How Three Words Helped Me Minimise Procrastination and Maximise My Time and Attention
Action, Balance, Clarity
Three little words empowered me to practise my business values in a stronger and more consistent way than I had before. Distilling the way I wanted to work and be in my business down to three guiding principles for one year several years ago is still impacting my work life for the better today.
A number of years back I came across the idea of having a guiding word for the year. Choosing only one word felt too limiting and so I settled on three. To select the words I thought would be most empowering I started by reflecting on how I was thinking, being and doing in my business. I then considered what stood out to me as working well, and also what was unhelpful. I figured this would help me decide on what needed to stop, what I needed to start, and what I could do more of and less of in the coming year.
The Discovery Process
I had simplified how I worked and how my business operated (a business I operated prior to my coaching business). I had already set up and streamlined processes to save time and energy on each project. I also knew that as a person who naturally leans towards over-complicating it was important that I continue to focus on being intentional in my minimalist approach to work and my business.
I also realised that I would often hold myself back from experimenting with new product or service ideas. I would get stuck, sometimes not even knowing what was getting me stuck. At other times I didn’t move forward because I was not confident about the next step to take.
Then there was the challenge of spending too much time or energy on a project. I would sometimes get so caught up in what I was doing that there was not enough time or energy for other activities that were important to me. Implementing and maintaining boundaries and other strategies to support me to live a balanced life was an important goal for me. There were many things I wanted to do and I wanted to manage my time, attention and energy in a way that would help me participate in as many of these as possible without burning out.
Action, Balance, Clarity
In the end I settled on the words ‘action’, ‘balance’, and ‘clarity’. These three words provided me with three simple principles that served to remind me of where my personal and business values intersect. They helped me refocus and prioritise actions when I got distracted or stuck. They helped to strengthen boundaries that served me as well as my clients, family and friends.
Let’s explore what these words mean to me and perhaps how they could be practical for you as you design your business life or shift direction in the way you work.
Take action rather than simply ideate, think, and dream
It seems like it goes without saying, but to move forward we need to take action. It is also true that taking action on an idea is sometimes very challenging. There may be a fear of failure or maybe we just don’t know the next step. There can be competing priorities and distractions that pull at us. One of the most challenging experiences for motivated individuals is that of being stuck and not quite seeing how or why we are stuck. I have experienced how a coaching conversation works well in this situation. Coaching provides a space for your thoughts and feelings to simply be and for insights to arise - something that is often missing from our busy lives. If you are not working with a coach you could also try journaling or talking things through with a business partner or mentor.
Whatever resources we call on, remember that action causes action. Taking action creates momentum. We learn what works and what doesn’t work. When we are uncertain about all the steps needed to get to our goal we simply take the first step. Often the next step and the one after that will reveal themselves as we take action.
One barrier to taking action can be having too many projects or to-dos competing for attention. You may think you are ready and motivated to do what’s next, but are paralysed when it comes to deciding what that next step is. If this is happening for you, think about whether your long term vision or goal is clear. If not, take some time to reflect on what you really want long term from your business. If your vision is clear, it is possible you simply have too many objectives that you want to achieve at the same time. I will share some tips for dealing with this later in this article.
Aspire towards balance
When I think of balance in life and work I think of it as more of a dance, an ebb and flow rather than a rigid static position. What is balanced for us at one point of time is quite different at another. Our life stage, shifting health or caring responsibilities and other changing circumstances affect what ‘balance’ might look like for us. An image of the ocean often comes to mind. The waves and tides cycle back and forth, while they remain safely contained by the boundaries of the coast. A lava lamp is also an example I sometimes think of. The ‘lava’ moves around within the liquid, sometimes quickly, sometimes more gently and is always safely contained within the lamp. The warm glow of the lamp is stable even as the ‘lava’ rises and falls.
Balance means different things to different people. Ask yourself: What does a healthy balance or harmony look like to me right now? How much time and energy do I really want to give my business right now? How much time and energy do I really want to give to other people, activities or goals right now?
The balance I am referring to does not mean that your resources are evenly divided among all the parts of your life (unless that is what you want). In fact, balance is not even a specific unchangeable destination. To me, balance and harmony is more of a journey of learning and experimentation. The ideal of what balance looks like for you and your business will shift.
Get clear on your vision and goals
If you are very creative you likely have no problem coming up with ideas. Sometimes though our fears, such as the fear of missing out, can have us working on too many projects at once. Sometimes a lack of clarity around our values, vision or goals can have us zig-zagging between tasks or projects, not completing anything of value to us or our business. The answer to this situation is as simple as it may be challenging: focus on one clear objective, or one primary goal. Choose clarity and reject extraneous stuff and busy work. Define a clear goal and know why you really want to work towards that goal. This will help you develop a laser-focus. Your clear primary objective with a strong values-based purpose (or ‘why’) will help you re-align when you could otherwise be distracted. It will draw you back like magnetic ‘North’ on a compass.
How can the principles of action, balance and clarity support you in your business?
Activity
Choose one clear focus or goal for your business for the next month or the next 90 days (depending on the scope of your goal).
Then choose three to five sub-goals or objectives that relate to this overall focus.
Write these down on a single sheet of paper or use a single page in your notebook or planner.
Read your focus goal and the sub-goals aloud. Are they each written in a way that clearly defines what success looks like? Are they specific, measurable and realistic?
Next choose which of the sub-goals you will work on first. If you know the next three steps you need to take to work towards that sub-goal then write them down and include deadlines. Especially when you find yourself stuck, a ‘step’ should be something that can be completed in a very short timeframe such as a few minutes. Imagine teaching someone who has never opened a computer to send an email. The first step might be, “Open the laptop lid.”
If you only know the next step then write that down with a deadline. Now, take action! Make the phone call, write the article, book the venue. Reach out to a mentor, coach, colleague or friend for help where you need it and notice your progress.
Action, Balance, Clarity - Then and Now
Thinking of these three words - action, balance, clarity - reminds me of how well they guided me when I first chose them as my ‘words of the year’ several years ago. I also notice how selecting and focusing on these words for that year helps me even now. Working intentionally since then, makes that way of working easier to practise as time goes on - It has become a habit.
While it’s true that action, balance and clarity still inform my ways of being and doing in my business, I am not perfectly consistent. I do at times get stuck, procrastinate or work in a way that is not balanced for me. The main difference now is that rather than being derailed I experience more of a wobble. I notice quickly that I may be going off track and can refocus and draw on my resources to successfully meet the inevitable challenges again and again.
Would you like to partner with me to clarify your business values, vision or goals? Are you feeling stuck on something and want help getting clear on what is next for you or your business? Please check my calendar for availability of introductory coaching sessions, or reach out via the Connect page of this website. Let's see how coaching with me could best support you.
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