This is a fitting post to return to this blog with: I haven’t written here since November (gosh, has it really been that long?). But with the holidays, business stress and the dark, short winter days upon us, sometimes I let circumstances get the best of me and fall into a rut.
You know the drill. You put off a task, then feel a little guilty about it. The guilt leads to more procrastination and, suddenly, you have a month-long pile of things to do that are more imposing than ever now that the pile has gotten so huge.
What’s a poor entrepreneur to do?
Get Introspective
My first course of action is always personal. I figure out whether I am letting fears or limiting beliefs get in my way. It does happen sometimes, and unless I work on the intellectual and emotional reasons for my rut, I won’t pull myself out of it. Sometimes it’s not an issue; it’s just life happening. But sometimes there is a bigger fear that needs to be addressed.
Look Out for Number One
My second course of action is to start taking care of myself better. Usually when I have gotten into procrastination mode, I’ve also slept less, exercised less and/or eaten unhealthy food. To put myself back on track, I’ll get back into meditation and start taking my vitamins. I’ll also force myself to eat more veggies and pamper myself a little. After carrying around all that guilt, I can beat myself up quite a bit. By refocusing on caring for myself, the guilt loses its power and I’m able to get my head clear.
Get it Down in Writing
When things to do are piling up, I start losing track of it all in my head. Then when I think about all the things I have to do, they become this nebulous behemoth of insurmountable proportions. Going through everything and making a grand list of “All Things Procrastinated” gets it out of your head and in plain view in front of your eyes. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I’m surprised to find that the list isn’t as big as I thought it was.
Chunk it Down
When there’s a lot to do, it feels like a huge weight on my shoulders. If you still feel overwhelmed after making a list, then put your tasks into categories. Make a category for “urgent” and then other categories that work for you (family, paperwork, errands, etc.). Remember that you’re just making a list; you don’t have to have it all done yesterday.
Prune It
I think many of us, especially women, have unrealistic expectations of what we should be able to accomplish on any given day. I’ll admit that I can be the queen of overcommitting. So whenever I make lists, I find that I need to cross some things off before I even get started. Not only does it make you feel like you are getting something done, it gives you practice at saying “no,” something I wholeheartedly admit I need to practice.
Build in Accountability and Take Action
I’m embarrassed to admit it, but sometimes I don’t get a thing done unless I know someone else is counting on me. This isn’t the greatest formula for success for a business owner, and it’s hurt me and my income on more than 20 occasions in the past. I know that in order to get myself moving, I have to build in accountability. Whether I grab a call with a coach, throw down some consequences with my blog readers or just tell a friend to hold me to a promise, I know I must do something like this to move from inaction to action.
In the end, it’s usually a slow-moving process getting from a big mound of procrastinated tasks to a clean desk and that light-hearted feeling of being on top of things. But by taking a balanced approach to the process, I can pull myself out of just about any rut that comes my way.
Oh, and by the way, it’s good to be back. Thanks for missing me. 
