Coaching Corner: What are you putting off?
By Marilou Butcher Roth, Master Coach
We all have, at some point in our lives, tasks that we delay in accomplishing. The reasons vary, and the reasons are usually not the real reason. Most of the time, I find people claiming “I am too busy,” “I don’t have enough time,” etc.....
Sure, time plays into this, and, if you look just a bit deeper, you may find a truer message. Typically, it involves some kind of discomfort. Perhaps it is working on your taxes or cleaning your garage. There are countless examples I could give, and I think you get the idea.
There are few people I know who truly relish the idea of working on taxes or cleaning their garage. They can find a plethora of other activities to engage in to justify not having the time for those unwanted tasks. What is the answer to this dilemma? Is there an answer?
Here’s the reality -- there will always be some tasks that are unpleasant for us. In some cases, you might be able to hire these cumbersome responsibilities out. If not, they are plopped firmly right back in your lap!
Finding ways to chunk these items might well be what gets you headed to completion. We tend to think too big sometimes. The idea of cleaning the garage brings to mind taking an entire day of sorting and tossing. What if you made a list with just small actions. For example, you may have five shelves in your garage. You could commit to just working on those five shelves, or even smaller, just one shelf at a time.
The smaller you go, the easier the accomplishment. Writing these small items down is also a tremendous help, so keep that step in the mix. Breaking actions down into bite size bits works for any task you may have. Once you hit overwhelm, the wheels stop and you shut down.
Give this a try and see how it goes -- and remember, you can always make the actions even smaller!
Marilou Butcher Roth is the owner of The MBR Group, a coaching and training company working primarily with REALTORS who have a desire to work and live from a more inspired place. She is also the Broker/Owner of Group REALTORS in Cincinnati. Marilou is a member of the Ohio REALTORS Board of Directors and past chairman of the organization’s Communications Committee. Feel free to contact Marilou to see if coaching is right for you.
