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.

What does STYLE stand for?

photos-public-domain.com

When I write about organizing with STYLE, I'm talking about personal and organizational styles (lower case), along with the plan that underlies them: STYLE in all caps. 

Last week, I talked more about successes (the first letter in the acronym), and small steps (the second letter). Before going any further, I wanted to share the rest of the STYLE acronym:

Start with successes

Take small steps   

Yes, it has a home!

Let it go

Easy upkeep

Before we're through, we'll tackle all of these steps -- mostly in order -- but since organization is a process, sometimes we move forward and sometimes, we revisit the early parts of the process because they really are the foundation for everything else. Small steps and successes of any size build confidence and help us to remember that by selecting tools and processes that match our "default settings," we can build a system that works. Each small step is one step closer to that eventual goal of a sustainable organizational plan.

Tomorrow, I'll connect one of our strategies from last week (Don't put it down, put it away!) to a key organizational concept -- the one embodied by the letter Y in STYLE -- Yes, it has a home.