Finally this past weekend I got around to doing two things on my Spring Cleaning list that I have been dreading . . . the garage and the kitchen cabinets.
If you are anything like me – these are the two things on the bottom of the list. I know now that these tasks wouldn’t seem so daunting if I had paced myself and done a little at a time vs. trying to tackle them all at once.
To be fair, I didn’t set out to or schedule these tasks, I kind of fell into cleaning while my husband was out riding his bike. And as I was trying a new Gluten Free bread mix, one thing led to another with the cabinets which inevitably led me to the garage and voila – I was on a mission.
This was the beginning of my 20 mile march. (more on this later)
The whole afternoon, as I sorted, sprayed, moved, dusted and organized, I realized that what I had been dreading for months wasn’t really all that bad. I’ll dare say that I even found myself enjoying the process of reclaiming my space. After a lunch break where I re-read an article in Fortune Magazine, my spring cleaning anxiety and procrastination finally came into focus and made me realize that there were lessons in all of this about business.
Let’s face it, every experience we have guides us in all our endeavors and use them to guide our decisions both personally and professionally.
These are 5 things I learned yesterday, while spring cleaning, that taught me a lot about business. . .
- Don’t over think what you need to do. As the Nike slogan goes “Just do it”
- Do have a system in place so that you don’t get lost in doing things that take you away from your focus task.
- Ask for help. Know your strengths and weaknesses so that you can bring on the right people to help get the job done.
- Have the right tools. Research and invest in what will help you reach your goals.
- Don’t be intimidated. As Jim Collins says in Great by Choice “We cannot predict the future. But we can create it.“
I hope these lessons help you as you face your “Spring Cleaning” / business challenges. Remember that insight often comes when we step away from fear and dive headlong into the commitment of now . . . every single day.
If you’re wondering what the ‘20 Mile March‘ is, I discovered Jim Collins and his book Great by Choice in the October 2011 issue of Fortune Magazine which explains that “Twenty-Mile Marching helps turn the odds in your favor for three reasons. First, it builds confidence in your ability to perform well in adverse circumstances. Second, 20-Mile Marching reduces the likelihood of catastrophe when you’re hit by turbulent disruption. Third, 20-Mile Marching helps you exert self-control in an out-of-control environment.”
If you are looking for a book to add to your summer reading list, this one is it.
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What lessons have helped you in business?
