Taking Control by Doing Things the First Time

The other morning, I was walking up the stairs in my house when I noticed a ball of fuzz on a step. It wasn't big -- about the size of a quarter -- and probably came out of a dog toy that Moose dismembered (those of you with dogs probably know exactly that I mean). I noticed it but did not bend over and pick up it. 'Cause I didn't feel like it. My mind was on other things. But I noticed. And then I noticed it the next time I walked up the stairs and that time I thought "I'll grab that later." I probably walked up and down those stairs four or five more times before I finally bent over and picked up the ball of fuzz, walked into the bathroom, and dropped it in the trash can.

What's my point?

Every time I noticed the fuzz and failed to do something about it, I used a little tiny bit of my mental resources and created a pattern of procrastination. I lost track of whatever I had been thinking about when my attention was drawn to the fuzz. What would have taken 10 seconds had I done it the first time consumed of a minute of mental thought over the day and a half. Is that a big deal? Probably not in that one, isolated instance. But if you multiply that over all of the little things you put off doing, and you let that become your pattern for the bigger things than yup, it can be a big deal.

Now, if a ball of fuzz on your step doesn't bug you, then you should ignore it. This is not about the importance of keeping your house tidy. This is about the importance of taking care of something the first time you notice it. Why? Because you know that, once you've identified something that you feel needs to be taken care of, it will needle you, even if it is in the smallest way, until it is resolved.

And procrastination of even the small things adds up and can create a pattern or a habit of procrastination that can impact the big things.

As I sit at my desk early on this Monday morning, I have a task that I need to take care of. It will probably take not more than ten minutes. But it is an unpleasant task, one that I don't feel good about. So instead of writing that email, I'm writing this column. Because I don't feel like writing that email. And so, it grows bigger and weighs more heavily on my mind. It's like the piece of fuzz on the step.

So pick up the fuzz the first time you notice it. Even if you don't feel like it. Be a person who doesn't put off the small things and you will become a person who doesn't put off the big things.

Yes, I'm taking my own advice and writing that email. Just as soon as I pour myself another cup of coffee (kidding not kidding).