[This is Part 2 of the “Get It Done Poorly” series. Check out Part 1 here.]
If you’re like me, sometimes the idea of what a completed task should look like is so overwhelming that you don’t get started.
In Part 1 of this series, I shared my struggle with event promotion. I finally got out of my over-complicating head and acknowledged that if I’m promoting an event, the bare minimum is to tell people the date, time, location, and subject.
Let’s say you’ve done that. You’ve given yourself permission to do an ugly, bare minimum version.
Celebrate that it’s done.
Feel the relief.
No matter what, you’ve done the bare minimum.
Let yourself feel really, really good about that.
Have you celebrated? Taken a deep breath and said “You DID it. Way to FREAKING go, it’s done!”?
Have you taken deep breaths, while smiling, until you feel pride and joy in your bones, because no matter what happens, you’ve already made progress? (I’ll wait. You really do need to celebrate this. And you deserve to.)
Good.
GREAT.
I’m proud of you!
And now, only now, are you ready to do a pretty version.
For promoting events, my “should” was always “send a beautiful newsletter announcement.”
But for someone with ADHD like me, there were big logistical and emotional barriers to sending a beautiful newsletter. The system was hard to use. I don’t find design and marketing interesting, and I’ve never been trained in them.
Before I gave myself permission to do the bare minimum, my issues with newsletters kept me from doing anything. I would guilt myself for procrastinating and shame myself for my lack of skills with newsletters.
Ultimately, I made one template for event announcements. All I had to do was paste the event information. A lot of permanent solutions are like this: a large amount of up-front work that yields continual returns in the future. But I never had time for this when I was already late on promotions. And I never had mental energy to build something new, because all my brain power was going to feeling or trying to escape guilt and shame.
So if I’d already sent that basic, basic email with the time, date, location, and subject matter? Awesome. I was over halfway there. I just had to paste the new event information.
What did it feel like you “should” do?
What was the original idea in your head?
Get started on that!
How I get out of my head and get started:
Set a timer for 12 minutes. It’s just enough time to get something done while still being a small commitment.
Anytime you feel overwhelmed, remember: The bare minimum is done. You have completed the assignment. Everything now is extra credit.
Try One Thing:
WORK FOR 12 MINUTES ON YOUR REALLY BIG IDEA
Related: When You’re Overwhelmed With a Task, Do the Bare Minimum
If you like setting a 12 minute timer, you might like the Pomodoro Technique.
Did you do a crap version of your task? Did you celebrate? Have you started your pretty version? Let me know below!
Kendall, you have created an empowering, easily understood window into the fact that most of the intimidating “big pictures” in our lives are nothing more than a bunch of smaller, manageable “little pictures” put together. And lots of the “ little pictures” are actually enjoyable and exciting when they are separated from the “big picture”.
Thank you for deconstructing a psychological “big picture “ and reframing it into an encouraging, actionable “little picture”.
Thank you for these kind words Hutch! Glad to be of help 🙂