“Procrastination is like a credit card; it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.” – Christopher Parker
September has arrived folks and that means there are only three months left to 2009. Answer this question: Are you still sitting on the curb waiting for the world to change so you don’t have to, or have you taken action on all those goals you set way back in January?
As the old saying goes, ‘Time flies when you’re having fun,’ but it also zips by at warp speed when you’re procrastinating on doing something as well. Everyone starts off a brand new year with the best of intentions, yet by the time September rolls around we start to panic as there sits our “To Do” list, staring us in the face, and at best we’ve only crossed off half of it. Now what to do?
This is where the rubber meets the road folks. It’s not like you can take your sweet time and expect to stay in business, especially not in this new economy. It’s time to make a concerted effort on developing a targeted action plan that actually produces results. We only have 90+ days until we say goodbye to 2009, so roll up your sleeves and let’s get to it.
Here are 3 steps to revitalize your efforts and make a change for the better in your business RIGHT NOW!
1. Set up your priorities. Going off in 50 different directions only causes mass confusion. Revisit that list you made in January and pick your top 5 from the remaining items to start working on now. Choose the ones that will a) excite and inspire you and your team to action, b) add value to your business, your life, and your client’s experience, and c) boost your bottom line and add dollars to your bank account.
2. Are your goals really goals? Sometimes we add topics to our ‘To Do’ list that aren’t really goals. They’re more like a ‘wish list’ of things we’d like to see happen. For example, redecorating your office is based in wishful thinking, (unless you happen not to have a working computer or a desk to sit it on, then it becomes a goal). ‘Wish’ items are just that – things we hope that might happen, but it won’t affect our livelihood if they don’t.
3. Get rid of your bad habits that no longer serve you. Remember how I mentioned procrastination? That habit in my mind is the number one goal killer! Putting things off until ‘the time is right’ or until you’ve ‘got some spare time’ will not get accomplish anything! Waiting, wishing and hoping the Amazing Finishing Fairy shows up and does things for you isn’t going to happen. All this does is give you a convenient excuse to put off to another day something you really don’t want to face doing today. Plus procrastination breeds another stressful condition called guilt – guilt because you didn’t finish what you needed to get done, and another layer because you know you probably won’t do it tomorrow either. Phew! That’s a load of stress to pile on your already complicated life. The bottom line is this: if you are not committed to making it happen, let it go.
As I said, you’ve got 90+ days to put the final touches on your goal list. Are you going to spend them productively, or are you going to simply wait until the snow flies, go into hibernation, and forget about them?
The choice is yours.
