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Morning Column
Why You Should Procrastinate …
By Kerul Kassel
Kelly Higgins had a wonderful idea for a new business initiative - one that was nicely aligned with her current business model and values: A membership continuity program to give her consulting clients more support and value while increasing her visibility and enhancing her "expert" status.
Higgins, a New York-based leadership consultant, had been thinking about how to move forward with it and how it might look, though nothing much seemed to have come of it yet … it had been months. When she told colleagues and friends
about this idea, they had been excited for her and offered their
encouragement. Six months later, though, they were wondering why she had
involved herself in other projects, as she seemed to be making little
headway with this more heart-connected effort.
Kelly, too, wondered why she wasn't making more of an effort, and began to
doubt herself. She couldn't decide if she wasn't managing her time well, if
her priorities were off kilter or if she was being just plain lazy.
There was, however, another alternative. Perhaps she really was making
progress, though it was less tangible than she expected it to be. She had
been experimenting mentally with some of her ideas, making contacts with
people who had done similar or related things and talking with people who
were in her target market about what their needs might be in this area. All
of this was percolating and marinating in a positive way, so that when she
was ready to take action on it, that action would be informed, inspired and
highly focused, and there would be little wasted effort. Meanwhile, she was
investing most her energy into strengthening her current revenue streams.
Most business people face this kind of postponed initiative, and it affects
not only their self-perception, but also their effectiveness and
productivity. And the fix isn't what you'd expect it to be.
1. Let your feet drag
It sounds counter-intuitive, right? Put something off just because you
don't have crystal clarity? Shouldn't you be doing something - anything -
to create forward movement?
Recently, in an Orlando-area workshop, participants were involved in
developing a more in-depth picture of what they wanted their future to look
like, including their business or career goals, financial profile, personal
aspirations, relationships, home life, etc. Denise Daniels, who had sold
her family business a few months earlier, hoped to leave with a clear and
thorough idea of what was next for her. Despite a variety of visioning
exercises, it didn't happen for her that evening. She simply wasn't ready
yet. Pushing for "the right answer" when the broad outline isn't yet
settled results in wheel-spinning, at best.
While you're waiting for that proverbial light bulb to go on, there are
certainly things you can do to help the process along, including examining
your values, composing missions, mind-mapping, journaling, even
dream-boarding and meditating. Sometimes the most effective technique for
defining your vision is to sit alone on a deserted beach or take a solitary
hike in the woods.
If you've played with those exercises and the vision is still vague, here's
an expert recommendation: wait. You read it right. Wait. Wait for
clarity.
To take action simply for the sake of taking action usually results in
frustration, exasperation and time lost. As an alternative, focus on other
goals and activities for the time being. You never know, engaging in them
instead might lead to meeting someone, reading something, hearing or seeing
an idea, resource or event that becomes the stimulus forward, that connects
you to the next steps or removes the veil in front of what you'd like your
future to look like.
2. Stop thinking so much
The cloudiness of your future vision will have you concerned, frustrated,
impatient, confused, or just feeling stuck. Doubt and indecision will dog
your actions, if you let them. The focus on the future can often lead to
second-guessing and struggle with the present, which causes a HUGE reduction
in productivity - at least the kind of effectiveness that produces results
that you can be really satisfied with.
For the moment, forget about the future, particularly if contemplating it
gets you tied in knots. Let go of the perceived need to make a decision,
particularly if there is no deadline (and if there is a deadline, say "no"
unless you feel a definite "yes"). Put your energy fully into those
activities that are most strongly aligned with your clear picture of what
you'd like your current - not future - success to look like. And don't pay
any heed to those self-critical messages running through your brain telling
you you're a slacker for not moving ahead. Your inner judge is there to
help prevent you from failing, so understand its purpose without buying into
its bullying.
We're used to solving problems by analysis and intentional thinking. This
generally works pretty well, unless you're courting creativity and future
possibilities. We usually manage our lives, work and challenges using
logic, reason, categorization, and process - something our culture is quite
keen on. Most of us aren't practiced at using the imaginative, holistic,
more random and feeling dimensions that set the stage for synthesis,
possibility and bigger picture ideation. "Mindless" activities help put us
in touch with this part of our brain, and we can more easily make the
lateral connections that lead to an "a-ha!" It's like the difference
between systematically looking under every boulder, around every tree and
within every bush with the only aim being to find "it" quickly, versus
meandering along where you feel drawn while maintaining a keen awareness of
your surroundings, with the purpose of enjoying the search, and allowing the
space and time as needed until "it" is found.
Doing the latter requires faith and trust, as well as self-confidence; faith
that the information you need will come to you in time, trust that you're
not missing opportunities or shooting yourself in the foot while you wait,
and self-confidence that you're not being stupid, woo-woo, lazy, or using
bad judgment. It takes some practice to sustain patience in the face of
those internal critics, but it's entirely possible. As you experience more
positive outcomes it gets easier. In the interim, you're OODLES more
productive, as you put your shoulder into current priorities and efforts,
those for which the time is now ripe and appropriate.
Kerul Kassel is the author of the newly released, "Productive
Procrastination" as well as the award winning, "Stop Procrastinating Now."
Her experience includes investment and real estate management as well as 20
years of leadership in for-profit and non-profit organizations. As the
founder of New Leaf Systems - a consulting firm dedicated to creating
higher performance outcomes and business profitability - her clients have
included corporate organizations such as NASA, Sony Hilton, and Volvo. For
more information or for a free special procrastivity report, visit
www.Procrastivity.com.
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