The first full week in March is National Procrastination Week. That’s right… there’s a special week set aside to remind us of this pesky 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…so here’s an opportunity to do just that! Are you in? Now is a great time to overcome procrastination!
Is Your Memory Full?
If you want to stop feeling overwhelmed and start feeling at peace and in control, I offer a tool to help you get started. It’s called a RAM Dump. RAM is the memory in a computer—in this case, your brain–that holds onto all those “sticky notes” or incompletions in your life.
Do you know what happens when the RAM in a computer gets full? The computer’s ability to function efficiently and effectively gets slowed way down.
Think of all the random bits of information your brain must hold onto all the time. These sticky notes on your brain constantly suck your energy without you even realizing it. You’re probably feeling overwhelmed trying to juggle all the incomplete projects, tolerations, and irritations that nag at your subconscious every single day.
De-clutter Your Life
Now, imagine what it would feel like if you had a way to manage all those sticky notes so they no longer overwhelmed you. Imagine how it would feel to de-clutter your schedule, space and mind. It’s time to do a RAM Dump—a process that will help you become consciously aware of all the unfinished business in your life, so you can decide what to do with each task or project.
Your RAM Dump will uncover all the mental sticky notes that are on your brain, as well as actual notes jotted down on one of many to-do lists you’ve got laying around in note pads or piles of papers, pinned to your bulletin board, or stuck to your computer monitor, mirror or refrigerator. If these reminders have been there long enough, they’ve probably become like wallpaper and you don’t even notice them anymore.
I can assure you that these to-do lists and reminders won’t disappear anytime soon, unless you choose to make decisions now about what to do with them!
To do a RAM Dump, ask yourself the trigger questions I’ve provided and write down your responses.
Once you’ve answered the questions, you’ll probably have identified a long list that consists of several pages of tasks or projects. The next step is to review every item on your list and make a decision—one of the four D’s below–for each task you wrote down.
Four Decisions
Here are the Four D’s — choices you have for each task identified on your RAM Dump list:
- DUMP OR DELETE 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 crossing it off your list.
- 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.
- DO IT NOW. This is really important and it’s time-sensitive. You need to do this task right away. Either do it this second or reserve time NOW on your calendar for when you will do it in the next 24 hours.
DEFER (DO IT LATER). You still choose to do this, although it is not a priority today, or you are not ready to decide if you will even do it. Decide when you will decide, or decide when you will handle this task in the future and put a note on your calendar, in your project management system (like Asana), or on an index card placed in your dated tickler file. This will remind you to either make a decision or do it on a specific future date or in a specific future month.
EXAMPLE:
Next to each task or project identified during the RAM Dump exercise, you’ll see the decision that’s been made for each. I’ve also shared some notes about the action taken now.
- Finish tax returns – DEFER until March 17 (time block is scheduled in calendar to do this)
- Research airfares for summer vacation – DEFER until April (task is transferred to index card and placed in April tickler file as a reminder)
- Write a book – DEFER making decision until September (reminder note on index card in September tickler file)
- Stain back yard deck – DELEGATE to handyman in June (reminder note on index card in June tickler file, including handyman’s name/phone)
- Do yard clean-up – DELEGATE to handyman in June (reminder note on index card in June tickler file, including handyman’s name/phone)
- Serve on Church Auction Planning Committee – DEFER until March 11 to speak with committee chair and tell her I cannot serve but will donate something / DUMP IT (cross this off my list AFTER I’ve renegotiated my original commitment).
- 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 – DEFER until March 13 (time block is scheduled on calendar).
- Go through the piles of papers on my desk –DEFER until March 19 (time block is scheduled on calendar).
- Talk with Sue about the disagreement we had – DO IT NOW (call today to schedule lunch with her).
- Call Joe to renegotiate an unfulfilled commitment – DEFER until March 10 (call reminder on calendar) / DUMP IT (cross this off my list AFTER I’ve renegotiated my original commitment).
- Start a weekly podcast – DUMP IT. Other priorities are more important and I’ve decided not to do this (crossed off the list).
“You will never find time for anything.
You must make it.”
-Charles Buxton
Are you ready to handle all the unfinished business in your life that’s slowing you down and preventing you from focusing on what’s most important? Decide when you will do the RAM Dump and schedule time in your calendar to JUST DO IT! If you are feeling overwhelmed by your list of incompletions, take a break from all the distractions that come with multi-tasking and just focus on completing one task a day.
Build in some accountability by sharing your intention publicly in the comments below.
If the thought of doing a RAM Dump completely overwhelms you, let’s schedule a no-cost, no-pressure Discovery Call today. Together we’ll explore ways you can honor your priorities and create new pathways to possibilities. I can help you take the next step to make it happen!
Additional resources:
- Free download: RAM Dump
- Free report: 7 Strategies to Overcome Overwhelm
- Free Webinar: Managing Priorities
- Free Webinar: Buried in Paper
- Guide: Creating New Habits
- Guide: Dealing with Procrastination
- Guide: A Disorganized Procrastinator’s Guide to Time Management & Getting Organized
Great article.
Another wonderful newsletter! Thank you Kathy!