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How I Changed My Ways.
I took a long look at myself and my process and saw that both the multitasking and perfectionism were linked to fear. The multitasking extravaganza that I'd get caught up was procrastination disguising itself as "relaxation" or "broadening my learning". And the "wait until it's perfect" syndrome was yet another let's-put-it-off behavior. And their link to fear? Plain and simple. "Will it be good enough?" "Will I look like an idiot" "Will anyone actually learn anything from what I'm putting out there?" "Will it get read?
So what I did was I moved the 1000 pound gorilla from my creative doorstep. I put some balance in my life -- a little multi-tasking, a little relaxation on perfectionism -- not too much on either one that I'd wonder who was living in my body, but enough to give me the space, the mindshare, to create and deliver on what I wanted most. And I did it by using the same advice that I offer to my clients.
About Multitasking...
I set up a work plan at the end of every day for what I planned to accomplish the next day, right down to the time I anticipated it will take to complete each item on the list. I didn't pack in too much and I left some wiggle room for my forays onto the Net and for reading and responding to email. To this day I have stuck to this plan and it continues to work beautifully.
I put a workout/blissed out schedule in place by working out/doing Yoga in the morning BEFORE I started work and meditating at night before going to bed - so that it took place AFTER work.
I arranged a support system with my MasterMind partner (yes, I have one. Works great. I highly recommend getting a colleague/friend or whomever to partner up with you for your personal support system). I told her what I'd be delivering on and when, and then either talked with her or sent a note at the end of each week outlining my progress. Having someone you've agreed to check in with is always a great way to keep on track.
About Perfectionism...
I took a close look at myself. First off, recognizing that perfectionism (or whatever else might be standing in your way) is the show stopper is the first step. Awareness first, action second.
I made a conscious choice and stuck to it. I made a choice to relax about it. I mean, what's the worst case if the website for the podcast still needed back-end work (that, by the way, no one could actually see). And what if the color on the header wasn't the exact green and couldn't be changed for a week. Would anyone, except me, ever notice that? Oh, I doubted it. Funny thing about conscious choice - if you're choosing for yourself (and not because someone else thinks you should), it's a lot easier. So I made a choice to have it all be alright. And then I did some deep breathing and a little meditation to seal the deal.
Follow-up. My weekly podcasts came to life on June 9, 2008. The launch of the early website came a month later -- the interim site while the major overhaul of The Women's Edge in Leading site was taking place. And now that vision, that epiphany, that I awakened to many many months ago came to life in November and the new, totally overhauled site complete with just about everything I had envisioned for that first phase launched in all it's glory! A vision realized. I could not have done it without my plan on the two fronts..multitasking and perfectionism.
I still multitask, but it's under control. And I still like perfection, but I'm finished having it hold up my visions. I no longer wait for flawlessness; because that state just doesn't exist in my world. Balance prevails!
(C) 2009 Denise Brouillette, San Francisco, CA. All Rights Reserved.
Denise Brouillette is the president of The Innovative Edge LLC and The Women's Edge in Leading.
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