Do you ever say you want to do something and then not follow through?  Yeah, right - who doesn't do that sometimes.  As you might imagine, it's a recurring theme when I coach clients.  Usually, there are one of two things going on (and often both):

1.  You haven't committed enough space in your calendar to accomplish the task.  The simple fix for this is to estimate from 25% to 300% more time than you think you need and schedule it for specific times/days.  

2.  You have some (often unrecognized) resistance to the goal which is metaphorically like having one foot on the accelerator and the other on the brake: you're using up your gas but going nowhere.  

   I discuss these sorts of things in Productive Procrastination and give you real solutions that work.  And during the month of May you can get this book free when you order Stop Procrastinating Now (yes, that's two books for the price of one) through this link: http://tinyurl.com/dlq53r

    You'll pay $16.95 plus $4.95 shipping (for medial mail delivery in the USA - for shipping elsewhere, please email me at kerul@newleafsystems.com) and you'll get both books. 

For more ideas on making good on your goals, see the article below. 

On a personal note, Darla arrived at our doorstep on April 30th.  She's a little bundle of a puppy, yet feisty, smart, and completely adorable.  She's also our dear Gracie's half sister (same father), but 6 years younger.  She hasn't met a thing she doesn't want to bite, and she's not yet housebroken, but she's getting there.  Gracie and Violet growl and snap at her, and she respects them - they're better at teaching her manners than we are!!  To see this cutie-pie, visit her album at http://tinyurl.com/cpqpx7

Wishing you all optimal procrastivity, as always, and a fabulous May,

Kerul 

  

Kerul Kassel, Author of Productive Procrastination - Make It Work For You, Not Against You and the award-winning Stop Procrastinating Now - Five Radical Procrastination Strategies To Set You Free, both available atwww.Procrastivity.com

 

7 TIME MANAGEMENT PITFALLS THAT ARE COSTING YOU MONEY, RESULTS, AND THE MOST PRECIOUS COMMODITY ANYWHERE - TIME 

 

What NOT To Do To Get Dramatically Better Results

1. Don't Use Your Calendar For Appointments (only)

 

   This is a very common pitfall for many small business owners and professionals.  We sit down in November or December to create an annual business plan, then review it in the middle of the next year.  That's definitely helpful, especially if you have a staff that will be responsible for implementing the plan.  But unless you're clear about how that plan dictates your important actions, and unless you integrate your own personal plan into the mix and review those plans each week - breaking them down into smaller increments and actions - it's probable you'll have difficulty achieving your goals and dreams.

 

   We fail to establish plans because we get daunted by the idea of creating them, or we get so busy with details that there's little time to devote to something that feels less urgent.  We also think it will take too much time and be troublesome and awkward to implement our plans, and we get overwhelmed by all we need to do.  

 

   Some of us create to-do lists, which in the end frustrate and shame us - that's not a very productive strategy!  (Request my Special Report "3 Simple Secrets To Tripling Your Productivity Sustainably" at www.StopProcrastinatingNow.com for more on effectively and efficiently completing to-do's).

 

   Others fill their calendars with recurring daily and weekly tasks which they then ignore, usually because these actions aren't sustainably designed or scheduled.  

 

   Once you accept these initial reactions, and how normal they are, you can get beyond them to the few minutes each day it will take to focus on the critical and important actions that will give you the results you want.  

 

   Composing a plan for the day, using your calendar and longer-term objectives, takes just 5 minutes or so, and can easily result in a 50-300% increase in productivity.   Doing this in the morning, or the evening before at the end of the previous workday, gives you a head start and sharpens your focus.       When you take a few minutes to plan each day ahead of time, using hoped-for weekly and monthly milestones as a guide, you automatically prevent a whole lot of poorly-used time.  Regularly glancing at that daily plan 4-6 times during the day, you'll be able to weave in any newly developing circumstances, while still making swift advancement. 

 INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES

 

 

By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail. ~ Benjamin Franklin

 

Plans must be simple and flexible....They must be made by the people who execute them. ~ George S. Patton, Jr.

 

It is a bad plan that admits of no modification. ~ Publius Syrus

 

 

A NOTE FROM THE PROCRASTIVITY NICHEPERT Would you believe, my dear readers, that the day after I wrote about my brother's death I received a call from my cousin that my uncle had passed away?  

I beg your pardon, dear readers.  It has been a challenging few months, and while I'd love to think that most of you are hanging on my next newsletter or blog post, trust me, I'm not that misguided.  I apologize, though, for completely ignoring you all in January, but I had reasonable cause (as the title of this post indicates).

The minor challenges of fostering a pair of heart-worm positive, unneutered male dogs in October through November (and finding them the most wonderful adoptive homes - for which I'm so very grateful), and the rapid decline and death in early December of my beloved horse, Venus, whom you may remember from previous blog posts, left me drained, but capable enough of attending to my business and completing the doctoral coursework I'd committed to.  But there was more to come.  

While hosting company and completing some coursework, and just as I was wrapping some gifts at my Florida home on the afternoon of Christmas Eve the phone rang.  Incredibly, it was the police in New Jersey telling me they had found my brother, dead, in his townhouse.  Incredible because my brother was only 53 and hadn't been ill at all that we knew of.  He was my only sibling, and he and my mother were very close.  She was out in California awaiting his arrival - how was I going to tell her this terrible news?  How could I let her make the flight back alone?  What about my friends, who were visiting from abroad and weren't leaving for a few more days? Who could I find to go identify my brother's body? And what had caused my brother's death?

These were the questions crowding my mind in the frantic, adrenal-filled minutes after the call.  Most of them I found answers for quickly (though we're still awaiting lab results from the autopsy).  It's a little over a month afterward, and we're getting through it.  Aside from being a (very sad) life milestone, it's been a reminder in hard-core prioritization, the kind that dire/urgent circumstances necessitate, but which also offer a broader perspective upon reflection.  What mattered most in the days and weeks after than phone call was not the same as what had mattered in the days preceding it, and the event and aftermath have skewed my focus and energy.

That's been uncomfortable, even though it's normal. For example, I didn't prioritize my own health and well-being, and left myself open to a set of viruses and exhaustion.  Business was completely put on hold.  But I wouldn't do it any differently if I had to do it over again.  Like the psalm says, there's a time for everything.   

It's a 7 Habits cliche, I know, but how would your priorities change if death or terminal illness touched your family?  What would you do differently?  What would you spend more time on, and what would you let go of?  

Some people ask themselves this question regularly, to wipe away the fog of misplaced urgencies, fads, and social pressures from their long-term lens of closely-held values and lived satisfaction.   Most of us require occasional reminders.

  As I write this there are only 29 days left of the year.  How has your year gone?  Are you happy with how things have been going and with the direction and pace for the balance of the year and for 2009? 

   This is the time of year to spend just an hour or two (or half a day or more, if you have that much available - most of us don't, though) thinking about what you want your life to look like next year, perhaps even starting with a longer range plan.  What changes do you want to make in your career, business, studies, and/or personal life?  It's amazing how much a little bit of thought and a few small actions can make such a huge difference in success and satisfaction.  More about this below, in Procrastivity Tip/Exercise.

   I'll be a guest on Patricia Weber's fabulous teleconference series about selling for people who hate sales.  See below for details. 

   Some sad personal news: just yesterday we sent our old mare, Venus, to the Rainbow Bridge (http://rainbowsbridge.com/Poem.htm) .  Age got the best of her, and she was in constant, severe pain in spite of the best pain medication and care available.  Please consider giving your pets a hug in her memory. 

   On a more pleasant note, we found homes for both Luke and Bo, the two foster dogs we had for a month and a half.  The boys came through their heartworm treatment and recovery beautifully, and were ready for placement when the perfect adoptive homes found us.  We feel so lucky with these two wonderful families and how opened their hearts to these rescued boys who were so close to being put down because there are too many dogs ending up at shelters. 

PROCRASTIVITY TIP / EXERCISE

   Regret is one of the worst feelings, particularly when it's about what we could have done and didn't do.  Many people regret not having spent enough time with their loved ones.  Others wish they had applied themselves more toward leaving a legacy, such as writing a book.  Another common regret I hear from workshop participants and audience members at speaking engagements is completing an area of study or certification process.  Failing to pay enough attention to business development and management is a *huge* one for professionals and entrepreneurs.    

   What is it you'd like to change, finish, or try in 2009?  We often get overwhelmed trying to make changes, but my professional experience is that It's probably easier than you think.  Start by setting aside time on your calendar, perhaps an hour or two during an evening (or whenever your circadian rhythm urges) to do a little planning.  Here are some easy steps:

• Make a short list of the areas of your life you want to make changes in, as mentioned above (examples: business, career, studies, health, relationships, volunteer/contributory, fun).  Don't make the list more than 8 or so items long. 

• Focus on each area in turn: what changes do you want to make?

• Now, based on those changes, what actions or projects do you need to plan in monthly, weekly, or daily.  You may end up dropping some things because too many will leave you feeling too daunted to even start. 

• Break down projects into tasks, and give them deadlines.

• Now break the action steps and takes down further: what do you need to accomplish this month toward any particular goal.  You needn't make progress on every initiative each month - some will take less time, some might be put off until later in the year. As long as you keep referring to the annual list through out the year, you'll be fine.

• Put a recurring reminder or appointment in your calendar at the end of each month to return to that annual plan (which has also been broken down into shorter term deadlines) to plan the following month.  You don't have to plan all months now.  Just plan January and maybe February right now if more seems too much work at the moment.  Count on 15-20 minutes for this.

• Put a second recurring reminder or appointment in your calendar each Sunday night or Monday morning (weekly, is the idea) day to refer to your plan so you can plan the action items into your week.  This is a 10 or 15 minute task - that's all!

• Put a third recurring reminder or appointment into your calendar each day to refer to the weekly list and see what action you might take today so that you've completed the items by the end of the week.  Five minutes a day, to be 50-100% (or more)  more productive.

• Be flexible and don't expect that you'll get everything done on time!  That would be nice, but it's not really that likely, so don't beat yourself up for not following the plan rigorously.  The idea is that you'll make a lot more progress by using a plan than if you didn't make and/or follow one.  The plan is a tool to serve you, not a torture device!

   Try it, and let me know how it goes or if you need help.  If you have a different planning technique you'd like to share with readers, send it along and I'll include it in a future Procrastivity Pipeline issue.

Hate Selling but Gotta Sell Something (Even If It's Just Making Yourself Someone People Want To Know)?

    I'm a guest on Pat Weber's teleconference series this month: December 8, 2009 at 12pm Eastern/NY.  The subject: "How To Finally Conquer The Plague Of Procrastination" (couldn't you have guessed?)    

    Pat Weber is an award winning - top selling salesperson and sales manager and America's #1 Sales Coach for Introverts, Shy and extroverts reluctant to sell. She is a recognized expert in print, publications like Entrepreneur, as well as radio, The Small Business Advocate radio show. She assists her clients in sales, leadership and learning to speak with more confidence, deliver effective presentations, and increase sales by 100+%. She published her first book, Sales Skills for An Unfair Advantage, in 1998, and is currently writing "The Introverts Unfair Selling Advantage." Register for the special teleclass at http://www.askpatweber.com/  where you can also ask any particular question you have about procrastination.  

  
    Hope you can join us for this class!

   Wishing you optimal procrastivity, and a fabulous holiday season,

Kerul

Kerul Kassel, Author of Productive Procrastination - Make It Work For You, Not Against You and the award-winning Stop Procrastinating Now - Five Radical Procrastination Strategies To Set You Free, both available at www.Procrastivity.com

What an incredibly serendipitous synchroncity of experience I had yesterday - I'm still processing it.  Within the span of a few minutes I experienced a set of three misunderstandings, which turned out to provide exactly what I needed to solve a puzzle that led to the rescue of my neighbor's two dogs, all within an remarkably short period of time - about 35 minutes.

     Here's what happened: I was out walking my dogs when a neighbor pulled up in his car [btw, names have been changed to protect the guilty ].  Ronnie told me he was looking for two terriers.  "Hmm. Two terriers", I said, "Jack Russell Terriers?"  "Yes, I think so", he replied, "Henry was sitting for them and they got out."  Here, in the very first moments of this episode, I'd made my first two misunderstandings.  I thought Ronnie was talking about his two-doors-down neighbor, who I'll call Dr. Henry.  I knew that two sets of Jack Russell terriers lived near Dr. Henry, and recalled that two weeks earlier another neighbor, Cathy, had found them wandering near her house.  "Look around Five Oaks Drive," I told Ronnie. 

     After walking my own dogs, I got in the car and started looking for the terriers.  I went to Five Oaks Drive and the first person I saw was Tony, putting up his holiday lights.  "Hey Tony, have you seen some loose terriers running around?"  "Yeah, a  he said. "A tan one."  This had me confused.  The JRTs (Jack Russell terriers) are all white with black and brown markings.  "Heather got it and took it to the community center."  Okay, I thought, well, it's a lead. 

     A few doors down I saw Laurel walking her two dogs - the very next person I came across.  "Hi Laurel.  Have you seen any loose terriers?"  "Yes, there were two, actually, Bonita and Chloe, but Chloe got away.  I have Bonita in my house and was going to bring her to the community center.  Do you want to pick her up?"  Chloe?  Bonita?  I thought both sets of JRTs were male.  Off I went to Laurel's house anyway. 

     Meanwhile, I called Ronnie's wife, Kay, who was out in another car looking for the dogs, to tell her I'd potentially found one of them.  She arrived at Laurel's just as I did, with Andy - another neighbor, one who lives near me (not Kay).  I wondered why he was with her, but Laurel came up with her dogs and in I went.  Kay and Andy had left to meet me at the community center, as we thought the other dog might have been brought there.   Bonita looked like a sort of poodle - not a JRT in any way!  Now I was more confused than ever.

      As I pulled up to the center, Andy got out of the car.  That's when it dawned on me that I'd gotten it wrong.  It wasn't Dr. Henry who was sitting these dogs, it was Henry, Andy's father-in-law.  Bonita, the dog sitting in my passenger seat was the Francis's dog, Andy and Henry's next door neighbor; Henry had been sitting for the dogs while the family was away.  These were two Wheaten Terriers.  If I'd made that connection right away I NEVER would have looked for them on Five Oaks Drive.  I'd have looked a mile away, and would never have found them. 

     Kay said that Chloe was supposed to be brought home, so off I drove with Bonita to Henry and Andy's house.  When I got there, there was no Chloe.  It took some digging and some more driving around before I realized that Kay had her own misunderstanding: the community center told her than Heather was taking the dog home, which she thought meant back to the Francis's house. I realized "home" might have meant back to Heather's home.  I called Heather and she was in church - she hadn't found any dog. 

     Uh oh.  Down a wrong track. Back to Tony's.  It turns out he has another neighbor named Heather - who house I went to and knocked.  Sure enough, she had brought Chloe home - her home.  Chloe was nervous on the drive home but was soon reunited with Bonita, back at the Francis's.  Turns out Henry hadn't closed the front door properly and the dogs had gotten out. 

   What I've been pondering is how my misunderstandings led so quickly and directly to finding the right dogs, and that the very first people I met up with, based on my misunderstandings, happened to know where the dogs were located.  I've found myself not only in wonder at it, but also attempting to apply meaning to this experience.   Is it just coincidence?  Or did I have intuitive hits that led me to the right place at the right time, even though with mistaken ideas? 

   Connecting with and utilizing my inner guidance  system has been a goal of sorts for me.  Could this be evidence that I'm making headway with it?  Might it just be an interesting set of circumstances, a confluence of fortuitous moments leading to a happy ending?

   What are your thoughts?

 It's Election Day in the U.S. as I write this, and it also marks the first time I've ever run for a "government position", as a supervisor on my little town's board, sort of like a town council.  This is the height of my political ambitions - I never would have thought I'd even be a "candidate" in a public election.  Speaking of candidates, if you live in the U.S., please make the time to vote.  My opinion is if you don't vote, you've abdicated your right to complain about the political situation.

   Similarly, on the subject of procrastivity, when you make a choice to procrastinate on something necessary, important, and/or of high priority, you've abdicated your choice to complain about that decision.  And procrastination is virtually always a choice (rather than something about which you're out of control). More about this below, in Procrastivity Tip/Exercise.

   On a more personal note, we're fostering two dogs right now (yes, we fostered a dog last year, too) and they're looking for loving "forever" homes.  Bo and Luke are long-time buddies who were found wandering in Georgia, ended up in a shelter and were about to be put to sleep before we offered to foster them.  They're so beautiful, loving, and docile, and want so badly to please.  They'll make they're new owner(s) feel so adored!  Luke is a flat-coated retriever, and Bo is a lab/golden retriever mix. If you're within a 6 hour drive of Orlando, FL, and want to know more about them because you'd consider giving one or both of them a permanent loving home, please email me at kerul@newleafsystems.com.

PROCRASTIVITY TIP / EXERCISE

   When you procrastinate do not  beat yourself about the choice you've made as that's only going to dig a deeper procrastination hole for you. Instead, you're better off simply accepting responsibility for your choice, recognizing that you can make a different choice in the next moment, hour, day, or whenever the next opportunity for action arises. When you're at choice in this way (and not on a self-bashing spree), you're more likely to choose to take positive action.    

   Catch yourself in the moment you're making a choice to procrastinate.  Stop justifying and rationalizing, stop agonizing and struggling, and ask yourself if you're willing to take responsibility for a decision to procrastinate.  Are you okay with it, and will you be okay with it later today, tomorrow, and next week?  If so, move on to something else.  If not, note the costs you're choosing to pay through lack of action and then just sit with that decision, without indulging  those self-critical voices telling you you're bad.  I know it seems counter-intuitive because it *feels* like you're bad, but those inner critics usually just make you feel less self-confident, less master of your own destiny than is good for you.  Try it, and let me know how it goes.

  Wishing you optimal procrastivity,

Kerul

Kerul Kassel, Author of Productive Procrastination - Make It Work For You, Not Against You and the award-winning Stop Procrastinating Now - Five Radical Procrastination Strategies To Set You Free, both available at www.Procrastivity.com

KERUL IN FIGURE MAGAZINE AND ELSEWHERE!

My newest media mentions are the September/October issue of Figure magazine, and the October issue of Auctioneer magazine.  I'll be quoted in an upcoming issue of Woman's Day and in the July/August issue of Eating Clean.  I'll also be quoted in a soon-to-be-published book titled Say "Yes!" for a Change! chapter on defeating procrastination.  These are only a few of the many places I've appeared recently, as I don't usually note media hits on websites and in many trade magazines.

Inspirational Quotes

If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams. ~ Les Brown ~

The willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life is the source from which self-respect springs. ~ Joan Didion ~

We have a Bill of rights. What we need is a Bill of responsibilities. ~ Bill Maher ~

Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will -- his personal responsibility.            ~ Albert Schweitzer ~

 

A NOTE FROM THE PROCRASTIVITY NICHEPERT

   I just got back from a fabulous cruise (long story, but we didn't have to pay for it) where my husband and I had a dolphin encounter and parasailing experiences,  both of which we'd never done before and we absolutely loved. 

   During the cruise I had a lesson in flexibility, an opportunity for growth.  Such lessons can sometimes be painful, but they lead to great insights, easier relationships with others, and less friction in life in general.

   For many people (though not all) it's a down economy.  Dozens of my neighbors have walked away from their homes and mortgages, friends have lost their jobs.  It's a challenging time, for sure.  It's easy to fall into a sort of batten-down-the-hatches-and-hold-tight mentality, to avoid any additional pain, but that would be a mistake.

   A slow economy is an excellent time to put effort into upgrading your personal leadership and self-management skills (and it doesn't have to be painful! People who read my procrastination books feel better about themselves after reading them, AND they change their habits for the better!).  Those who invest time and effort in self-development, whether personally or professionally, not only have an edge financially, they're also more likely to find better options and opportunities than the rest of us, so they experience more fun, more joy, more ease.  (See some more ideas below, in the tip/exercise section.) 

    As for me, I've been getting development books from the library or buying them used (you may even be able to get a copy of one of my procrastination books used on Amazon or eBay).  Rather than spending money on networking dinners, I'm stepping into more leadership positions in my community I'm running for the "town council", am now the treasurer of my town's developing community garden, and am attending the Citizen's Academy, an 8 week educational experience given by the county Sheriff's Office  And, finally, while I've made really good progress, I'm continuing to work on increasing my flexibility and compassionate responses in all interactions.  As my husband will tell you, I'm not always successful, but I can't let that stop me from trying! 

PROCRASTIVITY TIP / EXERCISE

     Don't batten down the hatches.  A recession is a great opportunity in many ways.  People are often less busy. Rather than take solace in endless hours of less valuable activities, like web surfing, television, reading trashy (though fun!) magazines or books, reduce some of that by 30-60 minutes a day.   

     It's the rare person who doesn't want to develop themselves in a variety of ways.  Below are some methods for opening the door to improvement, including the most important one (mentioned last):

• Take a walk.  The benefits are huge. Enhancing health, fitness, and outlook, and spending quality time with a family member or friend/neighbor if you walk together are just the icing on this cake.

• Listen to a CD or tape or read books or watch videos.  There are loads available from libraries, or used on eBay and Amazon, with subjects from time management to getting organized, increasing fitness, raising motivation levels, improving reading or communication skills, and so much more.  Listen on the way to and from work, or during your walk, or before bed for 10-15 minutes. 

• Attend community classes and events like continuing education classes, town fitness classes, and self-improvement classes offered at houses of worship. If you can't find anything you like, start your own class or group!  You don't need to be an expert, just interested, with 2 or 3 other people who are interested in the same thing.

• Remove the words "Yeah, but..." from your vocabulary for the next month and see what happens.  Instead of looking for reasons why you can't ____ or why ____ won't work, look for ways they *can* work.

Devote 1 to 4 or more hours a week to your own growth and improvement.  After all, if you don't invest in yourself, who will?  

Try one or two of these ideas, and email me about your experience!

Are You Tired Of Failing To Take Action On Your Important Goals, and Then Beating Yourself Up For It? 

There IS another way!  The Procrastination Solutions Kit is a comprehensive package that includes an e-book, a recording, worksheets, and more. 

How much time have you lost as a result of procrastination? Never mind all your life... how about this week? Did the guilt of putting something off until the last minute stop you from doing something you really wanted to do? Spend more time with your family? Go out and have some fun? Procrastination can be debilitating and it's murder on your self esteem.

And what is that worth to you?

Clients regularly pay me hundreds of dollars a month to have access to my techniques for being productive and procrastination-free. But this entire package is available for just $49 US. I could tell you it's "less than dinner and a movie for you and a companion " .

But never mind about that. Let's compare it to something much closer to your heart... how about all the time you've wasted feeling like a procrastinator, all the opportunities you feel you've lost by putting things off.

How much is your time worth? I'll tell you this - it's worth a lot more than $49.       http://www.stopprocrastinatingnow.com/

Wishing you optimal procrastivity,

Kerul

Kerul Kassel, Author of Productive Procrastination - Make It Work For You, Not Against You and the award-winning Stop Procrastinating Now - Five Radical Procrastination Strategies To Set You Free, both available at www.Procrastivity.com

Summer has had its unofficial end. As many of you know, I took time off this summer to attend to some personal and scholarly initiatives, doing a minimal amount in my consulting and coaching business. It's paid off in that way, and it also gave me the time and space to think of new strategies to continue to evolve my business in the changing economy.

I see the week after Labor Day as a sort of second New Year's, a chance to make a fresh start with renewed vigor and the strategies to support those efforts. So how can we start the new "season" off strongly, and maintain that effort through to the holidays (and beyond)? Here's a hint: don't ask yourself for all the answers! See the tip below for an explanation of the "5 G's" to make your success easier.

On a personal note, we now have a new horse, Dakota. He's a 16 year old quarterhorse gelding with a dominant personality, and he'll play a big roll in the personal leadership program I'll be developing over the next couple of years, as will my other two. Interestingly, he loves women (though he tries to push us around), and is always trying to think one step ahead of whoever he's with. He's definitely a personal leadership challenge!

Here we go: The 5 "G"'s of a Strong September Start

"Don't ask yourself for all the answers." What kind of tip is that???!! It's breakthrough tip, the kind that gets you out of your "If I could just figure it out" or "I have to do this on my own" mentality that keeps you stuck in a rut.

Here's what I mean: by maintaining the "figure it out" mindset you cut yourself off from ideas, concepts, resources, contacts, and networks that make achieving your goals (and dreams) much easier and require less effort to attain. Instead, seek out the opinions, advice, referrals, leads, strategies, and other materials and people that can help you. This is an active opening on your part, where you aren't sitting around waiting for things to be delivered to you. Rather, you're out there in a number of ways, always keeping your antennae alert for the best opportunities. It will take a little practice to weed out the so-so opportunities from the really good ones, but that's part of the process, and you never know who you'll meet along the way.

Below are some methods for actively opening the door for opportunities:

Get out: Attend meetings and conferences in your industry or areas of interest, including small local groups as well as national or international meetings.

Google it: Research on the internet, and follow leads, no matter what your goal is. Allow yourself to go down a few rabbit holes when it seems appropriate, See who is doing what, and how, what current trends are, and how you might tweak that info for your own personality and needs.

Get advice: contact people who are doing similar things and ask for their advice, for contact information of others who might be helpful, for resources they suggest. Email them and just ask. Sure, some won't answer, but people are often flattered and happy to help. You don't need to follow their advice, but it can spark ideas and enthusiasm you didn't have before.

Give of yourself: volunteer your time and effort (in reasonable doses and depending upon your other commitments and dedication to your goal) toward an organization or initiative related to your goal/dream. This puts you in contact with all the latest developments, the movers and shakers, those in positions of influence, as well as openings and opportunities that may help you reach your goal more swiftly.

Gab about it: talk with people you respect, those who are likely to be supportive, friends/relatives/acquaintances/neighbors accomplishing their own goals and dreams, and ask for their perspectives and ongoing support, in whatever small way (just asking you how it's going, for example) they might be willing to offer.

Devote 1 to 4 hours a week to widening your net and putting yourself in the path of opportunity in these ways, depending on your schedule.

Try one or two of these ideas, and email me about your experience!

Wishing you optimal procrastivity,

Kerul

Kerul Kassel, Author of Productive Procrastination - Make It Work For You, Not Against You and the award-winning Stop Procrastinating Now - Five Radical Procrastination Strategies To Set You Free



KERUL IN BUSINESS WEEK!

It took a few months to make it to publication, but an interview I did with a reporter from Business Week has finally come out. I was asked to play played devil's advocate about entrepreneurs taking vacations. I have to say that this article doesn't present my balanced view of the need for and the benefit of vacations, but the article as a whole does present a balanced view.

Here's the article at the Business Week site:

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_68/s0808074587262.htm

and here it is on my website:


http://www.productiveprocrastinationbook.com/Business-Week-Kerul-Kassel.html

Enjoy!

It's a mistake to focus on Time Management - Check out Resource Management

August 8th, 2008

All of my clients hire me because there's something they want they haven't  yet been able to accomplish on their own.  They know they need to not only do things different, but see things differently, too, they just don't know how.  Usually, they've focused on improving their time management so they can fit more in, but this is a narrow and limiting trap.

I suggest they focus on what I call "resource management".  These resource not only include time, but also available energy, effort, motivation, systems and processes (of various kinds), environmental structure, support, money, and more.

You may recall that last month I wrote about partnering with others as a strategy to help you follow through with goals.  That strategy employs a number of resources: motivation (in the form of accountability), support (encouragement from your partner), systems (the phone, email, reminders, etc, that you use in your partnering relationship), and process (the goal tracking that you both use to help you follow through from one interaction to the next).

By considering all available resources, not just time, when planning and following through on your objectives, you'll probably take less time and energy.  For some tasks you might realize that you can delegate, barter, or hire in help, thereby reducing your time commitment to near zero.  There will likely be other tasks for which certain processes and systems can be put in place that so that finishing requires less motivation from you and expedites the accomplishment.

Btw, there are loads of strategies in my book Productive Procrastination, available at http://www.productiveprocrastinationbook.com/kerul-kassel-books.html .

PROCRASTIVITY TIP / EXERCISE

Below are a number of exercises to choose from.  Pick one or two and experiment with them.  Remember to have a playful, experimental attitude so that you remain encouraged and lighthearted (the opposite really reduces your available energy to continue tweaking your self-leadership. 

• If you didn't try the partnering exercise last month give it a whirl this month.  If you deleted last month's newsletter and want another copy, just email me and I'll send it to you.

• Use your calendar more effectively by scheduling appointments with yourself to work on tasks, committing to time slots anywhere from 30 minutes to 30 hours.  Employ reminders (use your computer, PDA, voicemail, or cellphone) to help bump you into action.

• Reorganize the top of your desk, as well as your computer desktop, so that it works more intuitively for you. Remove anything you don't use (at least weekly).to a farther distance, such as a drawer, file cabinet or storage (including electronic folders, and electronic storage hardware and/or services).  Clearing your space clears your mind.  Less clutter, less friction, less struggle, and more ease and speed.

• Similarly, declutter and resolve other areas that are reducing your energy and motivation.  End or resolve situations/relationships that are "energy vampires".  Set boundaries and stick to them (you can always ask for help in sticking to them).  Declutter your spaces (one drawer at a time is fine). Get enough rest and good nutrition so that you have ample energy to accomplish what you're aiming for.

• Let go of misplaced expectations, "shoulds", "ought-to's", and any goals that aren't well-aligned with what you really value.

Try one or two, and email me about your experience!

Wishing you optimal procrastivity,

Kerul

 

As many of you know, I've just embarked on a doctoral journey. I'm making great progress, and am learning oodles. I'm blessed to have a wonderful "study buddy" for one of my courses. (More about this important procrastination-busting strategy below.) A discussion with my fellow student earlier this week made me realize how grateful I was for our relationship. Sometimes we take for granted the things that are working, right?
PROCRASTIVITY TIP / EXERCISENo matter what your goal or task, whether it's a one-time project or a long-term habit you'd like to sustain - or anything in between - pairing up with a partner can mean the different between struggling, and failing, in frustrated isolation versus progress, success, and ongoing support.

Set up regular contact, whether through email, phone, or in-person. Perhaps you'll exercise together (I also have a buddy for this), or you'll each be working on a long term career plan, or maybe just getting and keeping your email file system well managed. It can be anything, personal or professional.

Start by thinking of a few people to ask. You want to be choosy about your partner, because a partner who is unlikely to follow through may bring you down with them. You don't need to have the same goals. Though that can work nicely, pairing up is more about the support, accountability, scheduling, and goal-keeping that keeps you moving toward your objectives.

Begin with a trial run of a few weeks or a month or so. Establish how often and when (days/times) you'll be in touch, and how long each contact session will last (it could be as little as 10 minutes or as long as an hour or more, depending on the goals). Discuss how firmly you'd each like the other to hold your feet to the fire about your goals, but don't berate each other - that will damage the relationship's potential, and won't do either of you any good.

During each contact session set goals to achieve until the next time you talk, recording them (in your computer or PDA, for the next appointment time) so you can refer back to them the next time.

You might have a number of different partners for different goals. A couple of years ago I had 5 goal partners at once: one for working out, another for writing one of my books, a third for helping me improve my business marketing, and two more (we had a 3-way buddy system) to help me achieve a coaching credential.

Research does show that if someone else is holding you accountable to a goal you'll be considerably more likely to follow through.

Try it, and email me about your experience!Love, success, and happiness,
Kerul
Kerul Kassel, Author of Productive Procrastination - Make It Work For You, Not Against You and the award-winning Stop Procrastinating Now - Five Radical Procrastination Strategies To Set You Free