Last week our son was unscheduled so he and I tackled some projects around the house in between my work commitments. The result of one of our projects? — A porch-full of items for charity. I wanted to get rid of that stuff for a long while. But last week it was like a fire had been set under us. Why the change in attitude about getting started?
While working with a client, we tackled an office project that had been weighing on her mind. As we worked on it, she looked at me and asked, “Why is this so much easier when you’re here?”
In both cases the reason we had so much success is because there were two of us.
Facing a Deadline with a Partner
When you have someone to back you up on a project, many of the roadblocks disappear. With a project partner you have someone to bounce ideas off of, to keep you focused, to take momentary breaks with you to restore your energy, to think of strategies you may not have come up with on your own, and to hold you accountable for your choices.
As connected as we all are electronically, I still see people every day struggling to forge ahead with tasks or projects with little or no support. Posting a quote on Facebook is easy. Confiding to someone about project struggles or the frustration that comes with procrastination when a deadline approaches takes more guts.
Like that philosopher’s quote, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” Of course it does.
Even if you are the only one who knows that your project is looming and not yet started — procrastination exists and suffering results.
If you’ve been putting off a project and it’s eating away at you, get some help. Find just one person you can trust and ask them to be your accountability partner or to brainstorm with you the best way to get started.
Pick your project or task. Pick your helper and take one step.