“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

~ Martin Luther King

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Getting It All Done… NOW!

“Too much to do and not enough time to do it” is an often heard lament from folks today. Plus, with technology and the faster pace of life, the expectation seems to be that we actually should be doing more in less time. Unfortunately, this perspective tends to actually get in the way of our getting things done because it throws us into the reactive part of the brain where procrastination (flight) or panic (freeze) is often the result.

In my own experience (and what I see in helping others) is that this often has to do with our thinking of all the things we have to do, and feeling overwhelmed. While this is understandable, if you would like to change your experience in this area, I have some suggestions that have helped me and others.

First, be careful of those words “have to,” because it means we have no choice. Having no choice is a powerless position that will trigger a brainstem response of resentment, if not outright rebellion. The truth is that there are only three things in life we have to do… we have to be born (we have no choice in that)… we have to die… and we have to live until we die. What if everything else was seen as a choice? You see, choices are made from the Neocortex, or upper 80% of the brain. If you really want to accomplish those things that are important to you (that you have agreed to do/chosen to do) then coming from this clear, confident, creative part of who you are will support this goal.

So, let’s assume you have a lot to do and you have now recognized that it is your choice as to whether you do them or not. Next, you want to shift from a perspective of “all I have to do” to “what do I want to do first?” The truth is that we can only do one thing at a time, and therefore, experiencing our “to do list” as a whole will almost always seem overwhelming, because it is impossible to do all those things at the same time.

Plus, often, once you have done one thing, the next thing seems more doable. This is the wisdom behind Dr. King’s quote that says, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase… just take the first step.” Some people can’t begin the journey until they have it all mapped out. However, sometimes we will learn things in step one and two that inform steps three and four. Given that we can only take one step at time anyway, how about seeing this step-by-step process as a gift that allows us to focus on the “now” without needing to have the future all figured out.

If you want a way to ensure that this step is the right one, here is a model that I have created.

• First, you determine that taking this step in this way makes the statement you want to make about who you are. In other words, “I am a person who deals with ______ by _______, and I’m proud of this self-definition.

• Secondly, make it a step that you would teach and/or recommend to someone you love if they were in the same situation. This way, love and wisdom are the energy for determining what to do.

• Of course, you want to have decided that this will be effective in accomplishing what you want to accomplish and creating the life you want.

• And, finally, that you have chosen to do this deliberately, or on purpose, rather than just finding yourself reacting in this way.

This is what I call the STEP model…

Statement
Teach
Effective
Purposeful

And, if you are willing to take the first step using this criteria, then chances are very good that you will be going in the right direction and getting things done in a way that enhances the quality of your life.

Take care and God bless, Dr. Bill