Articles: "Journey of 1000 Miles"

Most of us have given some thought, if not a great deal of thought, to what we would like our lives to be, and the kind of people that we'd like to become. For a lot of us, there is the annual ritual of New Year's resolutions, when we commit to taking on new behaviors or changing those that haven't served us well. Others choose their birthday as the day to begin work on the "new me". Sometimes our self-reflection isn't entirely self-induced; a performance review at work or heart-to-heart with a spouse can be a powerful motivation to look at who we are, and who we'd like to be.

However it comes about, this kind of inner-work usually reveals a sizable gap between that image of what we want and our current reality. And it is the cognitive dissonance that this gap creates which initially fuels our desire to make change. The key is not letting that motivation turn to desperation as we try to climb what feels like a mountain of changes before us. It is easy to become overwhelmed by the magnitude of what we want to achieve. Even easier to feel frustrated or discouraged if we look backward, saying to ourselves, "If only I'd have stayed on track and just kept doing it (it can be anything from running every morning to spending a half-hour meditating each day), I would have achieved what I've been striving for already."

The important thing to remember is that, although we can't do it all at once, we can reach our goals and make our dreams reality. By steadily moving toward our goals and making small improvements, even improving as little as 1%, we get closer to our destination. Instead of trying to completely rework ourselves, or change our lives overnight, we can develop a realistic and achievable strategy for consistently moving forward. Rather than setting ourselves up for failure, we can build on our 1% improvements, adding up the successes and creating momentum as we work toward our larger vision.

Although quoted often, there is enduring wisdom in the saying, "A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step". During our journey, there will be times of major change, great leaps forward toward where we want to be. These major strides feel fantastic. They are transforming. But the reason they are ever able to happen is the effort that we've continuously put in along the way. It is the 1% improvements that we make, the small changes and accomplishments, which build the foundation and create the opportunities for more significant growth. You just have to step out on your path, remembering that 1% is enough, 1% makes an incredible difference.

ENDING PROCTASTINATION IN THE WORKPLACE

There are a variety of causes for procrastination in the workplace, however several of the most common causes are the following:

FEAR - Work assignments or projects requiring employees to move out of their comfort zone often create fear. This may be fear of failure, of rejection, or of embarrassment. When a project or task generates this fear in an employee, often times the method of dealing with it is to simply procrastinate and avoid the task. OVEREXTENSION - Many employees simply take on too much, far more than they can realistically handle. These people are not skilled at saying "No", at delegating tasks, or at prioritizing their workload. Therefore, they become completely buried in work and are unable to complete assignments and fulfill commitments.

PERFECTIONISM - This worker has a need to make sure that they have absolutely everything right. They become caught up in a myriad of details, always trying to control all aspects of a project to ensure it meets their impossibly high standards. If a task is never completed, they won't have to face their fear of imperfection.

THRIVING ON CRISIS - "I work best under pressure" is the mantra of the employee that thrives on crisis. They believe that they're really "on" when they're putting out fires and getting things done just under the wire. These kind of procrastinators make life hard on their coworkers, as well as themselves, by manufacturing crisis situations and increasing the level of stress for everyone involved.

LACK OF MOTIVATION - Sometimes what is at the heart of procrastination is simply a lack of motivation to begin a certain project or task. Perhaps the task is very unpleasant and unrewarding. Maybe the employee doesn't believe that the project is important, at least not important to them, because it is someone else's priority. Lack of motivation makes beginning even small tasks difficult.

Here are some tips for helping employees overcome the urge to procrastinate:
  • JUST DO IT - But you don't have to do it all at once. Often employees put off beginning a project because it just seems so enormous and overwhelming. Use the 1% Solution - take small steps, focusing on moving 1% closer to your larger goal. These smaller goals should be achievable, specific, and measurable. Commit yourself to accomplishing these goals in a specific timeframe and take action. When these goals are reached, be sure to reward yourself and celebrate. You will be encouraged by your success in reaching these small goals and soon the project will be whittled down to a more manageable size.
  • PRIORITIZE YOUR PRIORITIES - Sometimes it seems that everything is a priority. The challenge is figuring out which priorities really matter. As Pareto's 80-20 rule explains, 80% of the reward comes from 20% of the effort. The key is being able to correctly identify which 20% is the crucial component for success in reaching your goals. To Do lists are great tools for organizing your tasks, but prioritized To Do lists will help make sure you're spending your time doing the right thing. You need to be effective, not just efficient.
  • COMMIT TO COMPLETION - We've all made commitments to do something different in our lives, and often, as time passes, we simply forgot about it, or never really put the effort into fulfilling that commitment. One sure way to make your commitments are followed through to completion is making that commitment public. Tell a coworker or a friend about the challenging task you face, and express your commitment to successfully achieving your goals. If nothing else, write a "contract" with yourself, committing to action. And don't file it away, but keep it out on your desk where you can see it every day, until your goal is reached.
  • PLANNING FOR SUCCESS - Often we like to plunge into a project and believe that it's best if we just get started. It's very true that taking action is key in overcoming procrastination. But to become motivated to begin the project at hand, there are several questions to ask yourself. Why is this project important? What would happen if I didn't do the project? What would happen if I wait until later to begin? List the benefits of completing the project, specifically the payoffs and rewards. Also list the potential results if the project we're to be ignored or postponed. The time used thinking about the overall project is time well spent.
  • JUST SAY NO - Sometimes the hardest word to say is "No". The inability to say no, or delegate tasks to others, may leave us buried under a mountain of projects. If you find that you are continually putting off a task, reexamine why you even agreed to the task at all. You may find that it's something that you really can't or don't want to do. At that point, it's best to reassign it to someone else and get it off your plate.

[back to top]