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WHY things don’t get done: Part 1

by EvieBurke, posted in Overwhelm

Sometimes things just don’t get done.

It can be because we’ve decided to focus on something else.

But typically, that’s not the case.

Something else is going on.

We don’t like to talk about it.

We try to ignore it.

But it’s there, causing us problems and holding us back from the progress we want and the success we know is on the other side of it.

Today is the start of a 6 part series where we’ll talk about WHY things don’t get done.

The first reason we’re going over is having so much to do you don’t know what to do next.

This is one way that overwhelm manifests itself.

There’s so much going on in your head, so many priorities, that you just don’t know what to focus on first.

To solve this, write everything down.

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.” – David Allen

Release your mind from holding your ideas and tasks by writing them down.

If you need help with this, read last week’s post called Making “writing it down” work for you or read this post on doing the next three things.

Next week, we’ll discuss reason #2 for WHY things don’t get done.

If you prefer listening/watching, you can catch this on YouTube or in my free FB group.

background image of woman writing in notebook. Text on top says "Making 'writing it down' work for you"

Making “writing it down” work for you

by EvieBurke, posted in planning

Last time we talked about my number one tip for keeping track of everything is to write it down AND how there are some things to have in place to make that work.

Today, I’m going into more detail on making writing it down work for you.

Last week, I referenced having a limited number of “capture locations.” They’re exactly what they sound like. They’re the places where you capture the information, ideas, tasks, etc. And from there, they get moved to where they need to live to take the next step.

You want a minimum number of “capture locations” to avoid the “where did I put that” scenario. If you know you write things down in one of three spots, finding what you wrote gets a lot easier.

That’s one habit to develop, deciding which capture locations work for you. I’ve had clients use phone notes, a small notebook in their purse, a notebook on their desk, Evernote, OneNote, and many other locations. It’s all about noticing what works, or would work, for you and doing it.

Another habit to develop is regularly reviewing those capture locations to move the information to where it needs to go to be done or filed. This might be something you do daily or weekly. It can also be after a meeting or tied to another event that occasionally happens.

Here’s the real secret to getting writing it down to work for you: try things until you find what works for you right now and in the immediate future.

Chances are, the first thing you try won’t work 100% for you. And that’s okay!

Notice what part of it does work for you and adjust from there.

background image of woman writing in notebook. Text on top says "My number one tip for keeping track of it all"

My number one tip for keeping track of it all

by EvieBurke, posted in Task List

My number one tip for keeping track of it all…

Is to write it down.

It’s like that document you put in a safe place. It’s SO safe, even YOU can’t find it.

So, there are some caveats or tips to writing it down.

In David Allen’s book Getting Things Done, he talks about having a limited number of “capture locations.” Capture locations are the places you “capture” information, ideas, tasks, etc. From there, they get moved to the place they need to live so you can take whatever the next step is with them.

So, if it’s a to-do list item, it moves to your Weekly or Everything list (more on that here).

If it’s an item you’re keeping for reference, you file it with other reference items.

There are a lot of habits hiding in this workflow that need to work together.

I will go more into this next week when I talk about making “writing it down” work for you.

If you prefer listening/watching, you can catch this on YouTube. Or join the conversation in my free FB group here.

Image of a shoe with the text "What if there wasn't an 'other shoe'?"

What if there wasn’t an “other shoe”?

by EvieBurke, posted in planning

I remember being on a Q&A group call with my coach at the time (probably 8 years ago). Someone was sharing what was happening in her business (sharing the back story before her question), and the coach said, “It sounds like you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. What if there’s not one?”

My coach wasn’t saying that you shouldn’t take steps to avoid mistakes or problems. She was saying that you don’t have to live with a sense of impending doom.

I’ve thought about this often in the years since this happened.

What if there wasn’t an “other shoe”?

What if you plan for what you know is coming and trust that you’ll handle it if something unexpected comes up (this might include asking for help).

As you know, I love planning. And yes, I can’t plan for everything that might happen. But I know that I have my plans and priorities laid out, and that does a lot toward handling the unexpected.

What does this look like for you and your business? What plans and priorities do you need to be clear about so you don’t get caught up waiting for the other shoe to drop?

Reach out if you want help with this!

Picture of Evie in her office with the text "The best thing you can do to achieve your goals"

The best thing you can do to achieve your goals

by EvieBurke, posted in failure, Goals

Have you ever set a big goal for yourself and then run out of time to get everything done over and over and over again?

We’ve all experienced this at some point. It’s so frustrating! And you might blame yourself, call yourself lazy or wonder why you can’t just get the things done you need and want to get done.

Or the flip side of this happens: you don’t set that big goal because you’ve been burned by not having enough time, and you don’t want to experience that again.

One way to prevent this from happening is to be clear on the daily, weekly, and monthly tasks that you do in your business. It will help you know how much time you have to dedicate to your bigger goals or which tasks you can delegate.

The best thing you can do to achieve your goals is to set up containers for your tasks. This means having a place to organize all the goals, projects, and tasks you have for your business. It can be on paper or digital, and it doesn’t matter as long as it works for you.

When you have a container, you’re clear on what needs to happen when and what you have time for.

I was working with someone on this last year. We were going through her week and everything that needed to be done when she had a realization. She realized that unless something came off of her plate, she couldn’t offer a class she had planned on. This came as a relief to her. It wasn’t that she was wasting a bunch of time; it was that her plate was already full and there was no room for anything else.

She decided instead of shifting things or letting something go so she could offer the class; she would focus on the things she was already doing in her business and promote her current offers. There was no need to make things more complicated.

This allowed her to keep more of her personal time for other things, which is very important!

So, set up your containers so you can keep track of all the moving pieces of your business!

Reach out if you want to chat about your situation.

PS. You’re NOT lazy. You just haven’t found a way to keep track of things that works for you!

If you prefer listening/watching, you can catch this on Facebook or YouTube.