The last few days my client has been me (well, ColorMetrix, the company I own half of). It’s felt like the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) work I’ve been doing on the website has been very slow going. I stopped and asked myself if I was the client, would I accept being billed for all the hours put into the project? I didn’t like the answer.
Reality Check. It wasn’t that I was slacking. I was getting the work done and I came up with some pretty good new keyword combinations for us to use. I just was not happy with my own productivity. I needed to kick my own ass.
Changed Gears. Instead of continuing to be frustrated with myself I set the project down. Sure, I could have powered through and if there was a real deadline I would have. Instead I shifted focus to a couple other projects that had deadlines. Over the course of the day I was able to move both those projects forward and to a point where I’m waiting for input from others.
Sink full of dishes. Have you ever looked at a sink full of dirty dishes and been overwhelmed? Me too. I play a mental game with myself and say OK, I’ll just wash two or three and that way there will be less here next time. Next thing I know the whole sink full of dishes is washed. If you are working on multiple projects, there has to be one that’s got a few easy items you can spend a few minutes completing. Not only do you have a little forward progress, but you’ve also got your brain to stop thinking about being stuck on whatever it was that had you stuck to begin with.
Fresh Start. Tomorrow I will pick the SEO project back up (or not, there’s no hard deadline). My head will be clear and I’ll bang it out. For me it feels like sometimes taking the path of least resistance, to get your momentum back, is OK. Make sense to you?
Any tips and tricks you use to get unstuck that you’d like to share?
It’s a great suggestion, Jim. You can also make sure the stack doesn’t get any higher, by promising yourself, “for every new dirty dish I put in I have to wash two.”
Any little method that helps you chip away at a big task can help.
The brain is a pretty easy thing to fool if we put our mind to it. 🙂
Your ‘two or three dishes and soon the whole sink is done’ is my ‘two or three miles and the whole run is done’. Except sometimes (today, for me) that doesn’t even work. It’s the equivalent of saying no to some of the engagements you are asked to attend. We can’t do it all… sometimes I forget that. I enjoyed your post Jim. I often wonder how you accomplish all you do… you must work 20 hours a day!
Love the sink full of dishes idea! I will often chunk the dishes into small, medium, large or even bowls, pots and pans, silverware – in order to get them done. 🙂
As always, if you need any SEO assistance, just let me know!
hmmm, you mean like the four weeks of time sheets
I have to do before I can start vacation tomorrow? Or, the empty blog post that
I am staring down right now? I have no idea what you are talking about 😉
Sink full of dishes is your next big blog post! Great stream Jim.
Annie, On the days it doesn’t work know this “you are exactly where you are supposed to be.” Doesn’t work does not have to be considered failure, at least not in my book. 🙂
Yes you do 🙂 Enjoy your vacation Sue!
Another great idea, thanks for sharing. Categories is always a good way to break down a bigger problem.
As the guy who owns a restaurant or 4(?) seems like “Sink full of dishes” would be a great title over on jsorge.com 🙂
This is great advice for work and life. Thanks for the blog post Jim!