Getting Things Done

Sometimes the process of getting things done is so overwhelming. It is especially hard for me when I have a lot of little things to do. It just feels all to easy to procrastinate on them since they are each individually so small.

This doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you consider that the best way for me to tackle big projects is to break them down into a lot of little steps. I think the difference must lie in the perceived payoff. A large job simply has a higher perceived value than a little one. This is why when you're tackling something large, you break it down into manageable pieces so that you don't become overly anxious about the end goal.

But what do you do when you have lots of little things to do that don't individually have a large payoff? How do you maintain motivation when there is no clear glory upon completion of your mini-tasks?

The psychology of delayed gratification is pretty clear: it's much harder to achieve long-term goals than it is to achieve short-term goals that have an immediate benefit. Health is the most obvious example. That hour that I spent in the gym yesterday is just part of the daily health activities that I need to undertake to maintain a healthy body. But it's not as if I come home and my cholesterol levels and pant size have instantly dropped. In fact, with health, most of the time the small steps that we need to take can be a little painful at the time and/or immediately afterward.

So - back to reality. Today I have a lot of little projects that simply must get done. None of them have an immediate payoff, and they aren't particularly enjoyable. To handle this, I'm going to plan a mini celebration when I have completed them. I'll go outside and sit in the sun and remember how grateful I am for the life that I have and the opportunities I face.

Let me know if you have any other ideas!

Just Say No to Perfection

I have recently noticed how fragile ideas are. As I have mentioned before, I come up with a lot of them, but I have increasingly noticed that I'm shooting them down almost as quickly as they appear. I think this is because I'm remembering the many ideas that have come before and judging myself on the fact that they haven't all worked out perfectly. OK, so none of them have worked out perfectly! I had a wonderful psychology teacher who discussed the "Circle of Thought" with us, and the fact that we can choose how we see our past by simply changing the way we judge its events.


Basically, the "Circle of Thought" is all about four features of our action and memory:

1. We take an action (which may be having a thought or idea)
2. We apply previous learning to the action to give it shape and form
3. We observe the response
4. We learn from the experience

And thus begins the circle. We apply all previous learning to our future actions.

For me, I think that I'm interpreting my past "reactions" as failure. By applying perfectionist attitudes to the learning that shapes and molds my future, I risk crippling my ability to move forward freely and intentionally.

Today I'm working on a new idea, and my main focus is to remember that perfection is a myth. The best that I can do is work on learning from past actions/reactions and applying my best knowledge to each new situation.

Personal Accountability

I just finished an awesome book about making meaningful changes in your life. "The Power of Personal Accountability," by Mark Samuel & Sophie Chiche, covers so many critical aspects of creating your life rather than simply taking what comes at you. My favorite concepts include:

1. You have to take action: without action, intention is meaningless. Take action small steps at a time and you will find success.

2. You have to look at what is truly holding you back. There are three possibilities: Beliefs, Emotions and Behaviors. You have to take control of all three to be successful.

3. It's not about perfection. Life is an ongoing cycle: we experience, we learn, and we apply that learning to the next situation. As long as you maintain this perspective, you may falter, but you will never fail.

Change Your Life 30 days at a time

The expression "a journey starts with a single step" is never more appropriate than when we are trying to change our selves. In fact, taking small steps is the key to making truly large changes in life. Here is a system I've developed based on several psychological studies on how to effect change:

1. Think of a few big goals that you want to accomplish in life; write them down.
2. Now write down mini-goals that will help you reach your big goals over the next 5, 3, 2 and 1 years.
3. Put your list away. You can revisit it in 6 months.
4. Now think of three habits that will help you reach your goals. When adding habits, I find it helpful to shoot for 10-minute increments. Usually I end up exceeding them, but I don't have to. If one of your goals is to start exercising, don't start by running five miles per day. Instead, start with a 10-minute walk each day. If you want to write a novel, set a goal to write for 10 minutes per day. If you want to wake up at 5 a.m., begin by setting your alarm clock back just 10 minutes from the time you currently wake up. You want to set yourself up for raging success here, so don't get crazy.
5. Create a chart that lists the three small habits you want to add to your life. Now label days 1-30.
6. Each day, aim to "check off" all three habits.
7. At the end of 30 days, your three items will be a habit. Now pick three more and repeat the cycle.
8. At the end of 6 cycles, check in with your mini-goals and big goals. All of those small steps that you took mean that you are now well on your way to accomplishing them. Update your goals as necessary, then put them away for another six months.
9. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Based on the research I have read, there is simply no better way to consistently make progress towards your goals. Let me know if you have any additions or suggestions to this method!

Critical Marketing Elements

Critical marketing elements that apply regardless of where you are, who your customers are, and what you do:

• Price your products appropriately
• Get the word out there somehow (i.e. market your business)
• Look professional (nice website, cards, stationery, etc.)
• Treat your clients impeccably
• Thank people for referrals (if you do the above; they will be forthcoming)
• Give other people referrals

The Body Mind Business Connection

Women entrepreneurs follow a common path in terms of self-care: they tend to take care of everyone else before themselves. Such an approach is fine for a few weeks or even a few months, but we usually start to see some negative results after 6-12 months. We may start getting sick more often, or suddenly realize that we are 10 lbs heavier and have lost all of our muscle tone. Or maybe we're just walking around angry, sad or depressed.

Such a physical and mental state is simply not good for business. We start to forget important client projects, yell at our employees, and generally perform at a lower level. That is why I'm planning the next Body > Mind > Business retreat for women entrepreneurs. It's a chance to take time out from everyday stress and focus on the three critical elements of our success.

I firmly believe that our business health begins with our personal health. My quest for personal health is a constant up-and-down journey (as you know!). I honestly don't know if there are any women (or humans!) out there who are always in the perfect state of balance. That would make us inhuman!

Please check out the details of our coming event - I would love to see you there!

Monday Morning Space

This morning I have a lot of "to-dos" on my plate. In fact, this week (and every week in the immediate future), feels very full. It's on mornings like this one that I need to focus on how I will maintain a healthy body and mind in the midst of the busyness of business. Here are some ideas that I've gathered and am going to try:

1. Keep up my morning meditation - no matter how badly I want to sleep in. This is a tough one, but I think that as long as I give myself permission to go back to sleep after my meditation I'll be able to stick to it. For me, meditation is a cornerstone in maintaining space and balance in my mind.

2. Stretch between meetings. This is a new idea that someone suggested to me last week. I present myself to the world as an extrovert, but I'm actually introverted when it comes to gathering energy and resources. This means it's really important for me to take time between back-to-back meetings to re-ground myself.

3. Keep up my exercise program. Exercise is usually the first thing to drop off my list when I get busy, but luckily I have several commitments (classes, training sessions, etc.) that should keep me on-track. These commitments will keep me at about 70% of my exercise goals, and if I can squeeze in a couple of walks and/or runs through the week, my body will be very happy.

How do you handle life when busyness takes over? What do you do to stay on-track?