I rarely DO anything. It’s my biggest problem (some claim my biggest problem is my grating personality, but I’ll save that for another day). I love thinking and talking about things. I’m ambivalent about the doing part.
It’s really a problem for me and I struggle with it every single day.
I’ve found a few approaches that help me and I’ll pass them along in case you suffer from the same malady.
One thing I do, sometimes, is pick one thing – and it has to be only one thing – that I will accomplish on a particular day. It might, for instance, be drafting a particular document. I promise myself that I’ll get it done before I quit for the day. It sometimes works, but I often avoid starting on the task until about 4:30. The hours before 4:30 are generally filled with diversions, lunch and the unexpected. Then I work like crazy until it’s done.
If I actually get the one thing finished I declare victory and stop working.
Another approach I sometimes take is to pick one thing and start the day with it. Then I keep redirecting myself back to that thing as the days events (and my wandering attention) pull me away. I’ll start the day focused on the main event and, next thing I know, I’m booking a scuba diving vacation. I gently redirect myself to the task at hand. I try not to beat myself up for drifting off. I just get back to it and see how long i can last.
Another approach I’ve tried is using a timer. I bought a kitchen timer from Wal-Mart. I like to set it for 10 minutes and go crazy working like a maniac for those 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, I take a break. Just knowing that the beep is coming in a few minutes is often enough to keep me on task. It works unless i get distracted by playing with the settings on the timer.
When the project is bigger the just one part, i break it down into steps. I might turn the creation of an ebook into a 20 step project. This approach helps even when the project isn’t very big. The less I demand of myself, the more likely I am to deliver. If I turn a 60 minute speaking engagement into 15 parts (as I did for a recent ABA program) I’ve got 15 four-minute speeches to write. That seems easier for me and I actually got it done,
My final approach is to reward myself upon completion of the task. My rewards usually, and unfortunately, involve food items. Sometimes I’ll negotiate a deal with myself that involves one of these delicious desserts from the Asian market located near my house. That’s sometimes enough to get me to get it done.
It’s sad that I won’t just what I’m supposed to do. I’m probably not going to change I turned 49 on Sunday and I suppose I’m pretty much stuck being who I am. I’m going to have to rely on these tricks and techniques from here on out. They work for me, maybe they’ll work for you.
