Tag Archive for: Procrastination

Motivation for Organization

motivation and organization

 

Some times the hardest part of getting organized is getting started.  Having a compelling motivation makes all the difference!

  • Start with the end in mind.    Start with a beautiful picture of what you want your space to look like.  Have a visual in mind of what your end results to look like.  Cut pictures out of magazines, search websites or blogs, or go to online organizing stores to see a picture perfect result.

 

  • Ready, set, go! Set a kitchen timer for 15 minutes.  We can all do something for just 15 minutes. Once you are started, you are likely to get in the groove and work longer on your organizing.

 

  • Baby steps, please.  Start with something small.  Remember, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Knowing that you can accomplish your organizing in baby steps makes a difference.

 

  • Plan a party.  Inviting company into your home to celebrate makes you want to get your homes organized.   It is scary but you can do it!

 

  • Partner up!  Include a clutter buddy in your organizing plans.   Having a trusted partner who works along side you or just sits while you work helps get you started on organizing.

 

  • Walk the walk, talk the talk.  Be a role model for your family.  Our children look to us to show them how to organize and why it is important to be organized.  It’s pressure, but it works.

 

  • What’s holding you back?  Acknowledge obstacles to organizing.  Once we clear our minds of what might hold us back, you are ready to push forward on organizing.

 

  • Acknowledge your successes in organizing.  Often we look at what is not done. Rather, give yourself a pat on the back, and a reward, for what you have accomplished.

 

  • Use your anxiety to push you forward.  Chaos causes stress!  Set a boundary on your disorganization and get started knowing you will have peace of mind once you are organized.  It’s that old adage of what’s most frustrating is what’s most motivating.

 

  • Know what’s good enough for now.  Our colleague Donna Smallin says “done is perfect.”  Put aside perfectionism which can paralyze you.   Perfectionists are overwhelmed with how long the task will take and how much energy will be used.  Create a simple plan to get your organizing started and completed.

 

What compelling reason have you used to get started on your organizing?

Putting off Procrastination offered at the Organizing Telesummit

Is getting organized your top new year resolution? Here is the easiest way ever to get started! 

Offered under the leadership of my colleague Allison Carter, there is a wide array of classes offered by the top professionals in our field.

 

Join us for this amazing event!

 

Your’s truly is partnering to present information on procrastination!  Did you know?

·          The desk of the average white collar worker holds 36 hours of uncompleted work. That desk’s occupant spends 3  hours per week sorting piles to find and organize the project/s being worked upon. (From The Overload Syndrome, by Richard Swenson)

·         The average executive wastes 150 hours each year looking for misplaced documents. (2003 study by Office World News)

·         The average amount of time executives spend in (mostly needless) meetings each week: 7.8 hours. (Survey by Accountemps)

·         The Wall Street Journal reports the average office worker spends 49 minutes a day emailing, while top management spends about four hours a day sending, receiving and reading email.

 

Ellen Delap and Leslie McKee are both Certified Professional Organizers® and Family Manager Coaches. Together they will address the challenges and causes of procrastination and how to overcome it. Remember, procrastination is a habit not a flaw and Leslie and Ellen will teach you will address the challenges and causes of procrastination and how to overcome it. So if you are putting something off that is getting in your way join their call and be on your way to a more productive 2010!

 

 http://theprofessionalorganizer.com/organizingclasses/wednesday/

 

Link to all the classes:

http://organizingclasses.com

Jan 25-29, 2010

It’s an organizing fiesta!

Learn from the comfort of your own couch.

Strategies for getting organized and for professional organizers

 

PS Dont procrastinate on this offer! Use the code word clutter for 10% off!

 

Putting off Procrastination Class on Jan 27th

Celebrate National Get Organized Month with a week of great organizing classes!  This budget-friendly seminar series is for all levels of organized and disorganized.  Check out more at http://theprofessionalorganizer.com/organizingclasses/wednesday/

Putting Off Procrastination
with Ellen Delap, CPO and Certified Family Manager Coach, and Leslie McKee, CPO and Certified Family Manager Coach

For those who want to get organized
For Professional Organizers

DESCRIPTION:
Ellen Delap and Leslie McKee are both Certified Professional Organizers® and Family Manager Coaches. Together they will address the challenges and causes of procrastination and how to overcome it. Remember, procrastination is a habit not a flaw and Leslie and Ellen will teach you will address the challenges and causes of procrastination and how to overcome it. So if you are putting something off that is getting in your way join their call and be on your way to a more productive 2010!

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Remember, procrastination is a habit not a flaw and Leslie and Ellen will teach you to

·     Recognize the challenges of procrastination

·     Learn strategies to overcome procrastination

·     Create new habits you can maintain

·     Design an action plan for one task you are putting off

 

Register at http://organizingclasses.com. Don’t procrastinate! Register today!

ADD and Follow Through

My clients with ADD are passionate about their projects.  Their energy for a project is an incredible resource and an important aspect for follow through and completion. As a task moves forward, the energy wanes and people with ADD are less enthusiastic.  Staying engaged in the task and completion is equally important.  In addition, people with ADD have trouble breaking down ideas into a series of smaller scheduled steps that help them make progress toward their goals.  They tend to procrastinate which compounds the situation. 

 

Creating a time line is important in following through for people with ADD.  People with ADD know what they want, but how much time it will take and what sequence to work in often elude them.  Start with the goal in writing and write out the specific steps in the project.  Assess the time each step will take.  Work backwards in a time line with a month at a glance calendar  and write in a workable time line for completion.  For people with ADD, enlisting help to get through the detail work with partners and designing a plan with accountability is a significant step.   Help them find incredible partners who are have the skills they lack, whether it is knowledge of technology or other skills sets.   Acknowledge the procrastination that can occur with people with ADD and find a trigger to help move forward.   The trigger can be a simple one, such as a great location to work in, background music, or establishing a time of day to work. It is in partnering and accountability that completion occurs. 

 

Trouble completing a task or project? How did you get to completion?

 

Procrastination

 

Procrastination affects even the most linear thinking right brain people (professional organizers!) and there are strategies to help you make simple shifts to change.  Sometimes procrastination can take on a life of its own. It brings on worry, depression, regret, and stress and has the power to reduce people’s ability to function normally.  The first step in moving forward it recognizing what is most difficult about productivity  or the task itself.  Is it the spot where you work? Is it the work itself? Is it working by yourself? Here are some ways to get started thinking about procrastinating.

Set up a distraction free, reminder rich environment.  Think through where you work best with an appropriate chair, desk and space.  Do you need soft music, good lighting, or any other options?  Is your space in your home or out? Reminders can take the form of post it notes, 3X5 cards, or a task list on  your PDA.    

Establish priorities.  You may be busy with low priority tasks, for example pruning the hedges instead of working on your presentation that is due the next day!  Prioritizing is the first step to being more effective day to day.  Part of prioritizing is making manageable, short lists with a “do-able number” to ensure success. 

Commit to what is important by slotting tasks on a calendar. This sounds simple but this exercise cements the task in your mind which is important when you struggle with focus and time.  Set “mini deadlines” and add rewards to keep you moving toward your goals by delaying gratification until completion.

 

Sometimes it takes more than the space or time to complete a task.  Find a partner to discuss the steps and be accountable to completing.  Accountability can be done with texting, telephone or a quick email.  Loving accountability makes you more successful.  

 

So what do professional organizes procrastinate about?  For me it was being the committee chair of a national committee. Once I had calendared the dates for significant events, committed to working on baby steps in the process, and finding partners that helped me in the process, it all proceeded well. 

What do you procrastinate about?

Have you uncovered the cause?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Done is Perfect!

Perfectionism and procrastination sound like opposites but are they really? Do you set incredibly high standards for a project including lots of planning and then don’t get started because it won’t be completed to your satisfaction? Do you put off a project, thinking you will have more time or energy to do it later? More often than you think, perfectionism can be immobilizing you.

 

Are You a Perfectionist?
Begin by becoming aware of perfectionism in your life. Many people do not realize that they are perfectionists. A home with clutter or incomplete projects can be the home of a perfectionist! Having incredibly high standards that are impossible to reach, whether in taking care of your home, completing a project, or in any thought process, indicate perfectionism. By having the realization of perfectionism, you can begin to evaluate what this is costing you and what’s next.

 

Focus on Balanced Goals and Completion
Because perfectionism is stopping us from starting, we need to focus on the goals of balance and completion. Simply put, it is that old saying, “If I can’t do it right I am not going to do it at all.” Start by asking yourself, what is “right” to you? A realistic goal balances your personal energy, time and importance of the task. You can do it well and get it done. Donna Smallin, author of Organizing Plain and Simple, notes that “done is perfect.” You can start by using Donna’s saying to help you put things in perspective, create the balance for yourself and get the job done.

 

Empowering Self Talk
Another aspect of perfectionism is rigid, black and white thinking. Either a project is perfect or a disaster! Using acknowledging, empowering self talk, including kudos of accomplishment throughout the project, leads to satisfaction with the outcome and completion. Seeing productivity, you will feel successful and feel more like completing the project. It is definitely a circle of work and success that stands out then.

 Standards of excellence instead of perfection make a difference in starting and completing a project. Whether organizing a space or any other task, start with baby steps and practice your imperfection. Work at a comfortable pace, allow for changes as needed and review your work consistently. When others offer to assist, welcome their help and disregard their imperfections as they help you complete a project.

 

What baby step can you take to breaking down your perfectionism?