I'll Write About Procrastination Tomorrow

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Okay. I’ll be real with you. I meant to start writing this post yesterday.

So why am I sitting here working under a crunched timeline? 

Well, because… I waited.

And why did I wait?

Allow me to answer that question, with a question:

Why, only in the last 24 hours have the pleas of my desk top, closet, and filing cabinets to be meticulously organized… become so darn…seductive?

That’s right – these are the ramblings of yet another unsuspecting victim of procrastination.

…or, the ramblings of the proud new owner of a client filing system that is color coded and alphabetized by middle name…depending on the way you look at it.

Procrastination is nothing more than borrowed time charged on a high interest credit card. It allows us to splurge our time on things that don’t need to be done when we can least afford it.

When the bill comes due we are left with two very undesirable options:

  • Scramble to make the deadline
  • Miss the deadline and pay the penalty

How do you stop procrastinating? Yikes…that’s a topic for another day…

Let’s start with the reasons why we procrastinate – Do either of these hit home for you?

  1. You are energized by the rush that comes from knowing you have to pull out all stops and accomplish something against an upcoming deadline.
  2. You are de-motivated with the work you are delaying. The job is big and feels overwhelming, you are not sure where to start, or maybe the work is dull and sucks the life out of you.

Knowing why you are procrastinating, naming it – takes away its power and will often enable you to take that first step.

Taking the first step means you are no longer procrastinating… you’ve started!

What project or task do you need to take the first step on today? Go ahead. Get started.

Take the Plunge - Delegate

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You are not delegating enough. Maybe you are afraid to let go of the work. Maybe you don’t trust anyone else to do it as well as you. Maybe since it’s a task you don’t like, you assume nobody could like it. But not everyone is you. Delegating can help your employees learn and grow. Handing over additional responsibilities can be a show of confidence, and allow your employees to rise to the occasion and shine. Set clear expectations for what success looks like, communicate any boundaries or constraints, and let them deliver!

Who can you allow to shine? 

Face it. You can’t do it all. And even if you could, would you really want to? Let’s dig into the first tip of 128 Tips to Make You a More Effective Leader and take a practical approach to moving through this obstacle.

Identifying what is holding you back from delegating can be the hardest step of the process. Looking inward can be uncomfortable. Being aware of your ineffective delegation habits is a great start. Now let’s get to the root cause:

 I have not delegated this because:

 If you can identify the why, you can then tackle how to delegate more.

Common examples:

  • I don’t trust anyone else to do it.
  • I can do it faster, better.
  • I can maintain control over it.
  • It’s boring and I can’t ask anyone else to do boring work.
  • Which one do you identify with?

Here is the thing – maybe you can do it better, faster. Maybe nobody in your office can be trusted. But if you hold on to everything, you fall behind, your performance may suffer, and nobody in your company grows. Set clear expectations for success, lay out a communications plan so you are not blindsided, and remind yourself that:

  • What you find boring, someone else might find fascinating.
  • What you are faster, better at, someone else might also be good at… or exceptional at.
  • What you can control by doing, you can manage by delegating.
  • When you can’t easily trust, you can put systems in place to mitigate the risks.
  • When issues arise, proactively address them and note the lessons learned.

You got this! What will you delegate today?

Hoping to sell your business one day? It may not be as easy as you think!

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Baby boomers reportedly own over 60% of closely held businesses today, according to the Exit Planning Institute. Most business owners have a significant portion of their total net worth tied up in their business and will require a successful transition to meet their future financial goals and objectives. The Exit Planning Institute conducted a study suggesting as high as 80% of these companies are not saleable with the team of advisors the owners have in place. As companies grow in size and complexity, often their advisors haven’t changed and thus may not be the right team of professionals for tax preparation, estate planning, cash flow analysis, exit/succession planning or wealth management.