What an incredibly serendipitous synchroncity of experience I had yesterday - I'm still processing it.  Within the span of a few minutes I experienced a set of three misunderstandings, which turned out to provide exactly what I needed to solve a puzzle that led to the rescue of my ... Read the rest of this post

 It's Election Day in the U.S. as I write this, and it also marks the first time I've ever run for a "government position", as a supervisor on my little town's board, sort of like a town council.  This is the height of my political ambitions - I never would ... Read the rest of this post

   I just got back from a fabulous cruise (long story, but we didn't have to pay for it) where my husband and I had a dolphin encounter and parasailing experiences,  both of which we'd never done before and we absolutely loved.     During the cruise I had a lesson in ... Read the rest of this post

The 5 "G"s of a Strong September Start      Summer has had its unofficial end.  As many of you know, I took time off this summer to attend to some personal and scholarly initiatives, doing a minimal amount in my consulting and coaching business. It's paid off in that way, and ... Read the rest of this post

  Are you laboring under the belief that to get what you want you have to do everything by yourself?  Or that you can't afford to get various types of assistance to speed your results, as well as the probability of reaching them?     Most of us, whether we realize it ... Read the rest of this post

Planning, Made Easy, Quick, and Simple By Kerul Kassel (c) 2008 New Leaf Systems, Inc. January 2008 I know I'm not the first one to suggest that success is made much easier and quicker by planning your business and personal goals and following the plan. Duh, right? It's a straighter line to ... Read the rest of this post

All of my clients hire me because there's something they want they haven't  yet been able to accomplish on their own.  They know they need to not only do things different, but see things differently, too, they just don't know how.  Usually, they've focused on improving their time management so ... Read the rest of this post

As many of you know, I’ve just embarked on a doctoral journey.  I’m making great progress, and am learning oodles.  I’m blessed to have a wonderful “study buddy” for one of my courses.  (More about this important procrastination-busting strategy below.) A discussion with my fellow student earlier this week made me realize how grateful I was for our relationship.  Sometimes we take for granted the things that are working, right? 

PROCRASTIVITY TIP / EXERCISE

No matter what your goal or task, whether it’s a one-time project or a long-term habit you’d like to sustain - or anything in between - pairing up with a partner can mean the different between struggling, and failing, in frustrated isolation versus progress, success, and ongoing support.

Set up regular contact, whether through email, phone, or in-person.  Perhaps you’ll exercise together (I also have a buddy for this), or you’ll each be working on a long term career plan, or maybe just getting and keeping your email file system well managed.  It can be anything, personal or professional. 

Start by thinking of a few people to ask.   You want to be choosy about your partner, because a partner who is unlikely to follow through may bring you down with them.  You don’t need to have the same goals.  Though that can work nicely, pairing up is more about the support, accountability, scheduling, and goal-keeping that keeps you moving toward your objectives. 

Begin with a trial run of a few weeks or a month or so.  Establish how often and when (days/times) you’ll be in touch, and how long each contact session will last (it could be as little as 10 minutes or as long as an hour or more, depending on the goals).  Discuss how firmly you’d each like the other to hold your feet to the fire about your goals, but don’t berate each other - that will damage the relationship’s potential, and won’t do either of you any good.

During each contact session set goals to achieve until the next time you talk, recording them (in your computer or PDA, for the next appointment time) so you can refer back to them the next time.

You might have a number of different partners for different goals.  A couple of years ago I had 5 goal partners at once: one for working out, another for writing one of my books, a third for helping me improve my business marketing, and two more (we had a 3-way buddy system) to help me achieve a coaching credential.

Research does show that if someone else is holding you accountable to a goal you’ll be considerably more likely to follow through.

Try it, and email me about your experience!

Love, success, and happiness,

Kerul

Kerul Kassel, Author of Productive Procrastination - Make It Work For You, Not Against You and the award-winning Stop Procrastinating Now - Five Radical Procrastination Strategies To Set You Free

I don’t know about you, but for me it’s time to take a breather, to recharge and refresh.  But that doesn’t seem to align with being really productive, right?.  Ah, it does, though.  In order to be at your best, you need to occasionally get some distance an

Kerul Kassel, Author of Productive Procrastination - Make It Work For You, Not Against You and the award-winning Stop Procrastinating Now - Five Radical Procrastination Strategies To Set You Freed take a day, a week, sometimes more, to do very little, to not even think about those things that have you tense and frustrated.  You need this space - consider it an investment in your productivity, your business, your career, and your mental/emotional/physical health.

PROCRASTIVITY TIP / EXERCISE

Schedule a day (at least half a day, if the thought of a full day makes you too uncomfortable) of unwind time.  This is time alone, just for you, with no obligations, responsibilities, or tasks.  If your home environment makes you think of all you have to do, take a ride elsewhere. 

What you do is up to you, with these caveats: no artificial inputs - in other words, no tv, movies, videos, email, no books, magazines. etc.  Your brain needs to rest, along with your body.  This means less cognitive input.

Ideas: If you have a quiet park not far away, go sit on a bench and watch the clouds, trees, birds, etc.  Sit near a body of water and watch the water move.  Take a walk or bike ride somewhere quiet.  Go for a hike or take a canoe, kayak, or rowboat if you own or can rent one for a few hours (take water and a cell phone - be safe).  

Try it, and email me about your experience!

Love, success, and happiness,

Kerul

Some Inspirational Quotes

“People who cannot find time for recreation are obliged sooner or later to find time for illness.”  ~ John Wanamaker

“RECREATION, n. A particular kind of dejection to relieve a general fatigue.”  ~ Ambrose Pierce

Don’t be afraid if things seem difficult in the beginning. That’s only the initial impression. The important thing is not to retreat; you have to master yourself.- ~ Olga Korbut

 All difficult things have their origin in that which is easy, and great things in that which is small. ~ Lao-Tzu

Lessons from Natural Horsemanship

It’s not an obvious metaphor, but natural horsemanship carries some powerful themes of self-leadership.  I just returned from a 2 week course called “Liberty and Horse Behavior” at the Parelli Center in Florida, and while the name of the course doesn’t sound like it has much to glean in the area of unleashing one’s potential, the thrust of the 2 weeks was about how to be a better leader of yourself. Here are some of the major focal points:

* Observation - if we just have a result in mind and we don’t
  regard the always-present and ongoing feedback, including the
  small details, we end up in disharmony, conflict, struggle, and
  lost opportunity.  Potential-revealing angle: Closely observe your
  own mental and action patterns, and the choices you make based
  on those patterns.

* Positive Interpretation - it’s useless to observe if you don’t
  have a way to understand and interpret what you’re seeing.
  Your horse is never wrong, it’s just doing what it understands or
  feels safe enough to do (just like you!).  Potential-revealing
  angle:  stop making yourself wrong for your choices.  You made
  them based on your best knowledge, experience, and energy.
  Bashing yourself doesn’t put you in an inspirational mindset
  (just the opposite!) - which leads us to…

* Experimentation - “You have a 50/50 chance” of accurately
  interpreting, and then making a plan based on that interpretation
  that will work just as you’d like it to.   Participants in the
  course must have heard  this maxim 10 times each day.  Every
  moment provides a new opportunity to try again, and if the
  previous choice didn’t work very well, just try a new one this
  time.  Potential-revealing angle: this sustainable, forgiving
  strategy keeps you moving forward over the long-term.

* Another Parelli maxim is “Take the time it takes, so it takes
  less time.”  I found I really had to slow down to not only
  observe, but also allow my horse to take in the communication.
  While I went twice as slow in the actions, it led to understanding
  and results that were more than twice as fast as I would have
  gotten had I not taken the time.  What I was doing in that time
  was building my own and my horse’s confidence.
  Potential-revealing angle: Confidence is  rocket fuel for
  effectiveness.

* An effective Phase 4 - Phases refer to pressure.  Phase 1 is
  soft and subtle, the equivalent of a few ounces, Phase 2 is no
  more than 8 ounces, Phase 3 is a couple of pounds, and 
  Phase 4 is as much pressure as it takes to make the horse move. 
  I learned not to nag in Phase 2 and 3, but to hold a long Phase
  1, then quickly proceed to an effective Phase 4 if I didn’t get
  results.  It’s similar to my “Hire a Hit Man” strategy - you’re
  making it uncomfortable for the horse to do something other
  than what you’d like her to.  Potential-revealing angle:
  assign only potent consequences - and rewards - to help you
  (or others) follow through.

I was told by more than one instructor that I was nagging my horse (ouch!)  when asking her to back up or go sideways because I wasn’t using phases as  effectively as I could.  I was doing a disservice to both of us by not going to an effective Phase 4. Once
Venus understood that I was willing to use Phase 4, she soon decided to cooperate at Phase 1.

This week, when you find yourself rushing, pause to observe your patterns and then interpret them without judgment.  Experiment with new choices and actions, just for the sake of it.  What would be an effective Phase 4  for you to take sustainable action on your most closely held objectives?

I’m into my second week on vacation in Ocala, learning all about
horse behavior, as well as pattern change and learning itself (hey,
I’m fascinated by it), and having a fabulous time (and eating too
much!).  Here are some excellent quotes I found when I Googled
“quotes about learning”.

INSPIRATIONAL PROCRASTIVITY QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“Every now and then go away, even briefly, have a little relaxation,
for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer;
since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power.”
~Leonardo Da Vinci

“We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not
finding it than we do from learning the answer itself..”  ~ Lloyd
Alexander ~

As you read this, my husband and I and our two horses, are at the
very beginning of our vacation, a 2-week natural horsemanship course (see www.Parelli.com). Natural Horsemanship puts the dignity of the horse first, and is about developing a strong relationship of trust and partnership between you and your horse, so fear/intimidation tactics are entirely left out.  It requires that you respect your horse, and that your horse respects you.   It takes a little longer at first but you get much better results long term, and you have a horse that WANTS to be with you and is lively and fun rather than fearful/angry/explosive/catatonic. It’s a form of training in
self-leadership that’s really foundational, and is actually an
excellent model for how to relate to people, too!    I’ll let you
know what my top 3 lessons are when I get back! 

INSPIRATIONAL PROCRASTIVITY QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“Dignity and Respect has to do with what you are ready, willing, and able to accept within yourself and in accepting to be able to give others. It is your personal power to make a difference by being true to the best within you and letting that truth shine through your
words and actions.” ~ Gail Purcell Elliot  ~

“People who try to command respect are wasting their time. Respect can’t be commanded. It has to be earned..”  ~ Unknown ~

  Are you laboring under the belief that to get what you want you have to do everything by yourself?  Or that you can’t afford to get various types of assistance to speed your results, as well as the probability of reaching them? 

   Most of us, whether we realize it or not, make many self-limiting decisions based on a cultural notion of self-reliance.  We slog along, sweating and struggling to fill all the gaps and plug all the holes that are leaking opportunities, dollars, and profits, unaware that there’s a greater cost in not seeking outside aid of some kind.  Whether it’s a friend, relative, spouse, accountability partner, coach, independent contractor, or employee, be freeing up some of your time and energy for your strengths and gifts, you’ll enhance your results and reduce your stress.  You’re kidding - no  - fooling -  yourself if you think otherwise.  

   Every single client I’ve worked with has achieved something more/better/faster through delegation, sharing, hiring, partnering, or bartering.  You have to be smart about it, of course (and I’ll be offering a class on this through my upcoming Procrastivity MasterMind), but that’s easy once  you’ve given up the self-reliance notion.  I’d love to hear your stories.  Email me at [email protected].