Conquer Procrastination Now (Not Later).

I confess that I’ve had a long-running love affair with “to-do” lists. I probably created my first list in elementary school – most likely in pink or orange crayon.

Most people believe they’re either a “list person” or not. The non-listers are often unimpressed with the static nature of a list, or they see it as another demand on their busy schedule. In the years since I wrote my first list, I’ve become more and more aware of that static nature the non-listers complain about. When we’re trying to reach a goal, the first task we take on is to break the goal up into manageable tasks and make a list to complete the tasks. So far that sounds pretty reasonable.

But…. Somewhere along the way there is a breakdown between the list of tasks needed to complete the goal, and actually reaching the goal itself. The to-do list sits there with its boxes unchecked, or its tasks still not crossed off. This is a problem if your goal is going to be reached, or if you’re struggling with procrastination.

Now, some of us have elevated our list-making by jumping into calendar applications on the computer, or using our Blackberry or iPhones to track our progress. So, how many of you have upgraded your list-making technology, but are still not hitting those goals? The problem is not in the technology, or even in your desire to complete the tasks. The disconnect between writing things down and getting them done lies somewhere in your list.

Though my lists have evolved from the crayon days, and into the technology days, I wanted to create a more dynamic approach to reaching goals through list-making. One day when looking at tasks I had meant to complete that were being moved from one day’s list to the next (undone), I began thinking about how to stop my procrastination now. The things I had to do, even if they were attached in my mind to an important goal, had little personal connection for me as written, and had zero motivational value attached to them.

I looked at the first item on my list that day: “Make appointment to get car serviced.” Not exactly a dynamic task, nor did it seem to have any relevance to an obvious goal. I thought about the rewards and consequences of the task, and re-framed the task. By doing that, I suddenly saw the interconnectedness of the task, to a larger goal. That realization led me to create a different kind of to-do list. I created a simple new form for my list, and tried it out for two weeks. The difference was measurable — I found myself getting more done, and reaching goals that had sat stagnant for too long.

I created a STIC-list for my own use. What is STIC? “So That I Can…”

For every item I want to complete, I write a simple benefit to completing that task. Let’s take the easy task (and easier to put off) of scheduling service for my car. What would that look like on my new to-do list?

Make appointment to get car serviced STIC (so that I can) stop worrying when I have to drive home late at night that I’ll get stranded.

Guess what? I made that call right away. How about a few more to get you started?

Make 5 cold calls today STIC bring in new clients and increase my revenue.

Keep appointment with personal trainer STIC feel confident on our trip to Hawaii.

What are a few things on your list today that would benefit from getting on the STIC-list?

The secret to STIC is to attach a simple and meaningful result to the seemingly mundane task at hand. Every little task we do is related to a bigger and more important goal or outcome. The choices we make every day impact everything in our lives, and that includes choosing to tackle or ignore even simple tasks. Using a STIC-list and attaching a benefit to the things we need to accomplish, allows us to stay in “big picture” thinking, and create the life we really want.

Guest Blogger: Diana Hathaway-Timmons
email: Diana@KeepYourZen.com
website: KeepYourZen.com
253.514.8892

One of my guilty pleasures is catalogs. I don’t order much from them, but still they accumulate first in my mailbox, and then on a kitchen counter. Finally, I sort through the stack removing those I find uninteresting, and grab the rest. Sitting on the couch, or at my desk over lunch, poring through catalogs feels wonderful. I often see things I’d like to buy for someone else, or sometimes for myself. I don’t mark the pages, nor do I even keep the catalogs, they go right into the recycling bin. As I wrote, it’s a guilty pleasure, and those rarely have any real purpose other than fun.

Today at lunch I grabbed my stack of catalogs and settled in. On the last page of the last catalog I saw a tiny graphic and one little sentence below it, that changed my way of thinking forever.

Picture this… a catalog of hosiery. In the upper-left corner of the page is a small illustration containing a pair of hands, scissors, and pantyhose. The caption reads: “No more snipping the waistband for comfort!”

Gulp. All at once the reality hit me. I thought I was the only woman in the world that did that. If you look in my sock drawer, you will find pantyhose and tights of various colors, but with one thing in common: snipped at the waist. It’s not like I ask my friends if they do this too, and no one would ever know I did this, but until I saw that page I never knew I wasn’t alone.

Have you done this? Have you done something like snip the waist, or perhaps use tape to hold up a hem at work, or use a black marking pen to fix a scuff on a shoe? We’ve all done this. I bet even Martha Stewart has done this (or had someone do it for her.)

So now my secret is out, and maybe yours, too. How in the world does this relate to our success? Be patient, I’m almost there…

When I saw the illustration, and realized that I was somehow part of a secret sisterhood of waistband snippers, I started to think of how often I have assumed that everyone else had it all together (and I was the one with duct tape holding her hem up!) That thinking, that assuming that everyone was better prepared, more put together and more grown-up than I am, holds me back. That belief holds all of us back.

Who would we be in the world if we acknowledged to ourselves that everyone feels like the little kid who brought the cheese sandwich and apple to school when everyone else brought leftover pizza and cookies? With that knowledge, what would the compassion that we could show to others mean when we are involved in an emotionally charged business situation? What would the compassion mean for ourselves, when we called on a new client, spoke in public, or asked for credit due?

The scissors and the pantyhose reveal the understanding that every one of us – at some point – has safety pins holding our blouse closed, holes in our socks, and a handful of little indignities that we believe to be ours alone. When we accept that everyone we meet is one thread away from a popped button, or spilled coffee, we will stop being so hard on ourselves and allow compassion to flood our life’s work. And when we channel compassion, it allows the passion to flow into our lives and work, lifting us into success.

Guest Blogger: Diana Hathaway-Timmons
email: Diana@KeepYourZen.com
website: KeepYourZen.com
253.514.8892

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.” – President Abraham Lincoln

Do you hear that?

Something is quietly sneaking up on us. Like a cat, the season of resolutions is quietly sidling up next to us as we celebrate the holidays. For me, it’s this fleeting thought that appears around mid-December — a question comes to mind, asking me if I’m making resolutions this year.

Every year many of us shine the spotlight on what we resolve to accomplish in the new year, and at the end of each year we’ve missed our goals, forgot about them, or found that they were no longer relevant in our lives.

I’m thinking that this year, this beginning of a decade, will be my year for the Un-resolutions.

My resolutions of New Years’ past always read like a “to-do” list on steroids: Exercise more, work harder, write more, and so on. A peek at resolutions across the world would probably find something similar. As we pass out of this yet-unnamed, and somewhat unloved decade, I’m going to try something different with my resolutions.

How many of us spent the last year mired in woulds, shoulds, and musts? Too many of us. I’m starting an Unresolution movement, and it goes something like this:

My 2010 Unresolutions

This year, I resolve not to:

• Follow the crowd. I march to my own drummer, and she’s playing a salsa tune.
• Stress if I’m running a few minutes late. I’ll either leave earlier next time, or remind myself that every time I’ve raced to a meeting thinking I’m late, everyone else is behind me.
• Worry about what others think. As Dr. Seuss put it: “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those that matter don’t mind.”
• Miss an opportunity to have fun. Life is short. I’m going to gobble up every last drop of enjoyment, every single day.
• Miss an opportunity to help others. Everyone could use a little help now and then. I won’t be shy about offering my assistance this year.
• Become so focused on my work that I forget that every business is a people business. It doesn’t matter if you sell homes or carburetors, it’s always about people.
• Miss the chance to fail. If I’m risking failure it means that I’m out there trying new things, instead of sticking with safe and familiar routes.
• Take myself so seriously. My favorite people are funny and relaxed, not tense and self-conscious. So, why wouldn’t I want to be one of my favorite people, too?

Did you notice that my Unresolutions aren’t measurable by any true standards?

Unresolutions aren’t meant to be measured. They travel with you all year long – like the encouragement of a good friend reminding you to live a good life, each and every day.

Guest Blogger: Diana Hathaway-Timmons
email: Diana@KeepYourZen.com
website: KeepYourZen.com
253.514.8892

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails.” – Jimmy Dean

That is one of my favorite quotes. I was in my twenties, when I figured out that things don’t always work the way you want or expect them to. It took a few years of listening to myself complain about how “this wasn’t supposed to happen” before I realized that fact. Once I embraced what “is”, and let go of what “should be”, it forced me to look at plans and problems in a new way.

We all have had instances of (what felt like) failure, but somehow managed to stand back, regroup, and go on to succeed — but perhaps we didn’t recognize it as such, we just swung into action. I call that stepping into our Queen of “Now What?”, instead of the Queen of “Why Me?” It’s that inner resilience that kicks into gear when Plan A goes awry, and Plan B surfaces up from our subconscious. We all have that power, but sometimes it has to be summoned, unlocked, or allowed to appear. With a subtle shift in awareness and attitude, the time between: Plan A fail, and ready with Plan B, can be swift (and relatively painless).

Dealing with the unexpected failure or change in plans is more than just having a Plan B or even C, or D, figured out just in case. The key is how quickly you can make the transition from reacting to a setback, to proactively creating a new solution (even if you’re creating a solution on the fly)!

A setback might be a client whose mortgage did not get final approval at the last minute. The Queen of “Why Me?” would respond with tears. “Why me?”, she would ask the universe. Her attention and wrath would turn to the lender, “how DARE they do this to ME?” An unsuspecting colleague would wander over, seeing her distress, and be treated to twenty minutes of complaining, blaming, and tears. The Queen of “Why Me?” would turn her attention to the clients. Tearfully, she would call her clients to discuss the bad news. As the conversation continues, her questions become more pointed, wondering aloud if maybe they weren’t as forthright about their financials as they claimed, and end the call with choice words about the lender. Maybe the next day, the Queen of “Why Me?” would call the client back sheepishly and ask if they’d like to seek out a new lender, or perhaps she’d call the lender to see if there was a way to salvage the deal.

The Queen of “Now What?” gets the call that her clients will not get final approval for their loan, just days before closing. If her office has a door, she closes it, if not she walks outside to a private spot, and feels the disappointment. She might tear up, swear a little to herself, and just feel the disappointment. Composing herself again, the Queen of “Now What?” shifts into high gear. She starts with calling everyone involved to see what has to happen to save the deal. She talks with colleagues and instead of spending 20 minutes complaining about the situation, she asks if anyone has a creative solution, or has faced something similar. Her call to the client is one of encouragement, soliciting patience and an open mind, as they work to resolve the issue to get the escrow closed on time. The next day, through the instantly proactive approach she has taken, the financing has been reworked and the deal is saved.

The Queen of Why Me?
Asks “why is this happening to me?”
Looks for others to blame.
Wastes valuable time over things she can’t change.
Ignores the things she can change.
Bores others with her woeful tales.
Is too late to react to setbacks.
Never thinks about Plan B.

The Queen of What Now?
Gives herself a few minutes to feel the setback.
Starts crafting alternative strategies right away.
Knows that her response affects the lives of others.
Understands that it’s not personal.
Looks to her network for advice not commiseration.
Can think outside the box to get things done, when others fold up.
Is popular with clients and vendors because of her tenacity and integrity.

There are many things we cannot control. But with practice, we can become the the Queen of “Now What?” by controlling how we respond to the uncontrollable. With this new thinking, you’ll find that many times your Plan B was the better choice all along, it just took a crisis to force a better solution through creative thinking.

Guest Blogger: Diana Hathaway-Timmons
email: Diana@KeepYourZen.com
website: KeepYourZen.com
253.514.8892

“More than anything else, I believe it’s our decision, not the conditions of our lives that determine our destiny.” Anthony Robbins

Several months ago, I made an important decision. I decided that I was NOT going to participate in this recession. I decided I was NOT going to let myself get all bummed out and depressed by all the doom and gloom that was in the newspapers and on the television. (I simply changed channels and starting reading and watching positive articles and shows!)

I decided to focus on the only things that I had any real control over: my thoughts, my words, and my actions.

As a small business owner, I decided I was going to work not only harder, but SMARTER than I had in the past. Now, I carefully monitor ALL my activities and efforts very carefully and have learned to say NO to those things that are not benefiting my business or my personal growth.

I decided not to hang around with people who were negative and always looked at the glass as half empty. If you have read Jon Gordon’s book – The Energy Bus – you will know he refers to these types of people as Energy Vampires! So, I said good bye to those energy vampires and only surround myself with positive people.

I decided to embrace change, not to fear it! Changes were going to happen anyway, why not enjoy the ride? And, I actually now look forward to the changes that happen in my life! It makes it more exciting!

I decided to start living my life in *real time*, not in the past or in the future….but in the now! By doing this, my life is MUCH more enjoyable! I have less regrets and less worries.

I decided that money was not the end all goal. Money comes in and out of my life; it does not rule my life nor determine my success!

I decided to stop making excuses.

Finally, I decided to have more fun! I do this by spending more time with the people I love and doing things I really enjoy!

And, ya know what? I am feeling really good about my future. I feel in control and excited about what the future holds for me. What have YOU decided?

Guest Blogger: Leah Turner
email: Leah@CreatingYourMasterpiece.com
website: CreatingYourMasterpiece.com
407.709.6816