What Am I Doing?
February 23rd, 2009
Signals from Diann S Cannon, Personal & Business Coach
What Am I Doing?
Have you ever found yourself working on several tasks at one time but not getting any one of them finished?
For example, you start out the day with a mental list of things you want to accomplish. You begin by sorting through that pile of papers that’s needed attention. You find a couple of documents in there that remind you to create a file for your newest client. While reaching for the manila folders, you remember that you still need to send a thank you note to Sam for the referral. You pull out your stationary and hear a dog barking and remember that you still have to call the vet about getting a refill for your own pet’s medication. When you reach for the phone, you see the list of people you need to call, which is what you told yourself last night would be the first thing you were going to do today. If this sounds familiar my friend, you have just DRIFTED WITHOUT A PLAN.
Most of us have experienced episodes like the one I just described. You begin working on something and then find yourself going on to the next project without ever completing the first. For many of us, its possible to get so removed from the original task that we have to stop and just take a moment to remember what we were working on in the first place. This can be very frustrating when we find ourselves doing a little of this and a little of that but not getting any one particular thing accomplished.
Ah, such is the world of the creative person. Many business owners are very creative people, even visionaries. They see the world in pictures and vivid colors. Creative people typically dress with flair; their homes and offices are often decorated well with a distinct style. And creative people are the inventors of the world! They are the entrepreneurs, writers, designers – you get the idea. In short, they are you.
One of the disadvantages of being creative is having so many ideas and not enough time or wherewithal to accomplish them. Bored easily, creative people are the ones who come up with the fabulous idea but who have already moved on when the idea is ready to be implemented. So, one of the challenges creative types face is the ability to focus and hang in there even after something else captures their attention. They need a plan. So let’s talk about what can be done to harness that creativity and make it a bit more productive.
One of the tips I’ve shared with clients in the past is to make an “idea file”. Basically, this is a place to store all your ideas. You guessed it; this is also the place to retrieve your ideas. You jot down an idea that you don’t want to forget, put it in a safe place and take it out when you’re ready to work on it. So next time you come up with a million-dollar idea while you’re having coffee with a friend, write down your idea on a napkin and bring it home to your idea file.
One of my clients took this idea a step further. Being very creative and artistic, she needed the file to be as attractive as her surroundings in order to use it. She decorated the outside of a box with pretty paper that matched the décor of her office and put a slot on the top. Now every time she gets an idea to improve her business, she writes her idea down and drops it into the box for safekeeping until she’s ready for it.
Another suggestion is to “Mind-Map”. Write down your idea on the center of a piece of paper and circle it. Then, put anything and everything that comes to mind about this idea down on the paper. Since the creative mind does not think linearly, being free to write down whatever you want wherever you want makes brainstorming more successful. If you are unable to begin working on the idea right away, place it in the idea box. Even if you forget all about your fabulous idea, you will “remember” it when you return to the box at a later date. Two great books on the subject of mind-mapping are Joyce Wycoff’s Mindmapping: Your Personal Guide to Exploring Creativity and Problem-Solving and The Mind Map Book by Tony Buzan.
Another coach I know puts all her project ideas into a binder. The binder has generalized sections. Whenever she has an idea to add, she just pulls out the binder, matches up the idea to the appropriate section and files it until she’s ready for it. When she’s ready to take on a new project, her idea is organized and ready to go.
Focus is an important part of success. Part of being a successful creative person requires that we find ways to contain our talents without limiting them. These are just a few examples of how unruly creativity can be tamed and redirected. So PLAN for your ideas: capture them, choose your project, complete it and then begin again with another idea from your “Idea File”. Sweet!
Action ~ Establish one location to keep all your ideas. Then and with great purpose, spend a minimum of 30 minutes setting it up so that it feels comfortable and user friendly to you. Even if part of your 30 minutes is only spent on devising a plan about how you’re going to use your new system, the idea is to come away feeling a sense of ownership and commitment to your new arrangement.
