Monthly Archives: July 2018

The Real Costs of Procrastination

Most of us do at least a little of it every day.

Procrastinate.

We tell ourselves “I’ll get to that later” and most of the time we do.  But what happens if we don’t?  What if we procrastinate too long?   What are the costs?

We try to convince ourselves that there’s little-to-no cost of procrastination, but there can be significant costs, some very tangible, others more subtle.

Relationships:  We’d like to think that the people closest to us know we have only the best intentions when it comes to follow-through, but what about the every day costs to our relationships that procrastinating causes? The partner that agreed to pick up the dry cleaning on the way home and procrastinates until the cleaner is closed. The parent who agreed to bake for the school event and procrastinates until it’s too late and disappoints their child by providing store-bought treats instead of the home-made they’d promised their classmates.  The friend that promises to make a dinner reservation for a special event and procrastinates until the restaurant can’t accommodate the request.  Yes, these are all small things, but significant in relationship-building.  Cost of procrastination:  Trust.

Health:  As a breast cancer survivor, I am keenly aware of the cost of putting off health-related appointments.  Regular health screenings and preventative maintenance, like flu and pneumonia shots, are critical to our well-being so they shouldn’t be put off.  Use whatever strategy works to get things done: schedule mammograms with a girlfriend then go to lunch; schedule all the appointments on your birthday as a gift to yourself; schedule a massage or a round of golf after all the appointment are complete.  You get the idea, whatever works to motivate. Cost of procrastination:  Poor health.

Household Chores:  I don’t know anyone that likes to clean the gutters.  Cleaning gutters involves a ladder, dragging it around the house, possibly getting on the roof (I recommend hiring an expert if your gutters need to be cleaned from the roof or if the ladder is too high), and smelly, wet leaves.   And, as gutter-cleaning procrastinators, we generally end up doing it in the rain and at night since  that’s when we notice that the drainpipes are overflowing.  Wouldn’t it have been much easier to have cleaned the gutters on a nice, sunny Saturday before the rain starts?  From personal experience, I can tell you it is.  And it’s not just gutters we need to worry about.  Not cleaning furnace filters will result in reduced productivity and higher energy bills.  Not cleaning the dryer vents may result in a lint fire.  Not checking the water softener will result in spotty glasses. The list goes on and on.  Cost of procrastination:  Stress, money, and safety.

Home/Car Repairs:  It’s a fact of life, things break.  Whether it’s the toaster, the sink, or the car, stuff just happens and we have to deal with it.  The cost of not fixing or replacing a faulty toaster could mean no toast in the morning or getting shocked while trying to retrieve the toast with a kitchen fork (strongly NOT recommended!).  The costs of not fixing a leaky sink could be just a minor annoyance to extensive damage to flooring, cabinetry or walls.  The cost of not addressing squeaky brakes could be devastating to the safety of ourselves and our loved ones.  Cost of procrastination:  Money, major home/car repairs,  and safety.

Organization (my personal favorite):  According to a study conducted by a Boston marketing firm, the average American burns 55 minutes per day – roughly 13 days a year – looking for things they know they own but can’t find.  Disorganization manifests itself in many ways:  wasted time because we can’t find things; finance charges because we didn’t pay our bills on time; late fees for not returning a library book or DVD; money wasted replacing things we already own because we couldn’t find them when we needed them; and trust because we didn’t finish a project on time due to dysfunctional time management.   Being organized means we can find things when we need them, we can do the things we need to do when they need to be done, and we can get the places we need to get on time.   Cost of procrastination:  Time, money, and trust.

Wills:  Not that any of us want to think about it, but at some point, our earthly possessions will need to be passed on to someone else.  It’s true, as cool as our stuff is, we can’t take it with us.  Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we had some say in where our cool stuff went?  Well, that’s what wills  are for.  A number of surveys recently showed between 55% – 64% of of  Americans had not written their wills.  That number doesn’t surprise me at all.  It should, but it doesn’t.  None of us want to think about death and dying, but it is irresponsible to our loved ones not to take care of this important process.  Cost of procrastination: Money, Relationships.

Financial Planning:  Detailed and thorough financial planning is critical to our long-term well- being.    When we are in our twenties and thirties, we can’t see past a new pair of jeans, let alone think about planning for our retirement.  Those days just seem too far away, but it’s never too early to start planning for our retirement. What’s the benefit of starting early?   Using the compound interest calculator, I wanted to see how much a relatively small investment could grow over time.  I started with $1,000 and estimated that I’d put in an additional $50 per month (about 10 lattes with a generous tip) and calculated the growth over 10 years at a 5% interest rate.  What would I have at the end of that time period?  $9,175.63.  Change it to 20 years and the number becomes a staggering $22,492.87.  Amazing what a little planning and discipline could do for our long-term financial well being.  Cost of procrastination: Limited Retirement Savings, Reduced Retirement Enjoyment.

Taxes:  According to a CBS News post, the cost of waiting until the last minute to file income taxes costs on average an additional  $400.  It’s not that we can just choose to not pay our taxes by April 15 (give or take).  (Well, some folks may, but I’m guessing the cost of that decision is much greater than $400.)   We are just delaying the inevitable.   If we thought we were getting money back on our taxes, we’d be Johnny-On-The-Spot when it came to filing our taxes, right?  Not necessarily. Procrastinators are procrastinators, and whether we think we are getting money back or having to give Uncle Sam money, we generally wait until the last minute to do it anyway.  In addition, the extra $400, the stress of not knowing takes a tremendous toll.   Cost of procrastination:  Money, stress.

Business Costs:  A 2012 CNBC post identified the cost of procrastination in business as being a staggering $10,396 . . . . per employee . . . per year.  Wow!  The article referred to procrastination as “the most invisible cost in business today.”  I don’t doubt it.  When I worked in “Corporate America,” I surely procrastinated a bit on projects that I knew needed to get done, but I just didn’t feel motivated to do.  Why did I procrastinate?  Generally, I felt I didn’t know enough about the project to get started, didn’t feel I had the appropriate resources to get the project completed, or just found other stuff that was more fun to do.  Cost of procrastination:  Money, Credibility, Possible Promotion

Insurance:  After procrastinating on the project for a couple years, we went through a comprehensive analysis of our home insurance needs.  After extensive research, we found an amazing insurance package that was far less in cost with far more coverage.  Had I gone through the process a few years earlier, we would have been able to save several thousand dollars AND had more extensive coverage.  It sickens me to think of what I might have been able to do with that money. The same goes for renewing any kind of insurance:  auto, home, personal liability, health, etc.  I worked with a client several years ago that hadn’t done a detailed review of their business auto insurance in several years.  After an analysis of their coverage, it was determined that two of their vehicles hadn’t been included in the policy.  Can you imagine the cost had there been an accident with one of those vehicles?   Frightening.   Cost of procrastination:  Money, Peace of Mind, Liability

Fortunately, procrastination can be managed.  It requires scheduling, initiative, and a drive to do better, but it can be done.

The best way to stop procrastinating?  Just get started.  Starting small will provide the momentum to finish.  Unfinished tasks are uncomfortable for us.  Once we get started, we have the drive to finish.

 

Cindy Jobs, COC, ACC

Looking for more information?

Click here for 15-minute organizing tips.

 

 

 

 

www.organizetosimplify.com

 

 

 

National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter Vice-President

 

 

 

International Coach Federation

 

 

 

 

Professional Resource Member

 

 

 

Coach Approach for Organizers

 

 

 

 

Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.

Level II Specialist Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD

Time Blindness

Today.

Tomorrow.

Next week.

Next month.

Now.

Never.

Time Blindness:  The lack of awareness of the passing of time.

Although I work primarily with clients that struggle with ADHD, almost everyone has struggled with time blindness at some point.

In this 7:38 video about ADHD and time blindness, Dr. Russell A. Barkley highlights a few key points about time blindness and ADHD, but I find them universally applicable:

“What is the purpose of the frontal lobe to humans?  It is to organize behavior across time in anticipation of what is coming at you.  The future.”

“Now is more important than what you are holding in the future.”

“The further out the event lies, the less they are capable of dealing with it” (speaking of people diagnosed with ADHD).

What does time blindness look like?

  1. Company is coming in three weeks and there is a laundry list of things that need to be done. But, it’s three weeks away, so what’s the hurry? Time blindness convinces us we have plenty of time, but when the company is two days away, there literally isn’t the appropriate time to prepare. Shoot!
  2. You need to pick up the kids from soccer at 4:00. No worries, it’s only 2:30 and we just need to check e-mail.  And Facebook.  And the new deals on Zulily. “This will only take a few minutes.”  Well, an hour and a half later, you are now late to pick up the kids.  Dang!
  3. The sprinkler system needs to be shut down for the winter. No biggie, it’s September. I’ll call “next week.” “Next week” turns into October, then November, then December.  Now the shut-off is buried under 2’ of snow, the service provider is shut down for the winter, and the pipes may have already frozen. Fingers crossed.

What are the consequences?

  1.  Not putting our best foot forward.  Being unprepared.  Panic.
  2.  Letting down family, friends, and colleagues. Shame. Guilt.
  3.  Expensive repairs. Frustration.  Anxiety.

What to do?

  1. Use a calendar. Keeping important appointments and dates in our heads is a recipe for disaster.   Invest in whatever type of calendar works for how your brain works, then ensure all important dates/times are noted, with appropriate reminders (1 week before a birthday, 30-minutes before a conference call, etc.). Be sure to break down big projects into manageable steps and put those steps on the calendar.
  2. Set timers. Transitions are hard, but especially hard if we struggle with ADHD, so set timers for any situation where an important transition needs to be made: leaving for work, picking up your kids, departing for a flight. You get the picture.  If it’s important, set a timer to ensure follow-through.  Use any timing device that works for you: timers on the microwave, timers on the oven, timers on your phone, timers on your watch, and my personal favorite the Time Timer.
  3. Take into account whether or not other people are involved in the process. If someone else needs to be involved, be respectful and conscientious of their time also.

I’ve found the most important investment my clients can make to assist with time blindness is a bunch of analog clocks.  There is an innate difference between seeing time pass on an analog clock vs a digital clock.  Ensure there is an analog clock anywhere a transition needs to be executed: any highly-trafficked rooms at home or work and especially in the car (a quick stop at Target is almost never a quick stop).

More great stuff on time blindness:

Dr. Ari Tuckman on Time Blindness

Zara Harris, MS, OT, on Time Blindness

 

Cindy Jobs, COC, ACC

Looking for more information?

Click here for 15-minute organizing tips.

 

 

 

 

www.organizetosimplify.com

 

 

 

National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter Vice-President

 

 

 

International Coach Federation

 

 

 

 

Professional Resource Member

 

 

 

Coach Approach for Organizers

 

 

 

 

Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.

Level II Specialist Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD

Project: Family Reunion

Our family just held our annual family reunion.  It was an amazing 3-day event with up to 60 people participating in the main event on Saturday.  Participants ranged from 7-months to 86-years old.  Pulling off an event of this magnitude with such a varying age range can be quite the feat, requiring a ton of planning and patience.

Here’s how we made it work:

  1. Select an event chair, or better yet, a couple of co-chairs to handle the planning and coordination.  Depending on the size of the reunion, you may only need one, but for 3-day event and 60 participants, it was great to spread the event coordination around a bit

 

  1. Decide on a time of year and venue.

Our reunion is always held around the 4th of July (easy travel for everyone, generally not a lot of competing events like there would be in the November/December time period, the weather is predictable, events can be held outside, etc.) and it’s always held at the same place.

Choose the venue carefully.  If someone’s home can manage it, great.  If you need to rent a space, be sure to get that done early.  If you are coordinating people from across the country, attempt to find a venue that is geographically central, not requiring people to travel too great of distances.

 

  1. Set up early and frequent communication.  The more communication there is around your family reunion, the better opportunity to get people excited and eager to attend.

If possible, include some fun stories and photos from previous reunions to pique people’s interest.

Be careful to include communication styles that everyone can participate in.  For example, although e-mail is efficient, not everyone uses e-mail.  If e-mail is your chosen mode of communication, make sure someone is assigned to pass on the pertinent information to those who don’t get e-mail. (My 88-year old Mom doesn’t have an active e-mail account so my brother prints e-mails for her.)

 

  1. Create a spreadsheet or mind map including everything that needs to be in place for a successful reunion.  Be sure to include:

Food:  Solicit volunteers to bring specific dishes or categories of food (i.e. appetizers, main course, vegetables, dessert, bread, beverages, etc.).  Solicit information regarding specialty food requirements, possibly requesting participants bring their own specialty food and beverages.

Games:  Solicit volunteers to manage entertainment for all ages.  For example, sidewalk chalk and bubbles for the younger ones, badminton for the older kids, and video games for all ages.

Functional needs for the event:  For example, determine who will be decorating, ensuring sufficient silverware/plates/glasses are available, making certain all the potluck food makes it to the serving table (we missed putting the Jello out one year and no one needs Jello for 60 after the event), managing the trash, locating the First Aid kit and sunscreen and bug spray and so on and so on and so on.

 

  1. Solicit volunteers . . . and lots of them. When John Heywood quoted “many hands make light work” he probably wasn’t thinking about family reunions at the time, but the phrase holds true.  Everyone (age appropriate) should be part of the planning and execution process.  Too few people trying to handle too many things may result in a less successful event, stress, and hurt feelings.

 

  1. Pack your patience and gratitude. Events of this magnitude can be stressful.  Chances are things will not go 100% to plan.  Dinner may be late, participants may not bring the items they committed to, children may not get along, etc.  Keep in mind the reason for the event . . . connecting people and sharing love.

 

  1. Be sure to take lots of photos. It’s possible the family reunion may be the only time some of the cousins, aunts, and uncles may see each other.  Photos are a great way to keep the connection after the event is over.  Plus, for events that are held multiple years, it’s fun to see how people have changed.

 

  1. Take lots and lots of notes. If there are plans to repeat the tradition, having notes from the previous year(s) will be invaluable.  How many adults/children were present?  How much of the main course was consumed? What other food was available? What beverages were available and how much was consumed? How many people participated in particular events?

 

  1. Ask for feedback. When holding any kind of event, it’s great to solicit feedback from attendees.  What did they like?  What didn’t they like?  What would the like to see more of? Less of?  Was the timing right? Was the venue appropriate?  Knowing what worked and didn’t work will make next year’s event that much more successful!

A well-planned and executed family reunion will allow you to create and rekindle connections, share experiences, and provide a base for ongoing commitment to family.

Cindy Jobs, COC, ACC

Looking for more information?

Click here for 15-minute organizing tips.

 

 

 

 

www.organizetosimplify.com

 

 

 

National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter Vice-President

 

 

 

International Coach Federation

 

 

 

 

Professional Resource Member

 

 

 

Coach Approach for Organizers

 

 

 

 

Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.

Level II Specialist Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD

 

 

Swim Lanes

I come from a family of swimmers.  At a point in time, all five of the siblings in my family were on swim teams.  I was the youngest at the age of six with my oldest brother being 14.  I can’t imagine the scheduling chaos in our family at that point time.

One swim meet in particular stands out.

It was early in my swim team career.  We were at an away meet and my suits had been forgotten at home.  My sister was six years older than me, but using her spare suit was the only option I had.  My mother jerry-rigged it the very best she could, but as you might imagine, it didn’t go well.

I was crying before I hit the water.  I was sure my suit was going to come off.  I couldn’t hold a stroke to save my life.  I was all over the place and ended up being disqualified because I wandered out of my swim lane and into the adjacent lane.

I wanted to give up.  I never wanted to swim another stroke in my life.

If I were to put adult emotions on my six-year-old self they would be:

  • Embarrassed
  • Frustrated
  • Disappointed
  • Humiliated

All because I wasn’t prepared and didn’t stay in my swim lane.

I experience some of these same emotions when I don’t stay in my swim lane as an adult.

What does staying in my swim lane mean?

Do what I am responsible for and what I do best.

Let others do what they are responsible for and what they do best.

Some examples of my swim lane restrictions:

  • In our household, everything that has a motor is the responsibility of my husband. I may pass on information like “this doesn’t seem to be working the way it used to.”  That’s it.  He gets to take it from there, I get to let it go.
  • I have been a long-time Board member of a local professional group. To that end, people send me requests and questions that do not pertain to my current Board position.   With glee, I pass them on to the appropriate individual.
  • As a coach, my clients open up to me about very personal things, sometimes asking for advice I am not qualified to give. I am not a counselor.  I am not a therapist.  When this situation comes up, it is helpful to know the boundaries of my swim lane and politely suggesting this is a situation better suited for their mental health provider.

What has embracing this swim lane philosophy done for me?

  • I’m not embarrassed when I offer solutions, even though I lacked understanding the big picture.
  • I’m not frustrated when I felt the need to meddle in someone else’s business when I wasn’t asked or invited (funny, most people would prefer I stay out of their swim lanes).
  • I’m not disappointed when my involvement in projects is not embraced.
  • I’m not humiliated when I’m told that my solution to their problem isn’t in line with their direction, desires, values, and needs.  I don’t always know best.

Although I do enjoy being helpful and supportive, being able to identify when I am wandering into someone else’s swim lane and stopping myself has been a blessing.

Thought:

Do what I am responsible for and what I do best.

Let others do what they are responsible for and what they do best.

Stay in your swim lane.

 

Cindy Jobs, COC, ACC

Looking for more information?

Click here for 15-minute organizing tips.

 

 

 

 

www.organizetosimplify.com

 

 

 

National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter Vice-President

 

 

 

International Coach Federation

 

 

 

 

Professional Resource Member

 

 

 

Coach Approach for Organizers

 

 

 

 

Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.

Level II Specialist Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD