I’m Having More Fun Getting Ready Than Going To The Party

Sometimes I hesitate to complete a project because I want it to be perfect.

I don’t want to be in the middle of running a workshop or a training program and then think of something I should have added. I’ve stalled out on completing some of my projects because I wanted to add or change just one more thing before I felt like it was good enough to launch. Sound familiar?

I’ve learned that when I keep changing my mind like this, I may be stalling because I’m nervous. Being nervous is normal, because you care about what you’re delivering to your customers. That’s a good thing, unless you let it stop you or stall out your progress. Whatever is holding you back, it can become frustrating and cause you to scrap something that could be really great.

I’ve found something that has helped me get beyond this habit of stalling, and if you found that you can procrastinate once in a while, maybe this will help you too. I put a reminder on my calendar one day a week while I’m working on a new project. The task is to ask myself, “Are you still getting ready to get ready?” In the notes is a list of projects I never launched.

Ouch.

Those projects (for various reasons) wouldn’t have the same impact if I were to go back and work on them again, so those opportunities…gone. I’m motivated to do what needs to be done so I don’t add anything else to that list.

Maybe this is your cup of tea, maybe not. But figure out where you may have built a habit of getting ready to get ready, and address it somehow. Do your best with your project, but don’t wait until it’s perfect. It’s not going to be. That’s an excuse.

Your customers are out there waiting for you. They need what you have created, and you could save someone time, energy, money, and in so many ways you could be making their lives better. So get to it.

Look at it this way. The sooner you finish your project and get to the party, the sooner you can start getting ready for the next one.