Ask yourself this….
How do you eat an elephant?…
It’s a big task, no?
A bit like that thing that’s been lurking at the bottom of your in-tray. Or the bottom of your to-do list. Or maybe, just maybe, it feels so big you’ve not even put it on your to-do list?
When you really think about eating that metaphorical elephant, there’s only one way that you can do it….
One bite at a time….
Obviously I would NEVER condone eating an elephant. They’re such beautiful, majestic creatures, don’t you think?
BUT if you use this analogy for those tasks that you know will take your business forward but you just don’t ever seem to get round to doing, then you’ll soon see ourself breaking that thing down into smaller, more manageable chunks.
And crucially, you’ll start TAKING ACTION.
It’s all too easy to put something that you know in your heart you need to do in the ‘too difficult pile’. But there’s a danger in doing that…
…You may never actually do ANYTHING about the stuff in the too difficult pile.
And if that thing’s going to help take your business to another level, then you’re doing yourself a massive disservice.
So this week, take just one elephant out of that too difficult pile and break it down into manageable, chewable, digestible chunks.
To get you started, here are some tips:
- Tell yourself that you’re a DOER: inspire yourself into action.
- Imagine the end result of tackling that thick-skinned, seemingly unmovable obstacle. How will you feel? What difference will it make to your life? To your business? To the people in your life?
- Scope out small, incremental steps for each piece that you bite. Keep it as simple as you possibly can.
- Take action, STRAIGHT AWAY, on one of those small steps.
- Keep it simple (complexity will likely stall your progress). And then keep going.
- Think about now, this moment. Not later today, tomorrow, next week. Just now. And focus on that first small step forward. And then the next. And the next.
- Keep moving slowly forward. Forward is still forward. Progress (even small progress) is still progress.
- Celebrate each milestone as a reward for being a DOER.
What’s your elephant this week?
Just imagine how you’re going to feel on Friday when you’re down to the last small chunks (or maybe you’ll have eaten the WHOLE thing).
Enjoy because that elephant could atually end up being quite tasty! And if you do this, your productivity will SKY-ROCKET.
Michelle x
PS: Want more tips like this? Sign up to my weekly email, The Quick Win, for a shot of inspiration into your mailbox at 10.00 am every Monday. Get ideas on:
- Improving your productivity when working from home
- Become a productivity ninja with hacks to get your mindset working for you
- Super-charge your productivity and efficiency
You can sign up here.
Unsubscribe at any time.