“Waste Time Faster.” This is a phrase on a billboard advertising high speed internet. I laugh each time I see it, but it also makes me think about how much time we do waste on the internet. Playing around online is just one of many activities we use to avoid getting things done. Of course, the things we are avoiding are usually things that may be difficult or not so pleasant.

Avoidance behavior is a component of procrastination. Some causes of procrastination are task related anxiety, fear of failure, perfectionism, and lack of knowledge. When you think about that it’s no wonder we find such creative ways to avoid tackling those tasks. Imagine that you have agreed to take on a new project at work. You are pretty excited because you know that the success of this event will have a positive impact on your career. Once the excitement wears off a little, you realize there are some pieces of this project that you aren’t quite sure how to get complete. Each time you sit down to get started on the project, you feel overwhelmed or don’t really know where to begin. So, what do you do? Maybe you start some project related research on the internet. Then you remember that you really wanted to check out the scores from Sunday’s football games. Ladies, your example might be a little different, but I think you know where I’m going with this. As you check out the football scores, you see a link to a video of a spectacular play. You proceed to watch the video and see some other videos that look interesting. An hour later, you’ve caught up on all the football scores, watched some re-plays, and maybe a few hilarious videos of kids dancing to “booty” music. It’s time for lunch so you head out the door having accomplished nothing related to the project.

Does that sound remotely familiar to anyone? I will be the first to admit that I do this very thing when I am doing something new or something that might push me a little outside my comfort zone. But we also use these techniques to avoid everyday tasks. Here are three steps to help minimize your task avoidance time wasters.

Three steps to curbing avoidance behavior

1) Awareness is the first step in changing any behavior. If you recognized yourself in the example and you want to change this behavior, pay attention to what avoidance behaviors you are engaging. Surfing the internet is just one form of avoidance behavior. Some other examples are watching television, reading magazines, hallway conversations with colleagues, checking email. To be clear, none of things is necessarily bad, but when used to avoid other, more important tasks, they will kill your productivity. Identify your avoidance techniques.

2) Minimize distractions. Once you have identified your avoidance behaviors, it’s important that you come up with strategies to reduce the likelihood that you will engage them. My top two avoidance behaviors are checking email and internet surfing. When I need to work on important project it’s best that I am in an environment where the internet is not available. Or the connection is so slow that it’s annoying! I have also discovered that I work best away from my home office and in a place with something pleasing to look at. Those of us working from home have so many potential distractions. Laundry, dishes, kids, spouses, and pets. It’s really helpful to find a place that allows you to concentrate. So, what can you do to minimize your distractions?

3) Get things done. Finally, get it done! Sometimes tasks seem a lot more difficult that they really are. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how much you will get done when you minimize your distractions and truly focus on the task at hand.

I hope this information helps you to get more done this week! Remember that the objective is not to cram your life with “things to do”, but to get things done in less time so that you can spend more time enjoying your life!

Happy Organizing!

While working with a client a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that she was repeatedly saying that she would never be able to do this organizing work without me. Now, I had heard this before, but this time I had some new information that made me stop to think what this really meant for her.

A couple of months ago I was introduced to a program called “The Winner’s Image” produced by Bob Proctor. In the program Bob equates our self-image to the auto pilot feature of an airplane. The auto pilot is set to a certain course and corrects should the plane veer off course. Now, think about self-image for a moment. Your behavior patterns are a direct reflection of what you believe about yourself. If you believe that you are a successful person and bring in lots of money each month, then you probably do just that. However, if you don’t truly believe that you are that successful, wealthy person, what happens when you do experience some success? You have a fabulous month bringing in more money that you ever have. Then self-doubt sets in and your self-image auto pilot begins to bring you back to your old course.

Getting and staying organized is no different from the success example. Hearing my client saying that she would never be able to do this without me and thinking back to other clients who I’d heard say the same thing, made me realize that their self-image is dictating the situation. No, they won’t be able to do this without me, if that’s what they truly believe. Their self-image is telling them that they can’t be organized or stay organized because they haven’t been able to do it before. Or because so many people have told them how messy and disorganized they are and they believe that about themselves. If you don’t truly believe that you can get and stay organized, you will not get and stay organized. If we move a little outside of our belief about ourselves, the self-image autopilot will bring us back to its original course.

So, how do we conquer this? Change your self-image. This is no easy task, but is guaranteed to get those behavior changes to stick. Create the fantasy or vision of what you want your life to be like. Are there people you can model? Write your new vision out in detail. One of the most important questions to ask in the self-image changing process is “Am I Willing.” Are you really willing to do what is necessary to make the changes you are seeking? Really think about this. If you really aren’t willing to make the changes necessary to be successful at getting and staying organized, maybe it really isn’t as important to you as you once thought it was. Once you have written out your new self-image it’s important to focus on the changes you must make and reviewing your goal regularly. As I said, this is no small or easy task, but one that is well worth the effort.

As you consider your goal to be more organized and productive, pay attention to the things you are telling yourself. Is your self-image dictating that you can’t be organized? If so, consider a self-image overhaul! It will be one of the best investments you ever make.

Happy Organizing!

A question was asked on a conference call with Steve Levinson, author of Following Through: A Revolutionary New Model For Finishing Whatever You Start,  whether he thought it really takes 21 days to change a habit.  He pointed out that there is no scientific evidence that it takes 21 days to change a habit.  It really depends on the complexity of the behavior and the potential consequences of not changing it. 

For example, if you pressed a button which then caused your house to explode, you would never press that button again.  This is an example of instant behavior change!  What really determines the amount of time it takes to change a habit is your focused effort on changing that behavior.  This is why it’s so important to focus on changing one habit or behavior at a time.  So, choose one thing that you would like to change and focus all of your effort on changing that one before moving on to the next.  The beginning of a new year always causes folks to think about renewal and change.  Unfortunately, within a few weeks most give up.  Just remember that behavior change is tough and it doesn’t always happen overnight or in 21 days.  Just get back on the horse and try again!

When I think about exercise and dieting, I always come up with grand plans. These plans usually involve a few hours of exercise each day and eating fabulous foods that are healthy. Of course, it would be wonderful if I actually did these things, but I never do. The fact is that I set myself up for failure from the start.

My diet and exercise plans in the past have been way too ambitious for someone with my schedule. Taking into account that I hate to shop and cook, the idea that I would have fresh food in the house that I would then prepare is pretty silly when I look back on it. So, what went wrong?

I made these plans based on what I thought I should be doing, not what I knew I would actually do. Of course, I have to make some changes in my behavior if I want to have fabulous arms and killer abs, but it’s helpful to be realistic about what you will do when faced with the choice of laying in bed until 7:00 or getting up to do a workout.

In organizing projects this happens frequently. We have so many images of what organized means in various situations. Perfectly clear desktops, doing everything the moment you think to do it, scanning all of your paper so you never have to deal with it again. Not to mention all of the books out there touting the definitive solution to organizing problems. The reality is that much of what is published in books and articles probably won’t work for you.

Here’s my beef with most of the information out there on organizing. Solutions are presented as though they are great for everyone. If you just put enough effort into it, this extremely complex system can work for you. No way! Your organizing systems must be based on your own logic and realistic assessment of your behavior.

I was recently asked by a workshop participant if scanning paper was a good solution for paper clutter. I asked if the person liked dealing with paper. She cringed and said “No way! I hate paper!” So, my answer is that scanning probably won’t be a good solution for her. If she hates paper so much that she won’t deal with it to get it filed, what are the chances that she will want to sit around scanning paper for hours. Now, I’m not saying that scanning is not a good option for dealing with paper clutter. I’m simply pointing out that realistically, she will probably not keep up with scanning paper if she doesn’t like dealing with paper to begin with.

Here are three things to consider when setting up a system or routine for organizing:

1) Is there anything wrong with your current system? Don’t change for the sake of changing. If your systems work, leave them alone.

2) Ask the question, “What will I really do?” Will you really scan all that paper or is it better to come up with some strategies to keep the paper from coming in at all. Will you really put all of those articles you’ve been saving into alphabetized binders? Or is it better to put them into a few research folders and call it a day? Better yet, you probably won’t ever look at them again so maybe you could just toss them.

3) Keep things simple. Complicated systems are typically difficult to maintain. The best organizing systems and routines are very simple. No need to color code your file system or calendar…unless you really believe that you will keep it up. As you develop your systems, continually ask yourself how it could be made easier.

So, my new diet plan is to exercise as many times as I can each week and to cut out eating so much ice cream. I’ve also recruited my brother to be my accountability partner as we tackle P90X. Yikes, that is a rough program! I could still use some work keeping up my new routine, but I am being more realistic and not beating myself up.

Happy Organizing!

Why don’t we follow through on the things that we “should” do?  In Following Through: A Revolutionary New Model for Finishing Whatever You Start by Steve Levinson and Pete Greider, the authors propose that we have two guidance systems:  the Primitive Guidance System and the Intelligence-Based Guidance System.  Each of these systems pulls us in different directions like a car with two steering wheels.

The Primitive Guidance System, PGS, has the most control and is based on instinct.  The PGS responds to the squeakiest wheel…I’m hungry: Look for food.  I’m bored:  Look for something more interesting to do.  In the meantime, your Intelligence-Based Guidance System, IBGS, has enabled you to make great plans…I should get my taxes done.  I should eat more healthy food.  I should exercise daily.  I should, I should, I should.

The problem is that there is no connection between the two systems.  Around April 1 your taxes become the squeaky wheel and your PGS will respond.  You race the clock to get your taxes done.  They may not have been done early, but they were on time.  This is the way your guidance systems work.  So you see, poor follow through is not so much a character flaw, but a flaw in the design of your mind and your guidance systems.

Now that you know why poor follow through occurs you can take steps to work around the design flaw.  The key is arranging your environment so that your good intentions are the squeaks that get the powerful PGS’ attention.  Here are a few of the suggested strategies to effectively follow through with your intentions.

Spotlighting – Your mind becomes distracted by many voices when you are trying to accomplish something:  the ones that want to get the project done and the ones that just want to sit back, relax and not get it done.  The trick in spotlighting is to make sure that you are paying attention to the “right” distractions or cues.  Here is an example of a cue:  You see a big, juicy hamburger on TV and then become hungry for a big, juicy hamburger.

Here are the steps involved in spotlighting:

1)      Identify the right voices that urge you to do what your intentions are telling you to.

2)      Identify or create a cue.  Something that will stimulate the right voice.

3)      Find a way to be sure you will be exposed to the right cues.

For example, a manager who also coaches a baseball team uses baseball theme to provide cues throughout his day.  His intention is to coach his staff the way he coaches his little league team.  He puts a photo of his Little League team on his desk, uses baseball themed notepads, and hung a baseball cap on the wall.  All of these cues remind him throughout the day to do a better job motivating his staff.   What behavior would you like to develop?  What cue would work for you the way that baseball worked for this manager?

Going too far – Make the intention more meaningful or threatening by pledging to violate it in a big way.  Essentially you make a deal with yourself. If your intention is to stop smoking, make a pledge that if you are going to smoke a cigarette, you must smoke two cigarettes at a time.  You can’t just smoke one. To your Primitive Guidance System smoking becomes a threat rather than just satisfying a craving because you HAVE to smoke two cigarettes.

Right Before Wrong – With this strategy you make a deal to do the right thing before the wrong one.  For example, let’s say you decide to start eating healthy snacks, but find yourself reaching for something unhealthy instead.  Make a deal with yourself to eat a healthy snack first and then eat the unhealthy snack if you still want it.

You have been introduced to three strategies to help you follow through on your intentions.  Try these strategies for yourself.  I am very interested in hearing about your results.  As you go through this, keep in mind that we are talking about your mind here.  If your mind fails, you think that you screwed up.  If your heart failed, you would not think of yourself as a failure.  It typically takes some time for habits to change.  Give yourself a break and give yourself time to fully integrate into the new behaviors.

I would love to hear what you think.  Do you have trouble following through on your intentions?  Have you found ways to get around your PGS?

Last night I made my television debut on the premiere episode of TLC’s Hoarding Buried Alive. It was pretty exciting to see the progress that Laurie (the client) and I had made in such a short time!  I’ve received lots of notes from you guys and one in particular got me thinking about the lesson in this show for those of you who are not struggling with a severe hoarding problem.

First, it’s important to point out that lots of us struggle with acquiring and hoarding issues to varying degrees.  I’ll be the first to admit that I love fine paper.  If I didn’t monitor myself when it comes to buying note cards, I’d have a room full of them by now.

A former client, Lori, sent a note reminding me that when we worked together she struggled with Christmas cards.  She kept every Christmas card she received regardless whether there was a personal note included or not.  We worked through the cards and she was able to let some go, but she never really understood why she wanted to keep the cards in the first place.

Pam, a hoarding client, had some more difficult issues.  She was a diagnosed hoarder and experienced some seemingly irrational attachment to several categories of paper.  She wanted to keep anything that had to do with children, church, her birthday and a few others.  In this case, we came up with a system to organize the paper into boxes.

These three examples illustrate very different issues, but all boil down to something in the person’s mind compelling them to keep Christmas cards or telling them they can never have too many note cards.  I say this a lot, but it’s just so true.  Getting organized and clearing clutter is very rarely about the stuff.  It’s most often about what’s going on between your ears.  Mindset and sometimes psychological issues that are not so easy to change come into play almost every time.

So, what are the lessons from the show?

1)      Evaluate how your clutter problems might be affecting others.  We saw relationships being tested by the hoarding issues faced by the folks featured on the show last night.  What is your situation?

2)      If you’re having trouble going through things and letting them go, listen to what you’re telling yourself about the item.  On the show, Laurie said that if the therapist threw away a doll she had given him, she would feel that he didn’t like her very much.  It had nothing to do with the doll itself.

3)      Get help if you need it.  Seek out help from someone with no attachment to the situation.  Often folks look to family members, but that’s not usually the best idea.  Family members and friends can be really judgmental and can sometimes make the situation worse.  Not trying to be mean here, just being honest.

Those of you not struggling with these issues so much are probably feeling much better about your own situation.  That’s ok.  You need to feel good about yourself!  Not at the expense of others of course, but very often people calling me for help are embarrassed and ashamed because they think their situation is the worst I will ever see.  More than likely, it’s not.

I hope you guys were able to watch the show.  I had a lot of fun working with Laurie and I am so proud of her for all the hard work she did and is still doing to change her life.

So, what do you think?

Leave your comments or questions below.  I’d love to hear what you think!