Plan And Succeed

I just returned from Chios. It is a beautiful island. I went to a cave that is 150 million years old. It was amazing and I saw crystals and stalagmites. I also went to a Panagiri which is a Greek festival with music and dancing. I danced a lot and had a nice time!

Where do I start?

I was working with a client the other day. He was expressing to me how difficult it can be for him to accomplish tasks. He will plan to do something one day for two hours and then on that day something comes up and he does not get to his goal. Then before he knows it months have gone by and he is still trying to get to the goal.

Part of the challenge for him is that he tries to accomplish his goal in one shot. For example, he may say I will spend four hours painting the bathroom on Saturday. Saturday rolls around and then unexpected things happen. Friends stop over to visit or his children need a ride somewhere. Then his day is half way over and he decides it’s too late to start the project.

My client starts to feel guilty for not sticking to his commitment. Feeling guilt or beating yourself up will not help you. In fact it will only perpetuate procrastination and distraction. I advised my client to break his tasks up into small little steps. For example, if he wants to paint the bathroom instead of committing to doing it all in one day commit to doing only a section of the bathroom one day. The one shot approach may work for some people but there are a many of you that this approach is ineffective. Even though it does not work you do not know another approach so you keep using the same strategy and failing.

I recommend that you focus on the parts instead of the whole. Focusing on the whole can feel overwhelming and stressful. Only commit to twenty minutes instead of two hours. Break the goal down into parts and focus on succeeding with each part as you move along. This will give you the motivation and inspiration to stick with your goal or task.

Another useful tip is to start with the easiest part of the task first. Here is an example; I was taking a test for my Greek language class. Before I started the exam I reviewed each section of the test and assessed what area I was the strongest and started there. I felt really good and confident during the test and did very well. Know where you are the strongest and start there.

This approach to task and goal implementation is simple; break down your task into sections or parts.
Start with the easiest part first. If you want to clean out your basement start with one section the easiest section and only commit to completing that section. If you have time and you want to do more then you can.

Let go of the old belief system that things have to be completed a certain way. My client had a belief system that he should start and complete a task in one shot but that was not working for him. Learn what works for you. Use approaches that empower you and lead you to success even if they are novel or unconventional. Develop a strategy that works for you and honor what you need to succeed.

Your assignment for this week:

1. Review past or current commitments you have made to accomplish a task or goal. Are you trying to complete it in one shot?

2. With this new strategy how could you break apart this task or goal so that you are taking smaller steps?

3. What part is the easiest for you? Start there.

4. Let go of your old belief system about how you should complete your goals or tasks.

Melisa