3 Keys Thursday: Taming One-More-Thing-itis

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

Yesterday, I wrote about how my one-more-thing-itis is a double-edged sword. Sure, I get a couple of extra things done, but this "progress" comes with a price.

Since I'm unlikely to ditch this habit any time soon, I've decided I need to finesse it a little; Organizing by STYLE is built, after all, on turning liabilities into assets. Here are a few things I'm considering.

Set a deadline. I'm less likely to fall prey to one-more-thing-itis when I have a clearly determined end time. Sure, I might try to sneak in a couple of extra tasks, but when I know when I'm supposed to stop, I'm less likely to run it down to the wire.

Set an alarm. Another problematic part of this habit is that I lose track of time. Once I've set my deadline, I need to also set an alarm. That way, my deadline doesn't come and go, leaving me scrambling to get out the door on time, apologies in tow.

Write it down. Once the alarm announces my pre-set deadline, I need to stop doing stuff. Clearly, that's where I run into trouble, so I need to employ some list-making strategies. If it's already on the list and it's important, I can highlight it, circle it, star it or put a big #1 beside it. If it's not already on the list, I can add it.

So, now that I have a plan in place, only one question remains. Should I start right away (it is, after all, peak list season), or wait and make this a New Year's resolution?