Yet, my wife persisted (and did a lion’s share of the work). She dug in and moved dozens of trash bags to the curb (all in the midst of a heat wave). We bought shelves and storage bins. Last weekend, we put up the shelves and she loaded the bins and organized much of stuff. What we thought about for three years is becoming reality.

Why did we put it off so long? One word–fear. Not the kind of fear that frightens you, but the kind that breeds a spreading dread.

Here’s what I keep learning about doing the difficult.

You have to start before you can finish. Wishing and hoping and planning get nothing done. It took opening a box and taking something out. You have to dig in, whether it be study, writing, or cleaning. Start somewhere. Once you begin, momentum takes over.

You have to limit your work. No one can get the difficult done at one sitting. (If it could, it would not be difficult.) Set a timer and work until it goes off. Everyone can tolerate anything for a short time.

Work for progress, not perfection. Most people become overwhelmed by the work because they want it finished. Yet, if you can appreciate the progress you make, the completion will take care of itself. Just push a little further.

My wife is doing a wonderful job and I help when I can. What we imagined is becoming real–one box at a time.

Posted in life observations, time management | Tags: action, difficult, procrastination, progress, projects | No Comments »

The Friday Afternoon Experience

June 17th, 2010 | Author: rtaylor913

Friday comes every seven days–and that’s a good thing.

Fridays are the end of the work week for most. (If it not yours, please adjust this post to fit your situation.) It launches us into rest, relaxation, and family time.

But not everyone likes Fridays. The specter of anxiety hangs as a pall over many Fridays. Jobs are not complete. Tasks procrastinated all week smell like dead fish. So some fill a briefcase and see if they can get to it over the weekend.

One of my goals each week is to get to Friday “clean.” It doesn’t always happen as I get last minute things on Thursday night or Friday. But the goal is to “clear the decks” so I can indeed re-create over Saturday.

I have learned that to have a great Friday afternoon experience, I have to do several things.

I have to plan my week. I need a blueprint of what is coming toward me. What’s on my calendar that needs attention? Is my task list reasonable? What tasks do I do on which day? These questions (usually on Sunday night or Monday morning) are my compass and sextant for the week’s journey. In a sense, Friday starts on Monday.

I work diligently to get work done in a timely manner. Procrastination is like a neck massage. It feels better to let it woo you into the sense of “it will get done. Just relax.” Yet tasks postponed muscle themselves into the times I really don’t want to work. My aim is to have it done by Friday morning. I cannot do a week’s worth of work in 4 hours. It takes a week.

I do a quick sweep on Friday. Friday morning is time for last minute checks. If I’ve done my work through the week, Friday becomes a calm day. I make a few last phone calls that have come in, clean up my email inbox, empty my voicemail on my phone. I feel confident that nothing is left hanging.

I enjoy Saturday. While I have plenty of household tasks to do on Saturday, they are enjoyable because my mind doesn’t flit toward the unfinished. I can let things “settle to earth.”

Friday afternoon should feel like Atlas taking your world onto his shoulders. If it’s not like that for you, examine your life and time. Where’s the leak? No one should come to Friday dreading the end of the week.

Enjoy the Friday afternoon experience.

Posted in leadership, life observations, time management | Tags: finish, job, planning, procrastination, time management, work | No Comments »

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
« Aug
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30

Catalyst

Posts Tagged ‘procrastination’

Doing the Difficult

The Friday Afternoon Experience