Overcoming Procrastination

"You will never find time for anything.
You must make it."
-Charles Buxton

Did you know that the first week in March is National Procrastination Week? That's right… there's a special week set aside to remind us of this nasty little (or big) habit that all of us have in at least one area of our lives!

We don't often pause to notice all the unfinished business in our lives. So here's an opportunity to do just that! Are you in?

The first step is to do a RAM Dump so you can become consciously aware of all the mental "sticky notes" that are on your brain, or the actual notes that are currently pinned to your bulletin board or stuck to your computer monitor or refrigerator. If they have been there long enough, they have become like wallpaper and you may not even notice them anymore. I can assure you that they won't go anywhere soon unless you choose to do something about them now!

These "sticky notes" -- I call them "incompletions" -- constantly suck energy without you even realizing it..

To do a RAM Dump, ask yourself the questions here and jot down your responses. RAM is the memory on a computer, so think of this like dumping your brain's memory onto paper. The list may get quite long. That's okay. I'll guide you through what to do with your list after you have completed your RAM Dump.

I used to be afraid that taking more time for myself would mean that my business would suffer and I'd take a big financial hit. I can tell you that this has not been my experience. Practicing better self-care has helped me to work smarter rather than harder. In addition to being financially rewarded, I feel so much better and am having a lot more fun.

Once you have answered the questions above, you will probably have identified a long list of tasks or projects. The next step is to review every item on your list and make a decision for each one. Once you go through your list and make one of these five decisions, there should be nothing left on your list.

Here are your choices:

1. DUMP IT. You've decided that this is not important and you are giving yourself permission to completely let go of this task. If you have made a commitment to someone else, you may need to renegotiate this with them before you cross it off your list.

2. DELEGATE IT. You want it done, and you've decided to have someone else do it for you. Decide who will do it and by when, and set the wheels in motion to make it happen.

3. DO IT NOW! This is really important and it is time-sensitive. You need to do this right away. Either do it this second or schedule time NOW on your calendar for when you will do it.

4. DEFER IT FOR LATER. You still choose to do this, and it is not a priority right now, or you are not ready to decide if you will do it. Either schedule time now to do this days, weeks or months later, or put a note on your calendar or in your tickler file to remind you to revisit this when you want to make a decision.

5. FILE IT. You are not sure if you want to take action on this or not, but you are not ready to toss the idea. You decide to file the information or documents away to access at a later date. I call this a "Perhaps List."

Here's a sample mini "RAM Dump." Next to each example is a decision that has been made. I've also put some notes in parentheses about the action taken now.

• Prepare my tax returns - DO IT on March 6 (scheduled in calendar)
• Research airfares for summer vacation. - DEFER until April (transferred to index card and placed in April tickler file)
• Write a book. - DEFER making decision until September (note on index card in Sept. tickler file)
• Stain my deck. - DELEGATE to handyman. Call him in June (note in June tickler file to call handyman)
• Do yard clean-up. - DELEGATE to handyman. Call him in June (note in June tickler file to call handyman)
• Serve on Church Auction Planning Committee - DUMP IT. (schedule call to committee chair on March 6 and tell her I cannot serve but will donate something)
• Organize my closet. - DEFER until April (transferred to index card and placed in April tickler file)
• Get rid of obsolete papers in my file system. - DO March 13 (on calendar)
• Handle the piles of papers in my office. - Schedule for March 19 (on calendar)
• Talk with Sue about the disagreement we had. - DO IT. Call her on March 4 and schedule lunch (on calendar)
• Start a blog. - DUMP IT. Other priorities are more important and I've decided not to do it (crossed off the list)

What's next? Do this NOW or decide when you will do it and schedule time in your calendar to Just Do It!