Overcoming Procrastination

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”– Leonardo da Vinci

Do you procrastinate? Often we spend a lot of time coming to grips with a decision or an action on the horizon. I think it is normal to let things linger. We may play with the illusion that usually starts with “If only….” Or sometimes we use the familiar “When…” I bet there are many more variations of these two conditional statements, but these are sufficient for purposes of this essay.

Even when we are procrastinating we are leading ourselves – but where are we going? Are we looking for something? If we get what we want (an idea, a condition, a person, an award, etc.) what difference would it make? Maybe we are leading ourselves forward by having a good thought process in place. That’s ok but the unfortunate thing is that we often don’t articulate it and we seem to go around in circles. It is important to ruminate about decisions and actions but we can probably lead ourselves and others more successfully by being more systematic. When we have a definite process for evaluation we end useless ramblings and confusion.

A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH
“Failure to make a decision after due consideration of all the facts will quickly brand a man as unfit for a position of responsibility. Not all of your decisions will be correct. None of us is perfect. But if you get into the habit of making decisions, experience will develop your judgment to a point where more and more of your decisions will be right. ” – H.W. Andrews

We can make mountains out of molehills because we lack a disciplined evaluation approach. I have heard it said that we are either visual, auditory or tactile learners. Our dominant learning style may be one of the three but I think that if we use all of these learning methods we can move along faster. For example, I have found it very useful when making decisions to talk about it and get feedback (auditory), then to visualize how it may work or not (visual), and then to write down the pluses and minuses of the decision (tactile and visual). So far in the process I am moving towards clarity but I may not be there. The important thing is that I am moving rather than wallowing in a mess of my own creation.

If you have a systematic approach to taking action you develop a way to gather data, seek input and put together a plan. You learn to look for relevant data that’s important to decision-making and to disregard extraneous information. You also reach out to qualified people to help you weigh the pros and cons of possible solutions and, in effect, build up a “bench” of qualified advisers. Finally, you “collate” a mosaic of possible routes, related pitfalls and payoffs of given courses of action. Let me explain each step in my proposed systematic approach in more depth.

GATHER DATA, CREATE INFORMATION

As part of the fact-gathering process, we choose data and transform it into information. We decide what is relevant and what is superfluous. Then we prioritize. I find that a useful metaphor for this process, and many others, is the concept of a funnel. We put a lot of things in the top of the funnel (data) and out the bottom, the narrow portion of the funnel, we get information. In effect we move from data processing to information processing. We then start the next step of connecting dots (separate pieces of disparate information). A picture or pictures start to emerge.

REACH OUT AND DISCUSS

We take our picture(s) to the marketplace of ideas, i.e., we let our images see the light of day through discussion with others. This act makes us vulnerable. We may have made a mistake. We may have missed a major detail for a lot of different reasons other than a cognitive impairment. But I have learned that you are trusted more when you are trusting. You gain safety by saying the following: “I really value your input. I have been working on _____ for a while. I would like to go over my process for making a decision to see if I have missed anything important and if I have carefully considered all viable alternatives. Would you be willing to provide input?” I have found that most people want to contribute but they can’t help unless they are asked. In fact, many people would be honored to be part of your decision-making process.

EVALUATE AND DECIDE

Finally, we turn our mosaic into a roadmap showing the different routes that we can take. Each route is a choice that we make. On the journey there is a destination. Where are the payoffs (the benefits)? Where are the road hazards (risks)? There may be multiple decision points on the journey. There may even be some designated points where we stop and check our fuel (resources) and the weather (the environment). Sometimes we want to do a check to see if the travelers (the people involved) are weary. We build these considerations into the route (the plan). After all has been assembled we pick the best destination given all of the facts and circumstances we have considered. As a courtesy, we go back to our marketplace of ideas discussed above to lay out our decision with our advisers – especially if they are fellow travelers.

DEAL WITH EMOTIONS
“Rational decision-making requires a balance: Every problem, large or small, has an emotional aspect. Two people should be able to think clearly about their differences while they feel and cope with emotions of different kinds and intensities. Their emotions should not cause them to lose the ability to consider the pros and cons of a range of options before making a decision -- whether the issue is sharing the family car, settling a lawsuit……reworking a contract in light of changed market conditions, or negotiating a cease-fire between countries. In every case, emotions and reason should each be informed, but not overwhelmed, by the other.” – Roger Fisher and Scott Brown

I haven’t met anyone who is 100% rational, have you? Our emotions are always in play but we are not always conscious of what is going on inside of us. A good thing to do is to stop and take inventory about how we are feeling. This is a conscious action. There may be a gut feeling or a still small voice that must be addressed, or it will rise up and bite us later on. If we do our detective work we can identify what’s at the root of our emotions.

It’s important to refrain from repressing, conquering or controlling emotions. Instead we need to acknowledge and listen to them because they serve as a gauge. They tell us when something is going on inside, especially if we have underlying beliefs and assumptions that are blowing things way out of proportion. Emotions are data and they need to be processed as such. Practically speaking, more work gets done when we are calm rather than flying around like unguided missiles. Processing our emotions enables us to move forward.

Our emotional state is also very important in executing our plans. Ideally, after the rose colored glasses are taken off we want to be in a place where we are excited, even joyful, about our decision. Enthusiasm often carries us towards success.

“Simplicity is ultimately a matter of focus.” – Ann Voskamp

Complexity does not provide clarity. Simplicity does. Work on getting to the essence of the action rather than getting bogged down in a morass of unnecessary data and emotions. Be disciplined but be open. Trust that with the right information, helpful assistance and a thoughtful execution plan you are in a good position for sound decision-making and action. Take the leap and learn from your mistakes if any arise.

And, there is more, there always is.

Be genuine.

Copyright 2014 © John J. Trakselis, Chicago CEO Coaching

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