Why Are You Always Jumping from One Activity to Another? Unpacking Our Busy Lives
Ever stop and ask yourself why in the world you’re jumping from one activity or goal to the next?”
I have asked myself this question more times than I can count. In fact, just this week I found myself chasing one thing after another and not feeling like I was accomplishing anything.
There are several reasons this happens to us. Relate to any of the following?
You’re just plain bored with the entire project.
The excitement of the idea is gone, and the end seems far away. You’ve arrived at the messy middle of the project. Those details may be boring and tedious, and it’s taking way too long to finish the project or see progress being made. It’s important but boring.
FOMO—you know, the fear of missing out. Are you afraid of missing out if you don’t pursue the next best idea? Even if it is the next best idea, it’s imperative you see things thought to the end of the first project.
Overwhelmed with a project.
The new project looks more fun than what I’m currently working on.
Interruptions which may in fact be part of your job. For example, your supervisor may call a meeting or need something right away.
The good news—you get to decide what is important at the time. You don’t have to shut down your super “squirrel brain.” Lead it. I challenge you to embrace your choices. The challenge doesn’t lie in the choices you have. The challenge is determining which of the choices is the priority at any given moment in time.
Here are a couple of strategies which will support you in empowering yourself to decide what to work on and how to stay focused.
Remember your “WHY” and ask yourself: “What’s Important Now and why it’s important to you at this time.” Write it down. Put it where you can easily see or refer to it. “What’s Important Now.”
Make a list of your ideas. Put them in a notebook, a document on your computer or on a thumb drive or in the note section of your phone. This way you keep them in a safe space, yet don’t have to worry about remembering all of them. Then list your top five and make a realistic timetable of when you want to accomplish them. You can always adjust the timetable.
Take a deep breath, think, and repeat—one thought at a time. One task at a time. One day at a time.
Use Time Blocking. Set aside a block of time to focus on a project and stick to it. It can be 15 minutes. It can be an hour.
Set deadlines and dates for action steps on the calendar.
Turn off your email and silence your phone for a brief time if possible.
Work on the project you’re most challenged with when you do your best work.
Squirrels in our backyard keep our cats entertained for hours on end. They run and jump from one tree to the next chatting with the other squirrels appearing as if they are chasing the next shiny thing. I have no idea what they are saying, perhaps it’s how humans keep them entertained.
Ever reach the end of the day and don’t feel as though you have accomplished a thing, or at least not the “thing” you most wanted to finish? I do. I find myself chasing the next idea, dream, goal, many times before I even get the original one started. Or sometimes I’m right in the middle of a task and I find myself jumping to the next task on a completely different project. Good grief.
It’s like the little mouse in the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. You’re cleaning your house or garage, and one project leads to another. You’ll start putting away the dishes. The cupboard is overflowing, so you begin organizing it. Something spills on the floor, and not only do you clean it up, but you decide it’s time to mop the floor. You get the mop and notice the laundry room needs organizing. When organizing, you realize you need laundry detergent and begin your grocery list. Or you’re at work. You’re checking emails, then your phone rings. The project in your queue has a pending deadline so you begin working on it. You hear that ping on your computer. Someone just sent you a DM. You answer it and begin working on their project, which, by the way, is not an emergency. Don’t get me wrong - it’s good customer service to help the person. It’s also important to prioritize. Answer the person and share what you can and can’t do. You get the picture.
Reflection Questions:
What are the things which distract you the most?
What are the actual reasons I allow myself to be distracted?
Where can I think and work without distractions?
What am I willing to do to remain focused?
What strategy am I going to try first and when will I begin?
Who can support me in this process?
Congratulations! You took the first step in working to overcome chasing all those shiny objects. You made a plan.
By the way - With fall just around the corner and winter not far behind, while it may look like the squirrel is jumping from one thing to another, he knows exactly what his priority is – to gather and store food for the winter.
If there is anything I can do to support you or your team, contact me. I’d love to connect!
Identifying and Overcoming Excuses to Achieve Your Goals
It all begins with an idea.
People have many reasons or excuses not to pursue a goal or dream. There truly are reasons and then there are excuses. The trick is determining which are reasons and which are excuses.
Ever wonder the reason or reasons you keep putting off what it is you think or say you want to do? I can come up with so many reasons it would fill a notebook, well maybe not that many.
First, I found I needed to ask myself the following questions:
Why is this goal or dream important to me?
How important is it to me?
I decided writing a newsletter is extremely important because I care about people living their best life and doing what it is that’s truly important to them.
Second, I explored the following:
What is it that’s keeping me from starting or moving forward with my newsletter?
Questions: My Answers:
Is it a lack of knowledge? Maybe my perception of a lack of knowledge
Lack of Time(or perceived lack of time?) Yes, so many tasks, so little time.
Is it fear? Absolutely!
Or all of the above and more? Yes!
For me, it was all of the above or so I led myself to believe.
Third, once I was honest with myself and answered the questions, I determined a plan to move forward which I encourage you to do too.
What is my plan of action and solutions to putting things off?
Solutions to help me move forward:
I could share experiences in the newsletter.
I have time, I just needed to put the time on my calendar AND honor the commitment I made to myself and more importantly to you to write the newsletter.
Fear – well I’m not certain I have a solution to this one however, I decided that different topics would resonate with different people, and I’d just have to go for it.
There is no judgment in the answers. You may answer the questions and decide the goal or dream you thought was important isn’t as important to you as you thought it was. It’s okay to decide not to pursue something.
If you decide your goal or dream is important to you then it’s time:
To start the journey to accomplishing that goal you’ve been dreaming about.
Put together a timeline.
Determine your action steps.
Mark time on the calendar to work on it.
Find yourself a positive accountability buddy who will cheer you on through the good, the bad, and the ugly times.