Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Procrastination

Two posts in November?  Yes, it's been a goal of mine for quite some time to actually blog more, but I didn't think it would come this soon!  So what got me so excited that I just jumped right in there and posted a second blog in the same week?  Procrastination!  Yep, unlike what I usually do, I just couldn't wait!  I had to share this article with you about procrastination.  It's from one of my favorite bloggers:  Christine Kane.  So without further adieu:




9 Simple Solutions for Procrastinators

by Christine Kane


Irony: As I started to write this article, I thought, "I'll just go play one Sudoku game first." I caught myself in the act and marched to my laptop.

People who say that procrastination is about laziness are probably the same people who think that anorexia is about not eating enough.

Procrastination isn't about laziness. It's about fear. It's about perfectionism. It's about overwhelm. We all experience it, and there are some tricks to help you get moving again.

Here are 9 ways to break the procrastination habit:

1 - When you get an idea, do some little thing to begin. 

When I read Stephen King's book On Writing, I noticed something. I noticed that when Stephen King gets an idea, he writes it. Immediately and imperfectly.

Most people get an idea. Then they sit there. They wonder if it's a good idea. Then, they wonder if it's a good idea some more.

Got an idea? Begin it now!

2 - All hail small chunks of time! 

Lots of us complain about having no time. My guess is that we all have lots of time. It just doesn't happen to be all at once.

Are you waiting for many hours of spare time to begin your idea, your project, or your taxes? Stop waiting! Learn to use the spare half hour that comes up here and there. (I gave myself 45 minutes to write this article just to take my own advice.)

3 - Agree to do it badly. 

Set a goal to do it badly. Set a goal to show up. Let go of doing it ALL, or doing it WELL.

Some of my coaching clients' biggest victories have a lot more to do with getting over perfectionism and fear, than they do about getting it all done perfectly.

4 - Commit aloud. 

Call a friend and say something like this: "I'm going to spend the next hour working on creating my new product." Then go do it.

Call the friend after the half hour and make her congratulate you. Repeat daily.

5 - Define quantities. 

Nebulous goals make for nebulous results. "I'm gonna get my office organized" is a lot like saying, "We oughtta do something about Global Warming."

Most procrastinators have a hard time defining quantities. We think everything needs to be done NOW.

When are you going to do it? For how long? Which part of your office? The file cabinet? Or your desk?

Define the goal and acknowledge its completion.

6 - Install this System Upgrade into your Mental Hard Drive: Less is More. 

Have fewer goals. Have no more than three priorities for a week.

Why?

Because you're not lazy. You're just trying to do too much.

Find out what it feels like to accomplish one thing instead of not quite getting to everything. Wow - what a difference this makes!

7 - Do it first. 

My first coach made me write songs first thing in the morning. He told me to schedule the 2-hour chunk as my first activity upon waking.

Why?

"Because you're telling the universe that this is your priority. And then the universe lines up everything toalign with your priority."

Action grounds your priorities. It makes them real. It also makes your day easier because you're not wasting energy thinking about this thing you're supposed to be doing.

8 - Avoid nose-bleed activities. 

Email, voicemail, web stats - any activity that bleeds itself into your whole day becomes a non-activity. It becomes a nose-bleed.

When you do it all the time, you never complete it. You just let it slowly drain the very life force from you. Define times for these activities. Then, turn off your email, your cell phone, your web stats, until that time comes.

9 - Don't ask how you "feel" about doing the activity.

Have you ever committed to getting fit? And then when the alarm goes off, you lie in bed thinking, "Do I really feel like going to the gym?" (Like you even have to ask!)

Change this pattern. Make your decision the night before. Commit to getting up and going right to the gym, the computer, the blank canvas. Don't have coffee and sigh and think, "I'll probably feel more like it at lunch time." You won't!

If it's a priority, don't waste time asking yourself how you feel about doing it. Feelings are an easy out.

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There. I did it. I wrote this article. And now, I don't even want to play Sudoku! How about that?




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Christine Kane is the Mentor to Women Who are Changing the World. She helps women uplevel their lives, their businesses and their success. Her weekly LiveCreative eZine goes out to over 12,000 subscribers. If you are ready to take your life and your world to the next level, you can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription at http://christinekane.com.
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Monday, November 15, 2010

November Card Ideas

You've probably noticed that most of my cards are square (6"x6", to be exact) and that they often use the same line of paper.  We'll, that's because of something I mentioned in an earlier blog.  It was a time-saving tip from a fellow scrapbooker that I adopted for my own.  Whenever this crafty neighbor finished a scrapbook page, album, or craft project, she would immediately use the scraps to make as many cards as she could with the leftovers.  This method ensured that she wasn't building up piles and piles of scraps or simply throwing away and wasting whatever pieces were left over from her projects.  It also meant that she always had a ready supply of cards made up for just about any occasion.    I loved this idea so much that I've been doing it ever since!


So why make 6"x6" cards?  That, too, is a time saver.  Since all my supplies are the result of some other scrappy project, I am usually left with 12x12 paper and scraps.  The fastest way to use them?  cut it in half, fold that in half, and Voila! an instant card.  Of course, this means that I need an odd sized envelop for my odd-sized card.  I generally like to use clear cellophane envelopes.  Not only do they come in a variety of sizes that fit my cards perfectly,  but you can see the card through it!  Why hide a beautiful card behind some plain old envelope?  Not me...gotta go flashy all the way, right?


Oh and one more note...if you decide to make some of these square cards, be sure to double up on the postage.  Two stamps should generally do it if you don't want to weigh it.  You wouldn't want your recipient to have to pay the extra postage!


Here's a few new birthday card ideas featuring Basic Grey's Ambrosia and Lime Rickey product lines:







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Cindy