It is well known that most of us will do more to gain pleasure than we will to reduce pain. If you look at what gives you the most pleasure, it usually comes from one of two sources, life’s simple pleasures (walking on the beach, a kiss, a hot cup of coffee) or the feeling that you get when you accomplish something (or that your life is on track). You see if you look at things like receiving an award, having a clean desk, or having a well kept lawn, they all start with the same thing… taking action.

The first category of actions coming from life’s simple pleasures are easy, these are things that you naturally love to do and that you will even go out of your way to get the feeling that comes with these pleasures. The second category of actions coming from accomplishment requires discipline. For example, if you allow your lawn to become overgrown with weeds and the grass to grow tall, you will not receive the pleasure that comes from having a well groomed and manicured lawn.

This same principle of taking action using discipline can be a boost to your career, and is largely responsible for the size of your bank account. If you are in the habit of doing only the easy things to get pleasure, then you will miss out on the second category that can be even more pleasurable and rewarding than the first category.

Jim Rohn says “Every Discipline affects every other discipline”, “Every let down affects the rest of your performance”

This compounding affect can bolster our careers and our lives or it can seriously disempower us.

Let’s take a scenario, one that is a little hard to swallow but will demonstrate this effect. You decide to stay up late watching a movie, you usually go to bed at 11PM but you stay up until 2AM. In the morning you are sleepy and need large amounts caffeine to get you going. You hit snooze on your alarm clock three times and now your running 30-minutes late for work. You skip your normal morning shower in order to get to work on time. On the way to work you don’t feel clean and fresh and you feel a bit worn down. Immediately when you get to work you are asked to go into a meeting, your clothes are wrinkled, your not fresh, and your tired. Your meeting goes lousy and you don’t have anything fresh to add to the conversation.

Lets take another scenario, this time you iron your clothes, pack your lunch, and lay out your clothes for the next day. You take a half-hour to read positive material before you go to bed at 11PM. You get up immediately when your alarm rings, take a hot shower and get a cup of hot coffee and a small bagel. You leave slightly ahead of time because you know you have an important meeting and don’t want to be delayed in traffic. You feel great and are listening to great music all the way to work. You go into your meeting freshly showered, alert, and feeling great. It’s a tough meeting but since you feel well you contribute to the meeting and give them lots of fresh ideas that came to mind the night before when you were reading.

What a difference! And… what pleasure

Sometimes you must delay gratification in order to get this second kind of pleasure

Follow these three simple steps for getting what you desire

1. Create a mental picture of your outcome, what you want it to look like
2. Keep on track by doing what you know needs to be done in order to set you up for success
3. You must persist and follow through with consistent action

The mind can work in your favor if you can convince it that there will be more pleasure to gain by taking action than the pain that you will feel by not having taken action.

One more example, suppose that you want to finish an important report for work, right now in your mind this equals pain so you have been procrastinating. Let’s turn the tables and think of how this can be made pleasureable

1. Ask yourself, how can I do a great job on this report and enjoy writing it
2. You might get a raise or a promotion as a result of doing an outstanding job, this could allow you to
3. Take a vacation when your done
4. You can go on a cruise with the extra money that you get from your pay raise
5. Your boss will be more agreeable and pleasant because you did such a great job
6. You can sleep better at night knowing that your job is secure and that you are well respected and needed in your organization
7. You will feel great when the job is accomplished

I’m sure that there are more that you could add to the list. So start thinking ahead in your life, taking action on those things that can reward you and bring pleasure. Using this technique will bring a feeling of satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment into your life.

This article was featured in The Third Edition of the Carnival of Improving Life.

When you look back at my post on Don’t Rush Sex you will notice “harmony” among the items listed… PLEASURE. I think that most of us are pleasure seekers and these things make us feel good and feel good about ourselves.

Let’s create another list… a list of things that make us feel good… but requires effort on your part or that of others

1. Preparing a home cooked meal
2. Having all of your laundry done for the week
3. Driving a sparkling-clean car
4. Giving a massage
5. Cashing a paycheck
6. A hard day’s work
7. Posting content to your own blog
8. Teaching your child how to drive
9. Entertaining your friends
10. Getting a pay raise
11. Opening the mail and receiving a letter from your grandmother/grandfather
12. Learning to play your first song on the piano/guitar/favorite instrument
13. Having the dishes done
14. A well kept lawn
15. A clean office with all your papers filed neatly
16. Your work project completed and signed off by the customer
17. Your first commission check
18. Painting a portrait
19. Eating the first fruits/vegetables from your garden
20. Wearing a beautiful suit/dress
21. Flipping the tassel on your graduation hat
22. Writing a piece of music
23. Getting promoted
24. Going on (and enjoying) a vacation
25. Your well-groomed dog

Can you think of others to add to my list?

I have created a 25-page eBook that can completely revolutionize the way that you go about your day to get maximum productivity. All you have to do to get this FREE eBook is join my mailing list and it will be immediately available for you to download!

Have you ever noticed the things in life that you don’t want to rush?

1. Sex
2. Getting a massage
3. Having a glass of champagne
4. Your child’s graduation
5. Your favorite song, especially if played by a live band
6. Your morning coffee
7. Reading the newspaper
8. Petting your dog or cat
9. Holding your baby
10. Opening a gift
11. Driving your favorite scenic road
12. Taking a cruise
13. Eating out at your favorite restaurant
14. A long walk or bike ride
15. Listening to your child in a school play
16. Receiving an award
17. Taking a hot shower/bath after a long day
18. Your first date
19. Stargazing on a warm summer night
20. Watching your favorite TV show
21. The SuperBowl
22. Talking to your best friend on the front/back porch
23. Playing a game with your friends/family
24. Baking cookies
25. A spring baseball game
26. Grilling out (back yard BBQ with friends/family)
27. Playing guitar/piano/your favorite instrument
28. Watching soft rain fall
29. Watching school kids play at recess
30. Chatting with friends by the “water cooler”

Can you think of any to add to my list?

Today is a major holiday in the USA, and I will be enjoying the Easter Holiday with my family.

Whether you celebrate Easter, remember take some time for yourself from time-to-time.

May you have a wonderful day

Orin Walker

In my last post we talked about how that not finishing the small things can lead to actions (or lack of actions) that lead to negative feelings and results. In this post, I will provide five positive steps for getting things under control.

Reduce procrastination by chunking it down

It is often difficult to look at a mountain of work and feel like you can make any progress, however, it can be done if you can size it into workable chunks. For example, your office needs to be cleaned, you have let the little things pile up and you know it’s going to take several hours (if not days) to get it cleaned up.

Here you need to break the task down into bite size chunks

1. Take everything off the desk and put it into a cardboard box
2. Dust the desk
3. Dust the computer screen and computer case
4. Now begin by going through the box…
5. Wipe down all of the accessories in the box that belong on your desk
6. Sort the papers into three piles, throw away, file, and “take action”
7. Put everything in your throw away pile into the trash
8. Empty the trash can
9. File all of the papers in your “file” pile
10. Now take the “action” pile and work on any of them that can be done within 10 minutes
11. Take the rest in the “action” pile and put them in a fresh folder right next to your computer screen, so you can act on it as you go through the day
12. Reward yourself, you now have a clean desk. Continue to chunk down the rest of the major tasks that are required for you to have a clean office. If any one task seems hard, then keep chunking because you probably haven’t broke it down into a small enough sub-task.

Learn to face challenges by discovering where you are

Many times the scariest part of any problem that you’re avoiding is fear of the unknown. I have found that one of the easiest ways to reduce this fear is to “discover where I was”. For example, if your a student and you have fear of failing a class and so your avoiding going to class, avoiding your classmates, and avoiding doing homework because you know your way behind and so why bother?

You can help your situation tremendously by getting a clean full sheet of paper and writing the problem down at the top, and then write down everything that you can think of that can help you get control

I am afraid that I am going to fail my human anatomy class

1. I can find out exactly what my current grade is in the class, every test, every quiz, every homework assignment
2. Using that information I can figure out how high my grades need to be on the last tests/quiz and homework to pass the class
3. Is there any extra-credit that I can do?
4. Can I ask my instructor for extra time, extra-credit assignments, help, or recommendations
   (most teachers want you do well in their class)
5. Can I get a tutor?
6. Do I know anyone that can be my study partner?
7. How many hours a week will I need to put in to bring my grade up to passing?
8. Am I committed to finishing strong?
9. If it is too late, how can I keep 100% focus on the class and learn as much as possible so that when the next time I take the class, it will come easier for me since I will have already seen the material
10. How can I learn the material and have fun while doing it?

You can use this technique for facing your finances/credit, a bad relationship, a project at work, or anything else that you need to stop avoiding

Decide to decide

For you to decide, you need to write down all of the tasks that are pulling on you. These tasks swimming around in your head will drive you crazy! I recommend using a combination of a normal “To do” list and a “Today’s Tasks” list. You can learn how to use this technique by signing up for my email list. I will then send you my free eBook “How to Gain at Least 2 Extra Hours a Day” that breaks this process down step-by-step.

Once you have these tasks written down, you can use the technique I gave you the other day to decide which one do first, second, and so forth

1. How quickly can I implement the idea?
2. What is the value to my business, organization or life?
3. How long will it take to see results?

Take Action… Just Decide

It should be much easier now that you know what is at the top of your “Today’s Task” list. Now it’s up to you to take action, this often requires making a decision and then doing it. Going back to our example if your a student. At the top of your list, you probably have “Find out my current grades for all tests/quizzes and homework”. Now it has become much easier, you just need to find the resources to get the job done. Can you call your instructor, find them online, call your guidance counselor, or go to the school office and get a printout. Now TAKE ACTION, do what needs done! This will give you tremendous momentum and you will be doing the small things that are so important in being successful.

Staying Up

Once of the biggest factors in staying positive is not letting everything pile up on you. By chunking down your tasks, facing your challenges by discovering where you are, deciding, and taking action, you will put yourself in a very positive state. When you let clutter build up in your mind and in your environment you can become immobilized, but by taking the steps above, you can see that you are making progress and working out of your negative patterns. Then once you get rid of the things that are causing you the most grief, you can work on maintaining things in a good working state so that you don’t get so far behind and things don’t get so cluttered or unorganized

If you can think of any other positive steps that you can take for getting things done, please add them to this post by entering your comments below. I would love to hear from you.

In my post Finishing the Small Things we discovered how little things left undone compound on themselves and waste huge chunks of time because they require large amounts clean up when they finally reach critical mass.

There are additional problems in neglecting the small things; you’re thinking can lead to actions (or lack of actions) that ultimately lead to negative feelings and results

Five Negative Consequences of Leaving Small Things Undone

1. Procrastination

When things (bills, papers, tasks) start stacking up, it becomes easier to push these activities off to tomorrow. The shear amount of clutter in our minds and in our environment caused by putting things off can lead to avoidance

2. Avoidance

You begin avoiding the messes and unfinished tasks; this can lead to serious trouble. For example, if your needing to pay your bills, but you’re so overwhelmed that you won’t even open the mail, you may miss an important letter that may cost you thousands of dollars.

3. Indecisiveness

You ask yourself “How can I be expected to solve all of this? It’s so overwhelming!”, so you begin to avoid decisions. For example, you’re supposed to take the dog to the vet, clean the car, take clothes to the laundry, get gas in the car, walk the dog, cook for the kids, get a haircut, clean the bathrooms, and the garage, it’s a disaster. You can’t decide what to do, so maybe you sit on the couch doing a little of this, and a little of that, justifying why your not just doing it, and your kids get take out pizza and very few things get done. This can also happen in our business lives with phone calls, paper work, email, meetings and similar neglected items

4. Difficulties in making decisions

When you’re faced with a decision, what choice should you make? The mental clutter caused from leaving so many things undone erodes your decision making power. You’re just not sure which way to go, you want to prevent making a mistake (fear), so you do nothing

5. Depression

This is probably the biggest problem of all. Let’s face it; it’s depressing having financial, social (you forgot to call mom), physical clutter, and mental clutter blocking you. This leads to a state of shutdown. This immobilizing effect is caused from all of the above. The small things have added up and are affecting you psychologically

What positive steps can you take to work out of this negative pattern?

My next post will address these issues and provide useful steps for getting things under control

How many processes in your business life are completely undocumented?

This can be a real problem, especially if your in a leadership position.

Examples include…
How do you bill your clients?
What is your procedure for setting up a new hire?
How do you buy office supplies?

Step 1 - Think through the process

If you don’t have a formal system, then use the method for the way you normally do it.

Step 2 - Create an outline

Organize the major tasks, what do you do first, what comes next, and so forth

Step 3 - Do It

Do the task if at all possible, this way you can make notes as you go along. The idea here is to note the minor steps for you major outline, don’t write the details at this point, you don’t want to interrupt the flow of the major task. At the end of this step you should have your outline with minor steps filled in.

Step 4 - Fill in the Details

In a quiet place, take your outline and fill in the details. Specify how you do each item in detail. Don’t forget to document account numbers, passwords, phone numbers, and any other detailed information that you must have to complete the process. When your done with this step, you should have a complete detailed description of your process

Step 5 - Recruit a Volunteer

Find a volunteer that will run through the entire process with you looking over their shoulder. Don’t coach them or give them hints, they should only be stopped if they are totally off track or have no idea what to do next. Take notes during this step so you can refine your process. At the end of this step, your process should be able to be given to someone with reasonable skill to perform the entire task

Step 6 - Store Your Document

Your document should be stored on your computer or in your notes. But it will be best if it is published where others will have access to your documentation. Don’t forget to make a backup!

Step 7 - Revise It

Visit your document whenever necessary and keep it up-to-date; you can refine it further if needed.

By documenting your process, you now have a template for all of the key steps that you need to take. This information should be immediately available and will be extremely valuable. This can save your skin if you are ever unable to perform the process yourself. Consider whether you can delegate this task to an employee, temp, or virtual assistant to save even more time. Creating this process will boost your efficiency and free up more time for other important tasks.

Have you ever noticed how the small things add up? Bills unpaid, towels left on the bathroom floor, papers everywhere on your office desk, take-out cups from McDonald’s in your car, you get the point. What happens ultimately is that it starts to compound upon itself.

You can’t get to the other side of the garage to put something away because of the mess, so you just set it down. You can’t find your client’s file, so you just put it on top of the other papers you should have put away. Finally, it reaches critical mass, you have this big clean up job, it looks great, and your proud.

But wait… somethings wrong… Let’s just say that it’s your garage… how long did it take to clean it up? Hours? Probably

You still had to do all of the steps you should have done along the way but now they are all needing to be done all at once, and it takes a huge chunk of your time, so you put it off. The “project” now takes twice as long, because of this compounding effect.

The good news is, it doesn’t have to be this way. Just start taking the few extra seconds or minutes to finish what your doing. Hang up that towel so it doesn’t mildew, pay your bills weekly or bi-weekly, file or trash papers when your done with them, and when you get out of the car, take all of the trash in with you. These small actions that usually only take seconds will save you time. Huge amounts of time.

Whether your a business owner, manager, employee, or volunteer… you should evaluate your time in results

Here are three tips for deciding what ideas to implement

1. How quickly can I implement the idea?
2. What is the value to my business, organization or life?
3. How long will it take to see results?