Hi there and welcome to my chocolate chunk of NLP talk about action.
Why do I
call it a chocolate chunk?
It's because NLP to me is like a huge intensely
delicious bar of chocolate where even the smallest piece can satisfy and
change your life.
So let's take a bite now.
John Boyd famously said to be or to do and what we want is to always do.
Take
action because nothing happens without it.
But what if you're rubbish at taking
action?
How good are you at avoiding doing what you need to do?
Well I'm
amazing at it.
I can avoid doing stuff that I don't want to do by being
furiously busy doing lots of anything else and I can make excuses that are
pretty solid with no room for argument.
I can say that my avoidance strategy is
home to affection.
But why do I avoid doing some things?
It's an interesting
thing.
Sometimes it's because the task is just too big.
Overwhelming me to the
point where I just can't see how I can finish it.
So I don't start.
Sometimes
it's because I'm too scared that I'll get it wrong.
That perfectionist in me
can't accept anything less than a hundred percent.
So often I don't start.
Sometimes I've said I'll do something for somebody without realizing that I
have neither the time nor the skill to do it because I can't say no.
So I hide
and hope that I don't have to start or work myself into the ground to get it
done.
In fact avoidance is a very human condition and our busy 21st century
lives give us lots of opportunities to avoid doing the things that,
Well,
We want
to avoid.
It's not very useful.
So how do I get into a get-it-done strategy
instead of avoiding it?
Here are a bunch of practical tips to get you going.
Tip
number one,
As I've said,
Nothing happens without action.
It's the only thing that
makes sense.
So even the smallest bit of action can be managed in even the
busiest day and if you are filling your day with nothing,
Just do one thing.
Go on,
I dare you.
Tip number two,
The job's too big?
Well,
How do you eat an elephant?
One
bite at a time and share it with friends.
Break that mammoth task down into 15
minute chunks and get someone to share the task with you,
Planning more 15
minute chunks over a period of time.
It's incredible how quickly a big task
can be achieved using the 15 minute chunk method.
Tip number three,
Perfectionist?
Why not adopt the 80-20 rule?
If something is 80% right,
It's
right enough.
Okay,
Not great for health and safety but works for everything else.
Remember,
You can only be disappointed by your own expectations,
So be kind to
yourself and expect a little less.
You'd be forgiven of others,
Wouldn't you?
And
the final tip,
Number four,
Say no by saying yes.
Hmm,
So how does that work?
When you're asked to do something that you know you can't fit into your busy
day,
Say yes but tell the person what it will actually take for you to get it
done.
For example,
It might be it's going to take much more time than they expect
or it may mean that you'd have to leave something else not done that they're
expecting you to do.
They will either change the timescale to something that
fits you or realise that actually it's not right for you to do and ask someone
else.
But being upfront and candid about the true time and effort cost to you
will help others make the right decisions with you.
Avoidance can be
avoided.
So go on,
Do something different and go for action instead,
But only in
short bursts.
You don't want to overdo it.
Thank you for listening to this yummy
chocolate chunk of NLP and why not explore others in this collection,
Creating choice and compassion in your life,
One small chunk at a time.
