Llamagraphics

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The word "done" was a nice heavy sound to it, like the sound of a door closing solidly behind you. Some people find this word satisfying and enjoy the clarity of turning off the lights as they head out the door. Others find the word "done" intimidating, like it might be the start of the word "Dungeon", and completing a big project is as welcome as being tossed in with a crust of bread and a little water.

A project in progress is exciting and energetic. There are friends and colleagues to keep up to date, things are happening! To check off a project is to let go of that energy. It can be scary to think that once a task or project is done, you might not know what to start on next. One form of procrastination, fretting and foot dragging can soon take hold in this scenario.

In one example, you might imagine your response to the question, "Do I really want to retire?" Perhaps you would begin to feel nervous rather than happy and excited. What would you do instead? On a smaller scale, this is what some people face each time they decide that they are done with a task or project. They might ask of themselves: Am I really done? Is there more effort needed? Is it perfect enough? Can't I just keep doing this? Is there some part of this that I still enjoy and want to do? What if this is not working for me? What else could I do?

Many of these questions can be valid ways to tackle change. They are good launching pads for making adjustments, or for starting in on something entirely different that might work out to be better. They can be useful self assessments when looking at the big picture. On the smaller scale, though, if finishing up any task causes a similar moment (or more) of hesitation, it quickly deteriorates into a less useful behavior of self doubt, fussing and inaction that can cut into your productivity and enjoyment of life.

One way to improve your mindset about moving from one project to the next is to visualize that checking off a project is simultaneously closing a door and lifting the sash of a window. It happens immediately and effortlessly. When you check off a project, that feeds back into the rest of your situation. Whenever anything is done, it is time to prioritize everything else that remains. Gently shift your attention among other tasks on your list that contribute to other projects. Lift up the next items on your to do list to match your desired focus for how you want to spend your time. You'll spend less time wondering if what you are doing is what you intended. You'll be less uncertain about whether or not you are on track to reach long time goals. This means less flailing, less reluctance to complete a project, more of what you meant to do in the first place. More tinkering with how to make stuff happen. More acceptance of changing situations. More flow among your projects, and yes, more "done" over the long term.

Shift your thinking to step from project to project in a continuum of activity. How unlike a simple check mark on a piece of paper! How unlike an ordinary to do list, where the check mark lands with a heavy clunk marking the end with a leaden "done" with no corresponding zip and vitality to motivate you on to the next beginning!

Even when you reach a long term goal, you are not stuck. The next task or project is lined up eagerly waiting for you to bring its fresh energy forth! Completed tasks are not just "done" but continually sending you cheerfully forward to stay in alignment with the grander scheme of what you are "doing."

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Copyright @ 2010, Catherine E. White, permission is granted for this article to be redistributed and shared with others in its entirety as long as links and attribution are maintained.
Catherine E. White is president of Llamagraphics, Inc., developer of Life Balance™ software for Mac OS X, Windows, Palm OS and iPhone. Life Balance provides a structure for your goals, projects and tasks that is priority driven, so you can to make better decisions about how to use your discretionary time. To learn more, please visit http://www.llamagraphics.com/

Stuart and I want to let our community know that we are in the process of testing some different ideas to see what will encourage more people to engage with the site in various ways -- most importantly we need to encourage casual or new visitors to the site to take the plunge to download the Life Balance software and get started on completing their tasks, projects and goals!

Our team - Summer of Spinnakers!
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Howard, Edgewood Sailing School

This summer, Stuart and I decided it was time to learn how to use spinnakers, those puffy colorful sails you see in front of a sailboat heading downwind. This is a challenge! Do it wrong, and the spinnaker will quickly get tangled up in some kind of maddeningly twisty way. But when you do it right, the spinnaker sails are just pretty and fun.

Well, I am happy to say that we have become reasonably competent spinnaker sailors – and, of course, we used Life Balance to steer the course.

What about you? What has Life Balance helped you accomplish this year? Did you finally learn to play the flute? Did you spend more time with your friends? Did you remodel the guest room? Was there a triumph at work?

Tell us your story by Dec. 1, 2009 and you could win a $50 iTunes Gift Certificate.

We love to hear your stories when you get in touch with us throughout the year. So as 2009 draws to a close, we want to help you celebrate the goals Life Balance helped you achieve this year.

Take a moment to shine. Before you start thinking about all the ways you want to improve in 2010, reflect on your accomplishments. Then tell us about them.

Send us the best of your success stories in no more than 400 words. Shorter is fine! We will choose the three best stories to receive a $50 iTunes Gift Certificate to be sent to you via email.

We also will showcase your successes on our web site and in promotional materials in early 2010. Please also include a fun photo of you working on your project if you have one! That would be terrific!

Here are some questions to help get your ideas rolling.

• What was the goal or project that you set out to do?
• Who participated in the project, was it a group, business, family of solo effort?
• How did the project start, change, and unfold over time?
• Where did the project take place? Did you have to complete tasks in more than one location to accomplish your goal?
• When did you complete the project and how did you celebrate when it was done?
• Why was the project significant, what did it mean to you?
• How did it provide your life with balance?
• What value did completing the project bring to your life as a whole?

Here's how Stuart and I used Life Balance to learn to do spinnakers.

The project was very simple to set up in Life Balance. We set up one task, "Go sailing" which we set to happen routinely every three days with a lead time of 8 hours. We used a routine task because the schedule varied, and the activity was dependent on weather. The key to reaching our goal was to show up to our sailing school lessons consistently, and to have fun practicing even when things would go spectacularly wrong. We did our work earlier in the morning to make time available in evenings.

Once we knew what we were doing with the spins, it was easier to pick up the tempo. The finale for the season, and the point when we knew we had actually reached our goal, was that we got to race as crew with a seasoned skipper in a real One Design sailing race with about a dozen other boats. We didn't need to do anything complicated or extraordinary to reach our goal. The wind does what it does. You work with what you are given. Every time we got the spinnaker flying we felt like cheering!

And here is another example from recent email of the kind of thing that just makes us smile. It's delightful to hear about how members of our community have been putting Life Balance to good use:

“Life Balance helped me get on track with my goal of starting a business. It helped me make progress on that important project, while managing the other demands in my life: child rearing, home life and a full time job. Without Life Balance, my dream might still be just that (and I'd be wondering why I am a grouchy mess).”

To submit your story with your coolest accomplishment of 2009, send email to support@llamagraphics.com, with the subject "Reaching goals! + (my cool goal)"

We look forward to hearing from YOU!

Best wishes,

—The Llamas

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