positive procrastination: getting stuff done, intuitively

I relish a good organizational system as much as creative freedom. The answer for me (and maybe for you) is structured flow.

FLOW BABY, FLOW

1. Positive procrastination...all timing is divine ... all of it. I’m not a procrastinator, by any stretch. But my habit of “holding off” on certain things used to confuse me, since I’m such a wham-shazam activator on most things. I finally realized my seeming neglect of some things actually was a deeper inkling of right timing. If something didn’t really “feel” like a priority (despite logic and deadlines,) it probably needed to wait on my clear will or that of providence. I am always amazed at what can happen when you wait: things often take care of them selves or conditions improve in ways that make doing what needs to be so much more effective.

2. Give yourself 24 hours. This year, I realized something about myself that was a huge surprise: I need time to think about some things. Considering how fast my mind and mouth move, this was a “Whoa!” epiphany. I’m not always immediately in touch with my feelings (I’ll let you know when I find enlightenment.) Sometimes need to pause to let my insight surface. When I say, “I’ll meditate on it and get back to you,” I’m not kidding.

3. Heed what inspires you. Sometimes you have to shovel horse apples to make your dreams come true. But ultimately, no dream will serve you if you’re forcing yourself to make it happen. We’ve come up with some brilliant, big-money ideas that logically, I should have jumped all over. But I just didn’t feel the juice. Excitement = energy. Go where the energy is.

This is my sacred all important fundamentally transformational secret to getting things done:

4. Know how you want to feel. If you don’t know how you want to feel in your life, how can you decide what to do with your time? Planning your year without knowing how you want to feel and is like buying construction materials for a house, and not having a so much as a drawing of what you want to build. I know that I want to feel affluent, connected, sexy, and creative. Everything I do supports generating those feelings in every area of my life.

NOW KICK IT INTO GEAR

5. The Entrepreneurial Time Management System fundamentally improved the way I work. Basically, I arrange my week into two “Buffer Days” (Monday and Friday) for loose ends, errands, returning calls, meetings, and preparing to go into high gear on my three “Focus Days.” On Focus Days I do what I do best and is most important to the success of our company. My weekends are “Free Days.” Unplugged and easy breezy.

6. My Tools:
Week-At-A-Glance Daytimer. I just can’t warm up to electronic calendars, tho’ I do use Google Calendar for stuff the whole team needs to be aware of.
Steno pad for a rambling to do list. I mark some tasks with little icons, like a circled “W” for “Writing”, a “heart” for personal stuff. (Cute, eh?)
Blackberry. Checking my email while stopped at a red light or from the beach may sound neurotic, but the anytime/anywhere access creates a lot of peace of mind and spontaneity for me. I love the fluidity of it.

7. My Habits:
The Big Box of Whatever: I rarely file any paper. I have a big box under my desk that I toss documents and such into. That way I know where everything is. If I wait long enough, I find that I only need to actually keep and file about 20% of the pile. The rest becomes useless over time and goes into the recycling bin.

Email: I flag ‘n categorize emails AS SOON as I get them. (Outlook is superior in this regard, GMail is okay.) I average about 3000 emails a month ... and I read every one.
Loose ends: I hate loose ends. If I say I’ll get back to you - I will.
Hot baths and lavender oil: essential.

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