Follow It Through

Are there things in your life that just keep getting buried deeper and deeper? Are there ideas that just get put “on the shelf” until a more opportune time? It seems like there are lots of beginnings to things—ideas, dreams, relationships, business goals, personal goals—but then the enthusiasm winds down when the action, discipline and grit required to see it through become all too apparent. This becomes the breaking point of putting thoughts into actions. How badly do you want to accomplish your beginning? And then to see it through?

“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” — Zig Ziglar

Then, of course, “life” has a way of throwing lots of curve balls and surprises. Often we have to stop mid-stride and give our concentrated time and attention to the immediate. Have you ever noticed the energy and thrust you find within to handle the unexpected? Almost with little thought we react and tend to the task at hand, until we see it through to its completion, because we want life to get back to the normal flow as quickly as possible. It is amazing what we can take on in addition to our daily routine (which is often very full these days), when prompted by the unexpected.

Perhaps you want your “normal” to change a bit. Maybe you’ve gotten into a rut with your routine, and you’re bored but don’t know what to do to change it.

List the things you have been putting off or putzing around with—the projects you started but haven’t followed through on. Pick just one. List it as the “unexpected or urgent” category that has interrupted the normal flow of your life. Build your energy with the momentum needed to get it done now, and add the thrust that you would use if it was urgent. Yes, you will put other things aside temporarily as you seek to complete this mission. It is momentary. Once you finish, your “normal” might look or feel different in very positive ways.

Once you’ve picked one item to see through to its conclusion, list the steps you need to take to get there. Then, see if you can break it down even further. Now you have created your “to do” list. As you handle each task, check it off the list. You will already feel more accomplished toward the completion of this task as you can visually see what you are doing to get there.

“Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left you!” — themomhood.wordpress.com

I remember a time when my desk was “organized chaos.” I mean, I knew where everything was, but there was so much and I just kept touching the same pieces of paper over and over as I’d put them aside until I could tend to them. I tired of this time-waster and decided to stack all of my papers into one pile without regard to their perceived importance. I decided I would touch the papers only once now, starting with the first one on top of the pile. I wanted to get through the stack so I built my momentum by creating a sense of urgency for the one in my hand. Then one by one I made it through the stack. It was exciting to be able to throw several of them away. Some took longer than others, but I chose to see it through so that it didn’t have to make the pass again and again.

I have also used the method of separating items:
1) Urgent – do immediately
2) Important – tend to within a couple of days and
3) Necessary but not urgent – handle within the week. Anything that didn’t fall into those categories would get put in the “idea folder” or would be tossed.

Don’t overcomplicate the process. It becomes a barrier to pushing through more quickly. Break it down. Take one step at a time, and follow it through. How exciting—the landscape of your life is about to look and feel different!

“Follow through: the part of the swing that takes place after the ball has been hit, but before the club has been thrown.” — Henry Beard