Finishing things off

Just reading a book by Bob Burg - Mastering your traits.... - hmm looks like I have one or two traits I still need to master. Anyway one of the things he talks about is persistence. In other words don't stop once you have created your list of goals, but actually spend some time and see things through to the end.

One of the things I am guilty of is failing on the persistence stakes - as in half doing things, it could be a book I am writing, and I have several half-written....but it could also be  a gardening project, or  - well you name it, almost anything.

Yesterday I decided that I needed to clean the house and get rid of a few half-finished projects that have been lying around. It was also bucketing it down for most of the day, so a perfect chance to do just that....until I found that I didn't have all the bits that I needed to complete the tasks. So we downed tools (vacuum cleaners and polishing cloths) and drove into one of the few major centres  that are open on a Sunday in Perth, WA. Why, when I was actually driving to that very same place the following day, and could have picked up the bits that I needed during my lunch break.

I can only put it down to a classic procrastination technique. You stop doing one thing, so you can focus on something else - now this is not the same as the "more ups and downs" that we spoke about the other day. Rather - you pretend that you are getting on, when all you are doing is not using the time that you have been given in a structured manner. Did we then complete the tasks when we got back from our shopping expedition? Of course not, the items are still sitting in their bag on the floor in my study. Now I have a perfect excuse lined up for tonight - can't possibly do so and so because I need to ....

See what I mean. Classic procrastination technique.

So, a few random thoughts.

    * What projects have you started but not finished.
    * Are you going to finish them or are they going to hang around waiting for when you have the time....
    * Are you afraid that once you have completed everything on your task lists, you'll have nothing left to do?
    * Are you hiding behind multiple project syndrome....as in - too much to do, not enough time, can't choose which one to start first - so won't be bothered to do any of them.


A few suggestions on solving the problem:

    * Go through each room in the house in which you live and write down everything that needs sorting out. Be it, new cushion covers and curtains to cleaning out your desk drawers.
    * When you get a spare five minutes - for example, when you are waiting for the kettle to boil, dinner to cook - or whatever it happens to be, pick one of the tasks and do it.
    * Cross it off when you have done it, and give yourself a figurative pat on the back. Then go back to doing whatever it was you were doing before hand. Unless you weren't doing anything before in which case - choose another item off the list and do that one as well.
    * Throw away the clutter, de-stress your living environment and celebrate every little  completed act. (Hint throw the big party for the moment when you've completed everything off the list).


And no I shan't be hypocritical, I shall also be busy tonight.

Elle
 
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