What Am I Doing?

Signals from Diann S Cannon, Personal & Business Coach What Am I Doing? Have you ever found yourself working on several tasks at one time but not getting any one of them finished? For example, you start out the day with a mental list of things you want to accomplish. You begin by sorting through that pile of papers that's needed attention. You find a couple of documents in there that remind you to create a file for your newest client. While reaching for the manila folders, you remember that you still need to send a thank you note to Sam for the referral. You pull out your stationary and hear a dog barking and remember that you still have to call the vet about getting a refill for your own pet's medication. When you reach for the phone, you see the list of people you need to call, which is what you told yourself last night would be the first thing you were going to do today. If this sounds familiar my friend, you have just DRIFTED WITHOUT A PLAN. Most of us have experienced episodes like the one I just described. You begin working on something and then find yourself going on to the next project without ever completing the first. For many of us, its possible to get so removed from the original task that we have to stop and just take a moment to remember what we were working on in the first place. This can be very frustrating when we find ourselves doing a little of this and a little of that but not getting any one particular thing accomplished. Ah, such is the world of the creative person. Many business owners are very creative people, even visionaries. They see the world in pictures and vivid colors. Creative people typically dress with flair; their homes and offices are often decorated well with a distinct style. And creative people are the inventors of the world! They are the entrepreneurs, writers, designers - you get the idea. In short, they are you. One of the disadvantages of being creative is having so many ideas and not enough time or wherewithal to accomplish them. Bored easily, creative people are the ones who come up with the fabulous idea but who have already moved on when the idea is ready to be implemented. So, one of the challenges creative types face is the ability to focus and hang in there even after something else captures their attention. They need a plan. So let's talk about what can be done to harness that creativity and make it a bit more productive. One of the tips I've shared with clients in the past is to make an "idea file". Basically, this is a place to store all your ideas. You guessed it; this is also the place to retrieve your ideas. You jot down an idea that you don't want to forget, put it in a safe place and take it out when you're ready to work on it. So next time you come up with a million-dollar idea while you're having coffee with a friend, write down your idea on a napkin and bring it home to your idea file. One of my clients took this idea a step further. Being very creative and artistic, she needed the file to be as attractive as her surroundings in order to use it. She decorated the outside of a box with pretty paper that matched the d