Category: organizing

Finish Lines

What difference will it make in your life to be someone who completes things?

Marathon runners don’t line up at the start and then run in randomly selected directions. They have a goal and a strategy to get there. They have developed skills, often with the aid of a coach, by training and practicing habits that will support their achievement.

  • They choose efficient equipment.
  • They pace themselves.
  • They stay the course.

And when they hear the crowd cheering as they round a final corner, they don’t stop – this isn’t the finish line – victory requires going all the way.

Every project we take on is a personal marathon. An organizer-coach can help you develop the skills and identify the steps to build the habits that will enable success.

For many, the detours are too tempting. For some, the choice of equipment is overwhelming.

And then there’s the matter of the goal…Identifying the finish line is essential to marking victory. “Finishing” feels amazing, doesn’t it? And it leaves you ready, even better prepared, for the next race.

What’s the “finish line” for household tasks? Laundry’s finish line is not collecting the dirty clothes or sorting them or putting the load into the washer or the dryer. These are all necessary steps along the way. The “finish line” is having your clothes ready so that you can get dressed without obstacle. READY to go!!

For a creative project, the finish line is not putting down the paintbrush after the final stroke, it’s cleaning the brush and putting away supplies. READY to create next time (or ready to use the table for dinner!)

The finish line is not gathering unwanted things to donate to a good cause. It is taking them to the donation site or having them picked up.

Decide at the outset of any task what “finished” will look like. Imagine further what “finished” will feel like. Aim for your finish line – don’t stop until you cross it. Then celebrate! You did it! Another personal victory!

The support of a coach can be invaluable as you learn to more easily and successfully run the course of your life. If you’re interested in exploring coaching,  contact me!

Failing to Fail

What would you do if you knew you wouldn’t fail? That’s a powerful and provocative question asked by coaches and magazine surveys aiming to help you elevate your happiness quotient.

And it’s an uncomfortably BIG question when your reality presents you with a sink full of dishes, bills to be paid, laundry to be done, people to be fed, projects to complete, schedules to be kept, and on and on. Failure? Not an option. Don’t try, do. Do now, do again, keep doing, do more — so much that needs to be done — by you.

Do you feel like you’re “failing” because the doing of these necessary daily tasks is taking every bit of your life’s energy and all your time?

Will you take a few minutes to clarify what “not failing” (aka “success”) looks like in this moment? Your view will be different from mine, from your sister’s, your best friend’s, your mother’s. It’s the view from where you are and it will vary depending how far off in the distance you’re looking. Look at it close-up: what is “not failing” for you, right now, in this moment/hour/day? Can you get that image clear enough in your own thinking that you can identify one next step to take to reach that destination as easily as possible?

What is one single thing you can do that gets you closer to feeling on-track, closer to having a successful outcome? Will you do it?

  • Will you empty the dishwasher of clean dishes or finish filling it and run the load? One thing.
  • Will you gather all of the mail that hasn’t been opened? One thing.
  • Will you sit with your calendar, electronic or paper, and enter all scheduled events for you and your family? One thing.
  • Will you make a list of the top three projects you want to work on completing? One thing.

Each of these moves you forward. One step now, then the next.To_do_list_(blank)

If this is too difficult or overwhelming to do on your own, it’s a great topic to explore with a coach. Coaching can give you the opportunity to shift your perspective, change the view, reach the destination…and even enjoy the journey. Contact me!