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Get In Gear Newsletter in this issue: get in gear > Finish |
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a personal note from Cairene
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teleseminars, workshops & events Get-In-Gear Fridays • sessions begin May 23 [details & registration] The True Discipline of
Time Management • teleclasses begin June 3 • hands-on workshops begin July 8 [details & registration] What's Next? Getting Ready to Grow • teleclasses begin July 8 • hands-on workshops begin August 5 [details & registration]
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As creatives, we tend to experience a constant flow of new ideas - which often means leaving one thing to explore the possibilities of another. In my experience, this element of the creative process contributes to the overall quality of our work and typically doesn't prevent us from completing the projects we need to finish. Any ideas that remain partially realized retain their potential and can be returned to with pleasure. But there are other projects that go unfinished in our lives that are the remains of tasks we didn't want to do in the first place and have no desire to return to. Eager to keep the work as brief as possible, we completed only the barest necessity, then set the rest aside to move on to something more fun. And so a pile is born. And that pile nags at us, quietly demanding our attention and feeding that stream of shoulds that make up so much of our background mind chatter. This is draining in itself. But worse, that pile keeps us stuck. As long as that task goes unfinished, part of us still lives in the past. As long as that pile remains, there isn't space for something new to come into our lives. On the file cabinet next to my desk are two binders stuffed beyond capacity with old client records. All I have to do is sort through the paperwork, keep what needs to be archived and discard the rest. Simple enough, right? But beyond the fact that I can think of at least a dozen things that seem more urgent, not to mention pleasant, I am deterred by my disinterest in something so… old. I don't want to revisit that stuff. I want move forward. But there the binders sit, in the way and persistently reminding me that they need to be taken care of. Though they seem innocuous, finishing the task they represent is genuinely urgent considering how much of my physical space and mental energy they are using up. I'm pleased to say they are the last of a much, much bigger pile – piles, in fact. And if there is one thing I've learned from the experience of completing neglected work, it's this: the less you like to do something, the more often you need do it. If a small task is odious now, just think how much worse it will be later when you've let it grow and multiply! Like borrowing with a credit card, sooner or later attention will need to be paid to the task just as the debt will need to be paid. And like a credit card, it will need to be paid with interest. It always takes longer to finish tasks when they've been allowed to accumulate than when they first arose. At that time, what to do was obvious – later you have to refresh your memory of what should have happened next. It's entirely appropriate, and a very useful skill, to break big tasks into smaller ones. But take it too far and you end up dividing beyond a point that makes sense. The result is procrastination plain and simple. Don't put off what you can easily do right now, especially if it saves you from a task you find loathsome. Hate filing? Then put that piece of paper where it belongs the moment you are finished with it. When scheduling activities, allow enough time to finish and make finishing a habit. The habit of finishing is a critical element of staying in the present and moving forward – in business and in life. Neglected maintenance and unfinished projects keep us distracted and stuck in the past – perpetually cleaning up the messes of our former selves.
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I encourage you to share this newsletter with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety, including my contact and copyright information. Thanks! An archive of past issues of the Get In Gear newsletter can be browsed here. Unless otherwise attributed, all material is written and edited by Cairene MacDonald. Cairene MacDonald Third Hand Works |
unconventional workflow strategies for unconventional people |
