Just Do It!

No, this is not a Nike endorsement.  I started a blog post a week ago, put it down and had no further inspiration.  Then on Monday night I attended my local chapter meeting of Professional Organizers in Canada.  We had a fabulous guest speaker – Donna Messer, the networking diva.  From her hour-long presentation to our membership, I drew my inspiration for this month’s post.

To clarify, Donna’s in the business of making business happen.  She has an idea for everyone looking to make the right connections. As I listened to Donna’s message, I realized it is easily transferrable. Her philosophy is, no matter what you are asked to do, say Yes. For the purpose of his blog, there’s a bit of a twist: you’re the only one involved in the dialogue. You ask and answer the questions.

Don’t misunderstand.  I’m not encouraging you to overextend yourself to the point that your life becomes unmanageable.  I don’t subscribe to that at all. What I am encouraging you to do is try. Try something new. Not kickboxing or hot yoga – unless that’s on your bucket list. Introduce a new behaviour. Just one at a time. Before you know it, you can do the impossible.

You just can’t get all the dishes washed or loaded into the dishwasher by the end of the day?  Ask yourself, Is there a way for me to do this? The answer is Yes. First you have to want to get the dishes out of sight by day’s end, i.e. make it a priority. Then you have to tell yourself that you can get those dishes out of site, i.e. replace the negative self talk with the positive. Then, start dealing with even some of the dishes. Once it’s easy to address some of the dirty dishes, add a few more into your daily routine. Before you know it, you are that person who wipes down a clear counter at the end of the day and leaves the dishcloth to dry on the faucet – which is suspended over an empty sink!

Think you can’t get out the door on time in the morning?  You can. You ask yourself, Will I ever get out on time? The answer is Yes. Identify what slows you down, or where you might gain some time in the morning. Do you waste time gathering the book you want to read on the subway and the envelope you need to pop into a mailbox? Gather those items the night before and have them waiting for you at the door. Maybe it’s the 15 minutes you lose to your shower once you tumble out of bed.  Would you be able to shower the night before? Try doing one thing differently. If it makes a difference, stick with it.  If it doesn’t make enough of a difference, introduce a subsequent behaviour. Keep tweaking your routine until it becomes easy to walk out the door on time.

I could site any number of examples; I think you get the picture.  Don’t let complacency or self-doubt prevent you from achieving more. Whether it’s training for a triathlon, or introducing the behaviours  that will allow you to live clutter free or stress free, whenever you ask yourself, can I do better, the answer is Yes! Just do it!