13
Organizing Our Work
Sometimes our reasons for procrastination are complex. Fear is downright complicated and perfectionism is deeply rooted. It takes a lot of introspection to address those issues.
But the problem isn’t always internal. Sometimes our procrastination is simply solved by changing our approach to two things:
Basically, a single to-do list is ineffective in managing our busy, multifaceted lives. We used to be able to compartmentalize work, home, church, and volunteer work—but that’s just not possible now. We live integrated, interconnected lives. So how we organize our work needs to change.
Next, we should consider how we identify the work we need to do. Rather than vague goals, we can put things into concrete, specific statements, which takes our work from ethereal to real.
Sometimes, how we’ve identified and organized our workload has actually encouraged procrastination, but we can make changes that make a drastic difference—immediately. And it starts with trading in our traditional to-do list for a project management system.
A Project Management Approach
For years, I lived with an ongoing sense that I should be doing something at all times. It ate at me. Even when I was working on something important, there was a latent unease about what else I should be doing. It was a constant underlying stress even when there was no imminent deadline or threat.
It wasn’t until I read David Allen’s Getting Things Done that I discovered the reason why. Allen writes:
The big problem is that your mind keeps reminding you of things when you can’t do anything about them. It has no sense of past or future. That means that as soon as you tell yourself that you need to do something, and store it in your RAM (your mind), there’s a part of you that thinks you should be doing that something all the time.[1]
Aha! That was it! There were so many things I knew I should be doing, so many vague goals and big ideas, that my mind felt overwhelmed by it all. Then, because there was so much to do, I just felt frozen much of the time.
When I feel overwhelmed, my gut reaction is to do one of two things. Either I jump into the fray and try to put out fires, feeling like a juggler at a fair with flaming torches. Or I shut down and can’t do anything.
The solution, according to Allen, is to capture all those ideas, projects, dreams, goals, and tasks you know you need to do somewhere “safe.” That way, you can tell your worried little mind to relax and enjoy the moment and not stress about what you’ll forget.
That sounded so logical to me. Sure, I’d tried and failed to organize my workload like that so many times before. But as I continued to read Allen’s book, I realized why my plans hadn’t worked in the past. Before, I’d tried to put everything on one to-do list. Just one.
The problem with having one list is it’s like trying to force a semitruck to drive down a country lane next to a bicycle. Or force my size 9 feet into dainty size 6 shoes. Some things just don’t fit. Here’s an example of what my list used to look like:
These are all normal things a woman might do. So what was the problem?
The problem is three of those items aren’t simple tasks. Calling the orthodontist’s office takes one step, and it’s done. Boom. Check that baby off the list!
But planning a party, redesigning a blog, and organizing a bedroom are made up of multiple tasks. To put them on a to-do list is just asking for failure . . . and a reason to procrastinate.
I’d look at my list, see “Clean the house,” and feel discouraged before starting. And the procrastinator in me rose up and convinced me I didn’t have time to tackle that—and anyway, where would I start? So I put that job to the bottom of my list, checked off everything else but that, and transferred it to the next list.
Here’s what I’ve learned: cleaning the house isn’t a task. It’s a project. Projects don’t belong on a to-do list. Only single-step tasks belong there.
Once I realized the mistake I’d been making for years, I realized I needed to toss my to-do list and start fresh.
Then I did something brave. I did a complete inventory of everything I needed to do. It took days to complete. I decided to include immediate needs and everything I’d been putting off. The small and the big all got listed.
Once I was sure I’d captured everything, I sat down and had a good cry. My life was seriously out of control.
No wonder I was procrastinating. There was no way I could get everything done in a timely fashion. To survive meant shuffling my priorities hourly.
Drying my tears, I reviewed the monstrous list and divided it into two categories: one-step tasks and multistep projects. That was better. But I wasn’t done yet. I looked at all the projects and realized some of them were urgent and others weren’t. So I divided that list into current and future projects.
There was one more step. Since every big project is completed one step at a time, I realized I needed to add tasks to each of my projects. So I got some more paper and started to list all the tasks I could think of for each project.
These lists became the foundation of my project management notebook. And yes, I did put it in a three-ring binder. I know I could have created a digital notebook, but there was something about putting it on paper that made it real for me. Although I still had a lot to do, having it all in one place brought relief.
Now writing my to-do list for the day is like going to a buffet and picking a piece of chicken here and a scoop of mac and cheese there. I look over my master lists and only put on my to-do list the tasks I can realistically accomplish that day. I might pick a simple task, like make an appointment, then pull another task from a project list.
This system revolutionized my approach to getting work done. It also eliminated a few of my reasons for procrastination, which included forgetting things (now they were in my safe place) and feeling overwhelmed when I looked at a big project on my to-do list.
Now my to-do list might have five items on it, rather than twenty-five. Five is much more manageable. And when I finish those five, I can go back for more from my project management list.
Over the years, this system has actually helped me manage my workload so well that I don’t have to create massive master lists anymore. The process helped me realize I’d taken on too much, and I did some serious editing. But when I get overloaded—and it still does happen—I know to go back and create that master list again.
Breaking Down a Project into Tasks
Let’s look at a hypothetical situation. Let’s say you can’t find your living room because it’s cluttered with stacks of newspapers, magazines, DVDs, kids’ toys, clothes, and so on. If I told you, in the midst of your chaos, “Go organize your living room!” you would laugh in my face. And I would deserve it. Because we both know you would have done it if you could.
But what if I suggested you gather all the old newspapers and put them in a cardboard box? You could manage that. Then if I said go gather up all the DVDs and put them in a wicker basket, you could do that.
Tackling a big project takes the same approach. We break down a big task into little tasks that are logical to us. We do this type of strategizing in real life all the time. If we want to plan a vacation, we need to arrange a flight or driving plan, a place to stay, activities, and meals. The bigger the vacation, the more detailed the planning.
This is no different. No one can just “get organized” without some kind of plan. What that plan looks like is completely up to you.
When you’re facing a big project that feels overwhelming, it helps to identify little tasks that will move the project toward completion. The very act of listing the steps is motivating. My friend Kathi Lipp, coauthor of The Cure for the “Perfect” Life, writes about the power of identifying tasks in a project:
I spent a month having the same item on my to-do list—and it was only a fifteen minute project: Write fifteen minutes on chapter four. Simple enough, right? So why did I spend weeks avoiding it?
Because it felt really big. I knew I needed to go through some files to actually find chapter four, and when I finally found it, I didn’t remember what was already written. Would I be pleasantly surprised on how much work I’d already accomplished? Probably not. My mind turned to fear and doom and the looming task.
What I had here was really two tasks: 1. Find and open the file. 2. Write for fifteen minutes. Once I realized it was two tasks, it felt doable—like I was getting a check mark for each of the things I was actually doing.[2]
If breaking down a project feels impossible, try brainstorming. Don’t worry about the order these tasks need to be accomplished in, just start writing thoughts down as they come to you.
For example, I took my mother on a special vacation, just the two of us, and planning for it felt overwhelming. My husband normally does the vacation planning in our household, so it was out of my comfort zone to handle all the details. I wasn’t sure what to do first. Did I reserve the plane tickets or the hotels?
Maybe that sounds silly to you vacation planners, but it overwhelmed me. This trip sat on my project list for months until I finally broke it down into tasks. Here’s what it looked like.
Once I had the tasks identified, I was able to get them done. And my mother and I had a great trip.
What projects are you struggling to start? Take some time and write out some of the steps needed. If you are a perfectionist and the thought of making a mistake on your list worries you, try these approaches:
This process can be done with every project you have—whether it takes two steps or two hundred. Once you’ve identified the assortment of tasks needed, you can pick one to put on your very manageable to-do list. And when you’ve gotten that done, you can pick another.
And very soon you’ll find yourself accomplishing big projects that you never thought you would.
Be Specific in Your Direction
A project management approach is how I organize my work, but I’ve also had to change how I identify my work. Turns out that language really makes a difference in whether I procrastinate or address my work.
Have you ever told a child to go clean up his room only to walk in later and find him sitting on the floor playing with Legos?
I knew better than to send my children off without very specific, limited instructions. But in my haste, rather than taking time to clearly list the tasks needed to return order to a room, I’d just spout off a go-clean-your-room command.
Those types of direction were so vague my three boys found them nearly impossible to follow. When we adopted our daughters, I wanted to believe they would think more like me. Maybe I secretly hoped we shared some special female tidy-gene since we didn’t share DNA. So I tried the same vague directions one day and sent them to clean up their room.
An hour later I walked in to find clothes and toys strewn everywhere! Under-the-bed boxes on top of the beds, dresser drawers open with nightgowns and T-shirts spilling out, and all the clothes from the closet on the floor rather than hanging on the rod. When I asked what they were doing, my youngest (age nine) smiled and replied, “Organizing!”
Ahem. Apparently there was a common denominator with the miscommunication problem, and it was me.
We’ve come a long way since then, and I’ve realized that very few people have the natural ability to take a big assignment and break it down into manageable tasks. Which is why so many goals and resolutions are left on the front page of spiral notebooks, never to be checked off.
The more vague the goal, the less likely it will be achieved.
The problem wasn’t just my directions to my children. I also announced those vague types of goals to myself. Perhaps you’ve also said something like this to yourself before: Someday, I’m going to get this house organized. Or, One of these days, I’m going to take some time for myself.
I love those statements. We should all get our homes organized and make time for ourselves. But those are too abstract to be reachable goals. There are no edges, no beginning or end. “Someday” and “one day” aren’t on any calendar I’ve ever seen. And how would I know when to put a check mark in front of it?
If we want to move forward in accomplishing our best work, we need to identify an abstract thought and turn it into a concrete statement.
It’s Hard to Reach a Vague Goal
Procrastinators have a habit of setting vague goals. It’s easy to say things like:
I’m going to get better at remembering my friends’ birthdays.
I’m going to start eating healthy.
I’m going to keep my house clutter-free.
I’m going to save money.
But no amount of wishing, hoping, or dreaming things are going to be different this time will accomplish vague goals. Without specifics, they’re just nice ideas that bring feelings of guilt when we think about them. They’re slippery and hard to grab hold of.
It seems I’m always learning this lesson. And it happened yet again when I recently decided to go back to the gym to lift weights. I’ve lifted weights before, but always in a class or with a trainer, someone who designed a plan for me. This time, I reasoned, I could do it on my own with no written directions. So I filled my water bottle, grabbed a hand towel to cover the sweaty weight benches, and headed to the gym.
My heart was in the right place, but my feet just wandered. I did a few leg presses, then staggered over to the chest press machine. The weights felt so heavy after my exercise sabbatical that I abandoned my lifting plans and turned to my go-to workout: the elliptical machine.
A few days later I tried the weight-lifting idea again. I remembered that when I’d worked out before, the trainer had varied the muscle groups each time. So I did a little triceps work, then some bicep work. Then a few halfhearted lunges. By then I was having trouble catching my breath and decided it would be safer to just get on the elliptical again.
My dreams of getting stronger and more toned were evaporating. I had lots of enthusiasm but no planning. And without specifics, I reverted to my old habits.
The idea of lifting weights is a nice wish. But it’s not specific. If I walked into the gym and lifted one weight, would I have accomplished my goal? Of course not. I knew I needed a specific plan, but I procrastinated.
The hard truth was, that vague goal was safer for me. It had absolutely no measurable actions. And with no measurable actions, I couldn’t fail.
Is this sounding familiar? If at this point you need to go back and reread the chapters on fear and perfectionism, feel free to return. I’ll be here when you get back.
I’ve set too many “goals” that have no boundaries. There’s no way to know when I’ve met them. A serious goal has structure. It’s specific. It can be measured. Someone else can see me do it.
So many times we neglect to add structure to our great ideas. Maybe it’s because we don’t want to be held accountable. Or maybe it’s because we can’t figure out how to dissect our big ideas into tasks we can actually accomplish.
So our hopes and wishes and big ideas just float somewhere in the nether regions of our minds, popping in and out of consciousness—usually when we can’t do anything about them. If we want to get serious about addressing those things we’ve put off, we must lasso those vagaries and tie them down with specifics.
Setting Measurable Goals
In order for us to tackle our procrastination, we must start by being very clear with ourselves. Giving my children unclear directions is unfair to them. And it’s unfair to do that to myself.
The more we can define our expectations, the more likely we are to achieve them. For instance, let’s say I want to send out Christmas cards this year. It’s been a few years since I’ve done it, and this year I really want to connect on paper with the people I love.
The first step is to write this down as a project. I could write “Send Christmas cards.” But to make this goal measurable, I need to add specifics. So an alternative way to write this is “Mail Christmas cards by December 10.” That gives me a deadline that already increases the urgency.
Here are some examples of concrete goals:
These specifics also need to be realistic. If it’s December 8 when I write the goal to send out Christmas cards on the 10th, it’s probably not going to happen.
Specific details keep tasks and projects from being slippery. And they make me honest with myself. If I’m not willing to be specific, I’m not really interested in doing the work.
The more specific my goals, the more doable they are. The next question is, do I share them on Facebook?
The Difference between Boasting and Setting Goals
One of the dangers I’ve found in setting goals is sharing them with others. Did you know that making your goal public could backfire?
I sure do. I once announced on my blog I was going to lose weight—and gained five pounds. Announcing your goals isn’t the same as having an accountability partner. This is where we procrastinators get mixed up. We think just sharing our intent with someone will motivate us to get it done. However, that’s not the truth.
It’s dangerously satisfying to set goals. According to several scientific studies, it seems some of us get enough mental gratification just by talking about our goals that we skip actually doing the work.
There have been times when I’ve taken pride in myself for identifying a worthwhile goal. It’s like there’s this striving little part of me that puffs up ever so slightly when declaring what I’m going to accomplish. It’s definitely a cousin of boasting, only so much more refined. Do I just imagine you admire me when I speak of my goals? Do they make me seem more intellectual or bolder than I am?
The Bible is quite clear that actions speak louder than words.
There’s an interesting proverb found in 1 Kings that rings true. It’s spoken by Ahab, king of Israel, when he faced attack by Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram. Ben-Hadad sent threatening messages, trying to intimidate Ahab. But Ahab wouldn’t be shaken. In the face of the final threat, Ahab says to Beh-Hadad’s messenger, “Tell him: ‘One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off’” (1 Kings 20:11).
I can get so excited about my goals, especially when I’ve finally decided to tackle them, that I want to share them with friends. But unless I’ve entered into an accountability relationship with someone, it’s better to keep my goals between me and God.
Practical Application
Without a specific plan, it’s easy for our highest and best goals to never be more than vague ideas. In this chapter we discussed the positive impact of properly organizing and identifying our work. We also discussed setting measurable goals.
Apply what you’ve learned in this chapter to your two challenge areas. Set a measurable goal for your regular task, and break down your personal goal into steps.
My regular task:
My personal goal: