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What Are You Tolerating?

by EvieBurke, posted in Changes, Goals

What are you tolerating right now in your business? In your office? On your task list?

What goals are you tolerating right now?

You know the one (or maybe ones) – the goal that you look at, sigh, and decide to work on something else.

Why did you set that goal? What was the intent?

Actually spend some time thinking about it – what goal are you tolerating and why did you set it. Go ahead, think. I promise these words will be here when you get back.

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Ok, now that you’re back, I’m wondering – does that intent still apply? Or, have you accomplished that intent in a different way? Maybe you don’t need to spend time on that particular goal anymore because the intent of the goal was met by something else.

Or, maybe your focus has changed slightly and doing that goal doesn’t really make sense anymore.

Or, maybe it seemed like the next logical step, but it doesn’t really feel right for you right now.

Whatever the reason, it’s still on your list, whether it’s a mental list or a written one, this goal is still there and incomplete.

I’m going to reference something I wrote about to-do lists that can also apply to goals:  they are there to help you, work for you and you do not work for them. Or – you set the goals, they don’t set you.

Sometimes your priorities, in business or life, change. And when your priorities change, your goals usually change too. And sometimes it’s not your priorities that change, sometimes your focus changes. You have the same priorities, but the way you support them was adjusted. And again, that probably means your goals will change a bit too.

This came up because I was talking with someone who realized that they had a blind spot in their business around their follow-up process. She wanted to address it immediately, but she didn’t have the time to do that and meet all of the goals she set for herself. Which was really frustrating, because she knew that what she was doing for her other goals could be more effective if she addressed the blind spot.

She felt that when you set a goal you don’t change it. Either you meet the goal or you don’t, but you can’t change it.

The result of trying to meet her other goals and leaving the blind spot alone for now? Frustration! It felt almost counterproductive to continue working on those other goals.

When she realized she didn’t have to, that she could postpone them, change them or let them go – she was so happy! So happy that she dived right into clearing up that blind spot with a whole lot more enthusiasm than she had for any of those goals she was tolerating!

Again, goals are there to support and help you, when they stop doing that, they’re no longer serving their purpose, and incidentally – your purpose. And when they’re no longer doing that, it’s time to make some changes.

What goals are you tolerating? What changes will you make? Share below with a comment!

Image courtesy of adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Party Hat on Laptop

Celebrate That? But It Was Too Easy!

by EvieBurke, posted in perspective, Task List

Party Hat on LaptopHow often have you reviewed your week and been frustrated because it seems like the BIG and difficult things didn’t get done?

Yes, maybe a lot of other things were completed, but those really don’t seem to count, because the really HARD thing didn’t get done. So, you automatically feel bad, and maybe guilty, for missing that target.

Why aren’t you excited about the things you did accomplish?

Sometimes we don’t give ourselves credit for the routine or simple things we do that support us and our businesses.

  • Did you send out you weekly or monthly newsletter/note to your subscribers? Congrats! How many weeks or months has that been going without interruption? Are you celebrating?
  • Did you get out of the house and go networking, even though you had items from yesterday’s to-do list undone? Congrats! You’re out there meeting people and strengthening existing connections!
  • Did you meet a personal goal this week? Congrats! You’re taking care of yourself so you can continue taking care of your business!
  • Did you have meetings with clients this week, timely follow up with them, or sell your product and deliver it? Congrats! You’re taking care of your customers!

I could go on, but hopefully you get the idea.

We often get caught up in everything that didn’t get done, goals that were missed and maybe opportunities that were lost.

We want to improve for next time, which is good! You want to review why something didn’t work and adjust for next time.

But we’re so busy focusing on those things that we miss some of the celebrations, big and small, that we could be having along the way.

So, I have a challenge for you: over the next 7 days, at the end of each day, write down what went right and what you accomplished. At the end of the 7 days, review it and have a little celebration for yourself! And come back here and share!

In the meantime, what have you already accomplished today? Share in the comments below!

Trail Starts Here sign

Where Do I Start?

by EvieBurke, posted in Goals, Overwhelm, planning, Task List

Trail Starts Here sign

It’s easy to answer “Where do I start?” with “at the beginning” isn’t it? Sometimes though, the beginning isn’t immediately obvious.

“I’m soooo overwhelmed with what has to be done! And I have no idea where to even start making changes so that I feel like I’m accomplishing something on a regular basis.”

Sound familiar?

I’ve heard it a few times, heck – I’ve said it myself a few times!

I pulled this great quote from David Allen’s book Getting Things Done:

Trying to manage from the top down, when the bottom is out of control, may be the least effective approach.

This describes exactly why I believe you need to know what’s currently on your plate before you set your long term goals.

Now, you might be saying, but Evie! You’re a coach, don’t you encourage your clients to set goals right away?

And yes, I do, but the shorter term goal of “I want to understand what’s currently on my plate” needs to be accomplished before adding more goals to the plate.

So, why take the time and energy to know what’s on your plate before you set your goals? Well, there are three reasons:

  1. When you don’t already know exactly what is on your plate, taking on more things only adds to the confusion and overwhelm. ‘Should’ becomes a constant companion as in, “Oh, I should be doing this” and you spend less and less time with what makes you excited, as in “Ohhh! I get to do this today!”
  2. When you know what’s on your plate, you can easily see where you’ve taken too much on or what’s not as important as you previously though. And then you can let that stuff go. Remember, just because you’ve always done it that way, or other people in your profession have, doesn’t mean that you have to do it that way.
  3. When you set your goals after you know what’s on your plate, you can easily see what you’re already doing that supports those goals. And you might find that with a slight tweak, some things you’re already doing will support your new goals.

Think of it like this, if you’re driving and get lost, you stop and find out where you are (or pull out your phone or GPS) so you can determine how and when you’ll get to your destination.

So, what’s on your plate that you can let go of? Share in the comments below!

Red sole shoes walking

Taking it One Step at a Time

by EvieBurke, posted in Goals, Overwhelm

Red sole shoes walkingLate last year, at the small community gym I go to, I noticed a gentleman in his late 70’s or early 80’s. I knew he was a regular based on how others greeted him.

Now, this particular gentleman stood out to me because he took the elevator to the second floor where the gym is located. And he walked quite slowly, with a cane and was quite hunched over.

I’m not entirely sure what he did at the gym, since I’m usually leaving as he arrives, but he was there week after week. And I marveled at his dedication when it would have been so easy for him to stay home.

I’ve seen him off and on as the months have passed, but when I saw him today something was different and I couldn’t immediately put my finger on what.

It wasn’t until later that I realized what had changed.

He was no longer walking with a cane! And he was moving a bit faster and standing slightly taller. A couple minutes later I realized another change – he took the stairs to the second floor!

I don’t know how long he’s been walking without the cane and taking the stairs, but I do know that he’s made significant progress in a few short months to be able to do that.

And he continues to come to the gym. I’m sure as time goes on he will be walking a little bit faster and standing a bit taller.

Why am I sharing this story?

Well, sometimes I hear from clients or others who are frustrated with the long list of things they have to do: “Oh, there’s so much to do! How can I possibly get everything done!”

And the answer to that question, as with so many things, is to do it one step at a time.

The gentleman from my gym did that quite literally. He took one step at a time so he could more easily take future steps, and take them faster. It would have been extremely easy for him to stay at home and do something else, but he didn’t. Even though the steps where small and slow, he took them.

When we take steps toward our goals, dreams or anything – the steps might feel unnatural, incredibly slow and frustrating. And initially, they probably are! But when you take those initial steps, you’re laying the ground work for what’s to come, you’re gaining strength and momentum.

So, stick with it. Course correct when necessary, but keep putting one foot in front of the other and eventually, you’ll be moving a bit faster and with more confidence!

What are your steps taking you toward? I’d love to know! Share in the comments below.

Mug with a things to do list on it

3 Problems that Create Overwhelming Task Lists

by EvieBurke, posted in Overwhelm, planning, Task List

Mug with a things to do list on itWhenever I talk about task lists, whether in a presentation or with clients, I hear about how they’ve tried making lists, but it just doesn’t work for them. And if they had a system for keeping track of their goals and tasks that was working for them, then I’d leave it alone. However, they usually don’t.

When I ask why task lists don’t work, I generally hear something like:

  • It’s overwhelming to see everything I need to do in one place.
  • I make a list, stare at it and then go and do something else entirely.

This isn’t a problem of task lists not working – the problem is what’s on the list.

Here are the top three reasons your list isn’t working for you:

  1. The tasks are too big.
    Your tasks are things like updating your website, launching a program/product or paint the living room. Of course you’re frustrated and overwhelmed! Those are projects, NOT tasks (and you’ve created yourself a list of them!).

    Your task list is exactly that, a list of tasks. Instead of writing “paint the living room,” ask yourself what’s the next step? Have you picked a color yet? Maybe your next step is to look at colors at a store and grab a few examples to take home and review.

  2. The list is too long.
    Everyone has created lists like this. You’ve decided to write down everything that you need to do and before you know it; you’ve assigned yourself 20 tasks for the day. Again, you’re frustrated because you know that there is no possible way to complete all those items today.

    And you’re absolutely right. It won’t all get done. You’ve actually created a list of things to do over the next three or four days. Recognizing that and deciding what to complete today from that list will save you time and frustration. So, create a smaller list just for today. If everything feels like it HAS to be done today, take a look at last week’s article here.

  3. The important tasks are hiding between the trivial tasks.
    That looks like this: Clean off desk; Call Mom back; Email Jane; Write proposal for upcoming project; Make my inbox zero; Do the dishes; Wash towels.

    So, the really important thing, writing a proposal (or whatever it is for your business) is nicely hidden in the middle. You do all the “easy” tasks and run out of time at the end of the day for the really important one. Sorry, but that is not your task list not working for you – that’s you not working your task list.

    Always prioritize your list. Even if it’s not written with the most important item first, put a star or asterisk or something next to the highest priority item so it gets done first!

    Think of it like this – if someone says I want you to call your mom back, do the dishes, read all your email, take this $1000 bill and clean off your desk – what would you do first? Yep, you’re going to take that $1000 right away and then go do those other things.

    So, where is that $1000 on your task list? Find it and take care of that first.

What did I forget? What are your reasons for not keeping a task list? Share in the comments below.

photo credit: jessica wilson {jek in the box} via photopin cc