I was talking with a friend over the weekend who was listing off all the tasks she had to do.  Some of it was pretty important, not unlike stuff sitting on my desk.  She sighed and said it’s all in the ‘too hard basket’.

We all have this basket sitting around whether on our desk, in a drawer or in the back of our minds….. We all have reasons for not emptying the too hard basket and live with the sickly feeling that constantly rears its ugly head.

But the question I put to you today… are those jobs you put off currently sitting in the recess of your mind hurting your business? And the big one….. what will it take for you to start these tasks?

There are lots of reasons for not finishing stuff… too boring, too hard, can’t find the information we need to complete the job, or does completing this task open you up to a whole lot of other tasks or projects once the initial one is finished?

Another biggie – no time.  On this, I must call bullshit, because I’ve used that one – a million times.  I had no time to finish my tax and now I have time… it’s still there… the piles of paper… my accountant’s emails… a massive 2 years worth of that nagging voice in my head calling my name on a daily basis.. so that excuse is null and void my friends. And this is where I must call all excuses I used for not lodging 2 years worth of tax on time… simply that.  Excuses.

Do you know why we procrastinate? Have you looked at each of these jobs and asked yourself what’s holding you back? What’s the reason you can’t pick it up? What gives you that ache in your gut each time you think of those tasks? The answer is easier than you think.

No doubt you’re saying to yourself…it’s too hard… don’t know how. It’s so overwhelming. Is it? Is it really that hard or is that a story you’re telling yourself? We don’t know what to do or how to do it.  Take Social Media for example. Social Media could be one of those things that is overwhelming and simply goes in the ‘too hard basket’.  Yeah… I get it.  You may have some knowledge and with all good intentions, you hit that ‘Create Page’ button. It all seemed so easy, didn’t it? Until you had to place the first cover photo in… the format doesn’t work … then that profile photo… the resolution is wrong.  A whole range of things just doesn’t seem to work for you. And then one of the hardest things…  the posts… when, how, what, to whom…… it’s all so overwhelming, in the too hard basket it goes. And your business page sits there unfinished or unpopulated. So yeah, I get it. But the thing is.. getting it done isn’t all that hard.

The definition of Procrastinate is this: ‘Delay or postpone action; put off doing something.’ How long though, can we put things off? Doesn’t it eat away at you after a while?

Most of us are crippled when we contemplate a task as a whole. We often forget to break the tasks down into small easy actionable steps. And of course, the first step is the beginning of the solution to the whole. In all simplicity, don’t over think this.. just take that one first small step.

I can give you all the tips in the world about ‘getting shit done’ but I’m not an expert. There are great books like Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy, who uses eating a frog as a metaphor for getting that crappy or hard job done, or professionals out there who can help you to find the best, most efficient way of doing stuff.

What I can tell you is, ask someone for help. Surround yourself by people who can do that job that really is in the too hard basket for you, in the most efficient, professional manner while you get on with doing what you do best, and stop that gut sick feeling in the pit of your stomach every time you think about it.

Let the professionals do what they do best in the background, while you, the professional in your business is making it happen from your end. When it comes to Social Media, I’m definitely your person. In this digital market, your business needs to be there, you know this, so take that first step and give me a call or connect with me. It’s that easy.  So, get that shit done, and do whatever it takes, and eat that damn frog.