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My cat Scooter enjoys his play time. One of his favorite activities is simply "chasing his tail." He will spin around to the right and then sharply back to the left going in circles in an attempt to catch his tail. Finally he stops and drops to the floor, tired and noticeably dizzy from this actions. His mission seems to never get accomplished though he really puts out the effort.
In life, you too can find yourself "chasing your tail.” Too often you may find yourself rushing from one falsely perceived emergency to another. Pulled to the right to address this challenge and then seemingly at the same time pulled to the left for another. Hour after hour and day after day you find yourself working extremely hard; but, at the end of the day not really getting accomplished what you should have or need to get completed. Finally you get to a point that you too drop, tired and physically exhausted from your all out efforts. You silently ask yourself, "What more must I do to get things done?" “I work hard but little gets accomplished."
Does this scenario sound familiar? Are you busy and working hard but at the end of the day finding that you are not accomplishing what you need to or want to accomplish? Don't feel bad. Unfortunately this is a very common reality. However, it is curable. The cure may sound simple; but, if you will follow its suggestions, you are destined to “catch” what you need.
First: Time management. Organizing your day is not that difficult. It simple demands that you decide what is important and then focus on getting those things done. Most often, there are normally three (3) key items to accomplish each day. Items that if complete will enable the next day and days after to flow smoother for you. Decide what those three are, write them down and keep them in front of you at all times during your day. Getting those key items complete will allow you to focus on other issues and will give you a clear sense of accomplishment for your day. As you master this concept, you can add more to your list but do your best to keep your key items to no more than five (5) for the day. This way, you will not press yourself into a stressful position and will continue to gain a sense of clear accomplishment.
Next comes planning. Planning is the most over discussed but underutilized benefit that life provides. Everyone talks about planning and even may prepare a great looking plan. However following that plan is another story. The real key is to keep your plan simple, precise, concise and condensed to a single page. In doing so you are able to keep the plan in front of you, understand what needs to done; and, are better able to execute your actions plans and strategies. Once you have your planning process mastered you will find that more and more is being accomplished and that "chasing your tail" feeling is beginning to fade away.
Finally, avoid the complacency trap. When success begins to come with your time management and planning, there is a tendency to become complacent. You may have heard the saying, "Yes, it worked so well that I stopped doing it!" That is the key: when you have things going, this is the time to improve on your success by debriefing results, changing processes, taking actions where necessary but continuing to follow the foundational truisms that brought success. Remember, complacency is just like any other addiction: it will destroy a business, a family or a career if left untreated. Don't let it get you when you are finally in control.
"Chasing your tail" may be a fun time for cats; but, it can spell disaster for most anyone walking on two legs. When you have control of your life and actions and understand what is truly important, you will be able to “cut the chase” and get busy addressing those critical factors for greater success and satisfaction in life.
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