Kicking the Obstacles off the Path

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

It's summer (well, almost), a time for simplifying as much as possible so we can free up more time for fun. 

Like anyone else, I have obstacles to overcome if I want to keep things neat and running smoothly. Whether these obstacles emerge directly from my I need to see it personal style (see piling, below) or crop up when I'm feeling tired and/or unmotivated, they create a roadblock on the path to organization. 

Here are a three particularly persistent obstacles I'm trying to eliminate.

Piling. When I get busy, my personal style and my default organizational style (drop and run) kick in. I put things down and leave them out instead of putting them away. I set stacks of things aside, intending to get to them later. This isn't too bad if the stacks are meaningful and this process doesn't go on for too long. But, when this habit continues unchecked, I end up with a major project on my hands.
Solution? Don't put it down, put it away. As often as possible.

Procrastination. More often than not, the most difficult part of a project for me is simply getting started. Once I stop whining and start doing, I generally build enough momentum to get wrapped up in the task I was dreading. In addition, I find it much easier than I expected it to be, especially once I start to see progress.
Solution? Give it five. Knowing I can stop after five minutes helps me get started. And, since getting started is half the problem, setting the timer and digging in is often all it takes to motivate me to see the task through to completion.

Not writing things down. This one creates less obvious chaos than the others, but it creates plenty of mental chaos. I have notepads in plenty of locations and designated places for particular lists. When it comes to not writing it down, I really have no excuse.
Solution? Just do it.

What action (or inaction) obstacles are littering your path to organization?

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Keys to Coping with a To-do List that Runneth Over

Photo: Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

Earlier this week, I wrote a post at the Porch Swing Chronicles about lists and priorities. More philosophical than practical, it encapsulated the attitude I try to have on those days when the list gets ditched for other things.

But what about the days when time stretches out before you, but your list still seems too long? Time isn't the issue -- or not the main one anyway -- but you just keep getting in your own way.

What then?

Here are a few things to try on those days when procrastinating (or going back to bed) feels like a better alternative than tackling the list.

Cross things off before you start. Take a look at your list. What are you realistically not going to do today due to time constraints, mood or circumstances? Excise those items from today's list and save them for another day.

Celebrate what you accomplish. Yesterday, I finally got my Christmas decorations put in the crawlspace, where they belong, but I was so guilt-ridden and embarrassed by the fact that it took me until MARCH to do this that I sucked all the joy out of getting it done. It was only when I forced myself to take in the beautiful empty space I'd created (finally!) that I began to let go of the guilt and realize the most important thing: this is no longer on my list! The myriad reasons why it took me so long to get to this task are best saved for another day.

Keep track of what you've done, not what you've left undone.  Most days, we do much more than we give ourselves credit for. Instead of crossing things off your list, highlight each item you accomplish. Did you do a few things that weren't on the list at all? Routine things like meals, laundry, emptying the dishwasher? Add them to the list and highlight them as well. At the end of the day, sit back and congratulate yourself for a day well-spent.

To-do lists are supposed to work in our service, not the other way around. When you find yourself feeling mastered by your list instead of being the master of it, take a deep breath and find a way to show that list who's really in charge.

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Keys for Doing That Thing You've Been Meaning to Do

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

Despite the fact that I've been retired for four years, my body clock is still set on an elementary school schedule -- globally speaking, that is. Though I've reverted to my natural night owl tendencies when it comes to my 24-hour schedule, I still hit many of the familiar peaks and valleys.

I still crave a break sometime between 2:30 and 4 pm.

And I still view the beginning of the summer as the time to take stock and dig in to projects that have been dormant. This year, I even got an early start when, quite by accident, I kicked off an anti-procrastination project. By the end of May, I'd tackled 15 long overdue projects, ranging from five minute hand-sewing projects to an afternoon-long closet overhaul. I wish I could say I'd planned it this way, but the fact is, it was completely serendipitous.

Are you ready to face some long overdue projects of your own? Here are some keys to making progress with them.

Zoom out, zoom in. Big project? Small project? Detailed project? All of the above! I don't have an actual list--at least not a comprehensive one. Sometimes, I tackle the long overdue thing because I have to (time to put away the boots and pull out the sandals), other times because I'm tired of looking at something (when's the last time that table didn't have stuff on it?) Sometimes, I focus on the details, sometimes the big picture. Mixing it up not only means that more things get accomplished, but finishing the quick projects also motivates me to tackle the big stuff.

Let the spirit move you. Though we can't always wait for the mood to strike, there's nothing like being in the right frame of mind to spark motivation. Sometimes, we can set ourselves up to be ready to tackle something by planning on it; other times, we can just tackle whatever we feel like digging into at that moment. Either way, something gets accomplished.

Don't forget to celebrate your successes....no matter the size of the project. One of the things that turned my accidental accomplishment into a pattern was my decision to keep track of the things I accomplished. I simply grabbed a pen and attached it to my wall calendar. Then, any time I did one of my long overdue items, I jotted it down on the day I did it. That's it. Seeing all I've accomplished nudges me to do more, and seeing blank spaces reminds me there's always something I can improve upon.

Whether you take stock in January, June or both, checking things off your list is a wonderful feeling.

Zoom Out, Zoom In

Pixabay

When it comes to major life events, I'm a clear-one-hurdle-at-a-time kind of girl. My annual writing conference, my daughter's last day of high school, her prom and her graduation came in quick succession, leaving me a little breathless. The only way I could manage them was to take one event at a time, subdividing (writing conference/zip home for prom pictures/back to writing conference) only when absolutely necessary.

This is the kind of plan that sounds good in theory, but has some real time flaws. I envy those who can pull off graduation parties the day (or weekend) after graduation; this is not a skill I possess. There are simply too many details involved in both, and the stress of fitting all the pieces together would suck all the joy out of the celebrations and leave me a huddled, puddling mess.

I am a global thinker. I love big-picture planning. Details drive me crazy, and the fear of missing an important one causes me to procrastinate feverishly.

This leads me to the real time flaws, like the timing of my daughter's graduation announcements. I argued that they were announcing a graduation we might not have tickets for (tickets were theoretically limitless for an outdoor ceremony and restricted if we ended up indoors), and should arrive close to the date of her graduation. My husband, the detail-oriented thinker, provided counterarguments.

The flaw in my plan was that those announcements also carried an invitation to her party -- ten days after her graduation -- effectively giving people less than two weeks notice for the party. My clear-one-hurdle-at-a-time approach ensured that regrets, perhaps more numerous than if the announcements had been mailed out earlier, would indeed be a fact of life, but I figured it would all work out. Our party space, too, was limited, and while I'd miss the friends who could not attend, with my plan, I stressed less about overfilling the room. (As it turns out, optimism is part of big-picture thinking, too.)

Pixabay

I don't remember the source behind my initial introduction to global vs. detail-oriented thinking; such things weren't important to me then. I do know that the initial assessment surprised me a little, and it took some real-world events (and teasing from my colleagues) to get me to the point where I nodded knowingly, accepting this style, which involves equal parts planning and procrastination.

Now, I embrace my globalness, in part because I've learned the strategies I need to successfully embrace it, just as I embrace my I need to see it/drop and run styles. I, too, can shake my head and laugh at my big-picture focus -- and even defend it -- at least most of the time. I know it's part of what makes me event-avoidant, but I'm also able to tackle events head-on when necessary, though I need to structure them in specific ways.

More on that tomorrow.

3 Keys Thursday: The Procrastinating Packer

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

Tomorrow morning, I'm leaving for a weekend conference. Yesterday was crazy, but when I got to the end of the day, I was excited to realize that I had all day today to plan for my trip. 

That is, until late last night when I remembered that something important had to be done today -- something that would take a big bite out of my planning time. Panic ensued. 

I'm not one of those people who plans everything out ahead of time, so when I say I need to devote the whole to packing, I mean pretty much the whole day because I waited until today to do what needed to be done.

Fortunately, I'm always more ready than I think I am, even if it doesn't look that way, partly because I've done a few things leading up to the packing.

If you, like me, are a packing procrastinator, here are a few tips to help you get ready:

• Pre-Pack. With the exception of make-up and medicine, all of my toiletries are always packed. And long before I put anything in a suitcase, I'm making lists and tossing odds and ends into bags so I don't forget to pack them.
• Pack as you go/stash it when you think of it. I always pack make-up and medicine the day I leave, immediately after I use it. That way, I'm less likely to forget something I need. On days like today when I'm behind, I pull out contenders for the suitcase as I pull out the things I need for the day. One pair of pants to put on, another to pack. 
• Develop your own routine. For me, it's laying everything out on a flat surface where I can see it, which makes it much easier for me to figure out what I have and what's missing. To my husband, my plan looks like chaos, but it works for me, so I stand by it. Likewise, your plan doesn't have to make sense to anybody else; it just has to work for you.

I certainly don't recommend waiting until the last minute to get everything together. But, if you find yourself in that situation, as I so often do, getting it together successfully is possible.

Happy Trails.

Three Keys Thursday: 3 Keys for Getting to a Goal

Photo: Dodgerton Skillhause

Typically, I'm a global person, but sometimes, I charge through life with my blinders on and lose sight of the big picture. On Monday, I came face-to-face with the reality of a deadline I'd set for myself, and it became clear that continued procrastination would not work if I wanted to meet that deadline.

Neither would a global approach. It was time to take stock, break the remaining tasks into action steps and move forward. I needed to do away with distractions, structured procrastination and anything non-essential and focus on moving toward my goal.

When you get serious about achieving a goal, the best way to reach it is to create a plan. The steps I used aren't rocket science, but following through on them involves both discipline and motivation. Because the goal is important to me, I expect that I'll be able to find both, at least most of the time.

Want to get from here to there? Try this:

Lay it out. Clearly state your goal and think about what lies between you and its successful completion. What are all the things you have to do to get from here to there? Write them down (or type them up), breaking things down into logical chunks, each of which requires as few steps as possible (ideally one). When I prepare for class, for example, I need to:

• create my presentation (including what I call an orientation slide); 
• create and/or copy any handouts and
• upload the information for my students.

Although creating the presentation is a multi-step process, this is something I do all the time, so "create the presentation" is a logical chunk. I separated out the orientation slide only because when I neglect to state it specifically, I sometimes forget to do it. Similarly, uploading the information may require more than one step, but everything is going to the same place and, since I tend to do it all at once, that's a logical chunk for me.

pixabay.com

Break it down. Once you decide what needs to be done, you need to decide when you're going to do each thing. With class preparation, I tend to devote a chunk of time to doing it all, but with other tasks that include multiple small steps, I might allocate different tasks to different times, checking each off as I accomplish it.

Stick to it. Allocating specific times for each task, as described in the step above, is the first step in doing this. Blocking out times for each action step is like making an appointment with yourself. If you're really serious about reaching your goal on time, you'll make the same effort to keep the appointments you set with yourself as you do to keep those you set with someone else. If you wouldn't skip a dinner date with a friend because you're tired, you owe yourself the same courtesy when it comes to the tasks you've put into your calendar.

Do I do this all the time? But of course...not. But when a goal is important, setting the proper course is just as important. Otherwise, you're likely to find yourself sitting by the side of the road, admiring those who made it to the finish line.

The Art of (Structured) Procrastination

I am a procrastinator. It's part of my makeup, part of my writing, part of my life. And so when I found John Perry's The Art of Procrastination in a local independent bookstore, I snatched it up. Humorous, self-deprecating and thought-provoking, it's a fun read -- one that pokes fun at the habit, but manages to analyze its pluses and minuses as well. So, this semester, I made it required reading for my first year seminar, and on the day I introduced it, I even wore my "Structured procrastinator" tee shirt.

Perry's premise is that structured procrastinators actually accomplish a great deal while they're procrastinating. We know what we're supposed to be doing, and while we're putting off doing that thing, we do other things instead. In the end, we get a lot done, even if none of it is what we're supposed to be doing.

I first read the book over a year ago, but it wasn't until last week that I realized one of the things that has cemented my structured procrastination habit.

Parenthood.

amazon.com

Being a parent makes you a structured procrastinator. Oh, okay, it helps if you already have the procrastination gene (if there is such a thing), but I suspect that even the most task-oriented person can get sucked into structured procrastination while waiting for her children to do...whatever it is she's waiting for them to do. We learn to fill tiny pockets of time with quick little tasks in order to be efficient, but the irony is that what begins as an effort to not waste time becomes a habit that does exactly the thing it set out to avoid.

Provided it doesn't get out of hand and keep us from accomplishing things that are important, structured procrastination is actually a pretty good idea. We get little things checked off our lists, and sometimes the little things are a warm-up to the big stuff. And sometimes, the big things -- especially the big ideas -- need time to simmer before the answers bubble up.

Stop by tomorrow for a three keys post on what to do when the procrastination -- no matter how structured -- isn't working.

Organization Extra: De-Cluttering -- Start Small

www.craiglotter.co.za

De-cluttering is one of those things we have to be in the mood for. Like so many other things, getting started is the hardest part.

That's why this article from Bright Nest makes so much sense. The concept of starting with a small space isn't exactly rocket science, so to speak, but it's easy to overlook its benefits:

• Putting a halt to the procrastination process and starting somewhere, no matter how small, often energizes us to tackle bigger spaces;
• De-cluttering is de-cluttering. Reclaiming a space, no matter how small, is a step on the road to organization;
• Smaller spaces can be easier to keep neat in the long run, and a succession of neat spaces that stay that way contributes to overall organization.

Still overwhelmed? Trying the Give it Five! trick. Set a timer for five minutes, and when it goes off, you're finished. You can keep working if you wish, of course, but you can also walk away.

So where will you start?