I’m just not a person who can sit down and start something. I have never been a person who can just jump into something, but I also tend to get hopelessly mired in that process of preparing. I always feel like each project must be completely organized, researched and scheduled before it can be started. In some ways this is great… it’s just that I never seem to get to a point where I feel like I’m doing it right and feel that I’m sufficiently prepared. And my projects suffer because of this.
My office area is littered with unused tools of organization: binders, binder clips, dividers, folders, book marks, sticky notes, index cards, magazine files, note books of various shapes and sizes, pens of various colors– you name it and I probably have it. My office has been described as a mini office supply store.
I have to tackle this problem because I’ve devoted myself to independent study for the next eight months and with only self imposed deadlines, well, there could be trouble. I’m very likely to continue my old habits rather than break them. And I want to break them. Now.
When I say old habits I mean OLD habits. For as long as I can remember I’ve been like this. So, how do I tackle this problem that seems to be totally ingrained in my personality? Well, I can also be pretty stubborn about things and I’m hoping that saves me.
I’m going to keep this simple: I hereby promise to spend only one hour on organization and scheduling any project before I start it. I can do additional organizing and scheduling, but not until after I’ve actually started the project.
I hereby promise to spend only two hours researching before beginning a project. I can, of course, do much, much more research after I’ve begun, but I have to actually have something started.
I suspect that this little pledge will help me get the ball rolling on a few things whether it be a blog post, a paper, or an art project. I know that organization and research are things that should be done as you go along and I do plan on doing that, but I need something that feeds my desire for preparation while limiting my obsession. Hence the pledge.
Oh, and I’ll actually end up using some of my organizational tools rather than just plotting how I’ll use them.
