In our Academy Peak Performer’s group, the topic of throwing your hat over the wall without first knowing how you will get what you’re after came up. This bold act is the first step in what we call a “created future.” This is a future that wouldn’t otherwise exist, but for your vision of what could be in your practice and your life. What it isn’t… is a detailed plan on how you would get from where you are right now to that place.
Most of us have a laundry list of projects large and small that are the stepping stones to that shining future we see so clearly. The problem is that our perception of some of these projects or tasks, seem to paralyze our progress. We’re convinced many of them are too big or will take too long so we put them off in favor of other pressing engagements. Thus, the routine gets done and our invented future is put on hold.
One thing that occurred to me some time ago, was that many of these avoided projects simply need to be timed with a stop watch, to test whether they really were as time consuming as I feared. Like a scientist, I wanted to see if my emotional block to getting certain tasks done was unreasonable. Should I postpone doing A or B because they just took too long?
So one day I just timed everything I did during the day…amazing realization. Many of these tasks didn’t take anywhere near the amount of time I thought. Now, I can confidently know that doing this or that is really just a 5 minute or 7 minute deal. What an eye opener. I can’t fool myself any longer that it’s a big deal that needs to be deferred.
Let me give you an example. Because of our recent membership recruiting campaign, we are personally signing The E-Myth Attorney book as a gift for attorneys attending our Webinars. Each box has 20 books and in my mind I put off signing them because it took “so long.” Everyone was on my case about needing more signed books. “OK, OK, I’ll get to it.” I pulled out my iPhone, turned to the Stopwatch app and picked up a taped box of The E-Myth Attorney books. From beginning to end, 20 books out, 20 books signed, 20 books back in the box…a little more than 7 minutes.
Now, there is no way my mind can fool the clock. It’s still not my favorite task, but it’s not because it takes too much time.
Robert Armstrong
President and Co-Founder
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (800) 846-1555
www.aaepa.com
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