Singing the Mid-January Blues

It’s mid-January, and by all statistical reports, over 90% of us have already ditched our New Years Resolutions.
No matter where you are in the process, I think we can find a way to keep moving forward.

The short version of my article this week is this:
Goals are easy if you do something with them. So here is one occasion where you can FAIL MISERABLY and still be on track and doing good.

You may think I am oversimplifying things, but I beg to differ! Instead, I think we (and I certainly include myself in this) overcomplicate “stuff” by looking at the whole mess so long we never do anything about the mess.  Instead, if we just started doing something about it for ONE minute a day, we would see improvement from day one!

Help Me! I Am Drowning In To Do

Lately, when I enter my office, the first thing that hits me is paper! Paper everywhere. Paper in piles, files, on the floor, desk, chair, and the top of the file cabinet.

Each of those papers is speaking to me: ” Do something about me!”

So often, I want to turn around and head downstairs to watch any sport I can find on TV, but instead, I step into the frenzy and close the door.
That’s when the battle begins. My mind wants to freeze solid and convince me I will never get this all done, so why start?

But I know better! If I can pick up the first few 100lb pieces of paper (they feel that way!) and begin working with them, I get energized. Then, things start happening, and space opens up. Phil is on a roll!

I want to cheer you up by letting you know we are all in a mess together and offer you a couple of would-be/could-be solutions.

Failure – NO! Slightly Delayed Results

We all have things we have failed to do. Frank Garon, the philosopher, writes:

“Last summer, I went to the gym 3-4 times a week and worked out like a fiend. I was in the best shape of my life, and I knew it. But then I got busy and have only been one time in the past seven months. Now, I could obsess about that, or I can just chill the freakout and go to the gym tomorrow and do something about it.

I have things I’ve needed to do for months, still sitting on my desk. I can stop looking at this pile and DO something about it. I can listen to my motivational podcasts and give myself an instant boost.

In short, I can either cry about something, or I can fix it.”

The solution is not to stress out about what you haven’t done.
Rather, play some music you love, and do something about whatever still needs doing.

Make it a Micro-Habit

This month, we are spending the entire promoting what we call micro-habits. Micro-habits are tiny actions we take consistently over the course of several months, weeks, or best yet, a year. The results are stunning. I chose that word carefully because you will be amazed at the progress you make and the ease with which you make it.

Micro-Habits work. And they work every time you work them.

A Heap of Dust

Have you heard the story of a heap of dust?

Two men were asked to move a huge heap of dust. One man soon gave up, saying: “We’ll never move this! It’s far too big.”

The other man kept plugging away day after day, moving a little at a time. It seemed like he was achieving nothing, but eventually, the heap began to look a little smaller. Finally, he cleared the whole lot away and received his reward.

Like the pile of papers that slowly begin to disappear.

While we are talking metaphors, allow me one more.

The Woodpecker, The Tree, and Your Pocketbook

“Be content to chip away like a woodpecker at a problem, bit by bit, and eventually you will cut through the whole tree, and your problem will disappear. “

Your problem could be debt, so chip away at your debt by plugging the minor leaks in your finances that are draining your money away.

Perhaps, like me, you belong to several membership sites with monthly fees which you seldom, if ever, visit. Fortunately, you can solve that one minor leak in about 3 minutes. It takes a small effort to end your membership and put money back in your pocketbook.

The Second Solution

And then there is the sensible alternative – pay someone else to do it.

We did some landscaping last year. I dutifully purchased several landscaping books with the good intentions of pouring through the pages, coming up with a plan, and finally, putting in the time and sweat necessary to achieve the results we wanted.

Yeah, no. It did not work out that way. So instead, I hired a professional who already knows all that information and has all the right tools (and energy) to get the job done right. It was a win-win situation. Someone else prospered in their business which freed me to thrive in mine.

I heard the argument in my head that you might offer as well.

“Hey Phil, it would be good for you to work in the yard. Get your hands dirty. Workout while working.”

But honestly, with all I had on my desk, the yard (and there was a deadline to completion) was more about stress than creativity or pleasure. So, in the end, I saved myself the angst, and I can attest: it was worth every penny!

Act Before You Sleep Tonight

So, stop feeling down about what you haven’t done.
Either start fixing things bit by bit or pay someone else to do the job for you.

Before you head for bed tonight, commit to one micro-habit, and then don’t sweat it. Watch what happens!

And don’t forget to check out our micro habits on our website. It’s a great collection of ideas to get you moving – forward – one step at a time.