by Mary Havlicek on October 27, 2009
I’m starting some new features this week, one being Tuesday Tips where I hope to help you move forward with your business. My tips may be technical, as in how to do something, and they may just be something I’ve learned along the way how it all relates to each other. I would love feedback if a tip resonates with you or if it’s something you’d like to know more about!
Without further ado, today’s tip…
That thing on your to-do list that you keep putting off? Do it FIRST.
Most of the time when we commit to doing something, we do so for a number of reasons:
- It’s a project we see as beneficial to us; it has a means to an end. Whether the reason is that it’s something that fuels our creativity, something we love to do, something we need to put dinner on the table, we have a specific reason for justifying why we took on this particular task.
- The person we are doing this “something” for is someone we really want to work with because we want to have or already have some kind of relationship with them.
But sometimes that task gets left on our to-do list. We stare at it in the hopes that maybe, if we stare at it hard enough, it’ll just get itself done. We avoid and procrastinate, and sometimes even beat ourselves up for not just doing it when we should be asking ourselves, “If I wanted this task so much, why am I avoiding it?”
There are a couple things that I have let slide lately. Now, it’s not because I can’t do them. And it’s not because I’m lazy since while I’ve avoided these things, I’ve worked on other things. The reason? Simply: fear. The fact that I let myself believe I needed to wait until I had a huge chunk of time open to work on it. Or a case of the “what ifs”… what if I’m not good at what I said I’d do, or worse, what if I fail?
It’s all simply fear, which is commonly defined as “False Events Appearing Real.” And when you feel the kind of fear and doubt that holds you back from something, it’s your cue to do that thing first and give it 200%. Do it however works best for you, whether that’s sitting down and getting it all done at once, or breaking it up into smaller chunks and taking breaks to keep yourself focused.
When you feel the brick wall of fear creeping up, how do you handle it? Do you have any tactics or strategies to help you get past it? I’d love your feedback!
by Mary Havlicek on October 20, 2009
Seth Godin posted a short blog that was the last in a series of wake-up calls I’ve been receiving lately. He blogged about making a decision, any decision, rather than just sitting there doing nothing. In it he said:
It doesn’t have to be a wise decision or a perfect one. Just make one.
Is there a blog post you’ve been meaning to write, or a connection you’ve been meaning to make on Twitter or Facebook… anything that you’ve been stalling on because “it hasn’t felt right” or “I don’t know if it’s the right decision?”
It’s all about taking risk, something else Godin blogged about in his post yesterday: Apparent risk and actual risk. When you make a decision, any decision, you are taking a risk. Even if you decide not to decide, Godin points out you’re still making the decision not to decide. You’re taking the risk of not making a decision that could propel you forward and instead, staying in the safe place of indecision and avoiding all of those outcomes that your brain tells you could happen, even though the chances are slim they actually will.
What decision can you make today that you’ve been putting off?
For me, it’s to get my rear in gear and blog. I offer blog writing services, so it’s best to put my money where my mouth is, right? I love writing blog posts for others, so why haven’t I been doing it for myself? While there are a number of reasons, it all boiled down to: I didn’t make the decision to take the time to start. So I’m deciding to start and do it in a big way. I’m making the decision to blog as often as I possibly can, preferably every day, on topics related to the services I provide, what I’m learning and anything else that I find interesting and relevant to my readers, and that blogging is a priority in my day and my business. Is it really a risk? In a way because I’m putting myself out there and some people may not agree or like what I post, but it’s a good risk to take because of the people I will reach (which is another point of a blog). And by telling you about my decision, that makes me accountable to everyone who reads this (so hold my feet to the fire, people!).
What decision will you make today that you have been avoiding? Let me know! After all, the more people you tell, the more likely you will be to follow through, so tell the world!