Rather than work on the strategic plans for Goals 1 and 2, Marielle and I decided to take a sledge hammer to that wall that seemed to have been building up – especially since my retirement – and blocking me in several areas of my life: P-R-O-C-R-A-S-T-I-N-A-T-I-O-N. At least, if we could create some cracks in it, the light may be able to come in.
It would seem an easy task. “Just do it,” some of you will say. “Take 15 minutes every day for each task and gradually increase that,” I hear others of you shout. “Schedule, schedule, schedule,” cry others.
Well, I know the remedies as well as the next person. It’s just that I find excuses, do end runs, or just plain ignore what has to be done until the last minute.
It’s not that I don’t meet my deadlines or meet my commitments. In fact, as we talked through the issue, it was quite obvious that commitment was a big motivator in my life and that, once I said I would do something, I stuck to my guns – even if it meant staying up until 3:00 a.m. to do it.
By procrastinating, I was creating unnecessary stress in my life, and in fact, removing some of the freedom that I had been so jealously guarding. And I had to remember that I had overcome walls in the past. Most certainly, I could do it again.
So, even though I had already done some work on scheduling, I committed to creating a workable schedule and to build toward following it. I have two new schedules now: one that outlines a day without outside commitments (only self-imposed ones), and that even includes TV and social networking time; and one that looks at my weekly set commitments, and works my other goals and commitments around those set plans.
The cracks in that wall are beginning to show and the light is beginning to shine through. I’m not there yet. Not everything gets done. But I’m working on it – baby steps. And I’m sure that I’ll get there eventually.
About the Author:
The above entry is part of a guest blog series titled “A Coaching Journey” written by my friend, client, and talented writer, Linda Epstein. She has graciously agreed to write on her experience with the coaching process as she navigates it, to give a first-hand view of what the journey is like. Visit weekly to find out more!
Read the rest of “A Coaching Journey” by clicking below:
Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5