I didn't make any New Year's Resolutions, but I did post a few goals here. I also changed my mindset going into 2009. This is the year I am going to stop procrastinating.
Part of this philosophy began when I first had Ashley. With a baby, you never know when you'll have a chance to do something, so you better do it when you have the chance. I don't know whether the saying originated with Robert Heinlein or the Marines, but I follow the credo of: "Eat when you can, sleep when you can. Never stand when you can sit and never sit when you can lie down."
This urgency to accomplish "life" tasks has translated into everything. No longer do I let projects, from small to large, sit. If I have an opportunity to do something, I do it right that minute. Of course, I still follow my to-do lists for business-related tasks.
Here's a small example. I have a bad habit of making purchases and then leaving the bag in my car overnight, or for weeks. I'm not hiding purchases from my spouse ala "Shop-aholic." I'm just too lazy to carry them inside, because that would mean finding a place for them. (Yes, that's a whole different issue of buying things when I don't have room for anything else in my house or in my life!)
Now, if I see something that needs doing, I just do it. This means no more dirty coffee mugs on my desk. If I see a smudge on the bathroom mirror, I wipe it off immediately. I don't wait until I have time to clean the entire bathroom. Nothing has to be perfect. It just has to be *done.*
After only a week of living this philosophy, my house is a bit more organized and I feel like I'm accomplishing more.
The same philosophy works in business. I don't wait for one-hour chunks of time to complete a task any more. 15 free minutes? I will knock out a blog post. An extra half-hour? I'll try to transcribe a 15-minute interview.
I just purchased an eBook and educational program titled "How to Write an Article in 7 Minutes" and hope this will boost my productivity even more. I will return with a complete review after I use the program and, if I find it effective, I'll add an affiliate link to this blog.
In the book, Jason Fladlien talks about "article-writing frenzies," where you take a grain of an idea from one article and create an offshoot article (or 10.) You can sit down and write these continuously, in a frenzy. If you don't have time for a frenzy, though, you can always jot down the ideas and write another article when you have another seven minutes. Keep in mind, I haven't read the book yet, so I'm paraphrasing based on my understanding from the promotional materials.
I'm going to try that right now, however, as this post has sparked an idea for a post about the concept of writing ANYTHING in seven minutes. (Teaser: I used to think it was impossible!)
Stay tuned... and while you're waiting, why not use a few free minutes to tell me:
What tools and techniques do you use to combat that ugly, lazy monster called procrastination?
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