Are you always busy trying to get things perfect?
Most of the time, getting it done is way more important than trying to reach perfection!
I started this post a few days ago, thinking I would try to make a quick post about what I was trying to get done in the QS Challenge this week.
And here I am still trying to ‘get it done’… no… not trying to make it perfect…. (well there might be a bit of that in there), but trying to actually make it worthwhile for you… the reader!
If you are looking for the Free Download then skip to the bottom… 🙂
The Quick Start Challenge Week 3
- Sign up for an Autoresponder (Been with Aweber for years)
- Sort out a ‘Freebie’… some sort of gift that provides real value
- Get an opt-in form in the sidebar (and or an opt-in or squeeze page done)… didn’t get that quite done yet)
It’s funny, and maybe even a bit discouraging to some people just getting started, but even when you know how to do some of these ‘techie’ things, you can still get overwhelmed and find yourself going ’round and ’round in circles.
Case In Point
I’ve been trying to sort my opt-in form for my page.
Technically, I know how to do all the tasks at hand, it’s pretty easy (when you know how). But … Here’s the problem … If you start thinking too much you can end up ‘shooting yourself in the foot’, by overcomplicating stuff. Adding on unnecessary tasks (even worthwhile ones), changing your mind, and really just get caught up trying to get things ‘perfect’.
It can be a bit of a challenge to reign yourself in and just focus on the basic task at hand, and keep in mind you can always improve on things as you go along.
There are certain steps required to get the job done … that is the basic job … at it’s simplest (well maybe not quite, but close).
What I have a tendency to do, however, is add a step to my list, but then that step highlights something else I need (or would like) to do before I can complete the first step.
So even with just the basic steps, it seems I can add a few more to each one to make the whole thing a bit closer to ‘perfect’ or done the way I want it done eventually, and before I know it, the simple task becomes bigger than ‘Ben Hur’!
My immediate goal may not be quite the same as my ultimate or end goal!
For example, you might ideally want to set up a full Sales Funnel, which not only adds subscribers to your list but gives them an opportunity to become customers. This can be either through purchasing one of your own products or someone else’s through your affiliate link. You might want to set up a prospects list as well as a customers list in your Autoresponder.
To set this all up is going to take a lot more thought, work and time than if all you are trying to do is create a subscriber funnel, which just has people opt-in for a freebie and get onto your subscribers’ list.
And it can fast become a lot like taking ‘one step forward, five steps back!’ if you are not careful … lol. 😀
And with all that talent around ‘complicating’ things, what do you think happens next?
Yep … that’s it, I get bogged down, it starts taking too long, I get sidetracked from my end goal, lose momentum and in short, end up procrastinating and achieving nothing or very little!
This was where I found myself (yet again) this week.
I found myself jumping onto my ‘usual’ merry-go-round, and could see myself not getting this week’s tasks done.
So what did I do to jump off that stupid thing?
Having a Deadline – Getting it Done not Perfect!
Yay … Thank goodness for the Quick Start Challenge and the deadline … If I didn’t have that deadline I would probably still be trying to decide what theme I wanted to put on my site!
So another way of looking at it is being accountable to someone or something, and it probably depends on just how disciplined you are and how well you can motivate and manage yourself, but either way, you want to have a set time to get a goal or task completed.
But equally important is having clear steps so that you can distinguish exactly what it is you need to do, and it gives you a clear direction for moving forward.
Simplify and List it Out
So you want to make a list of smaller tasks you need to complete the objective goal, and you want to keep that goal as simple as possible … enough to get the job done and underway. You can make improvements and additions later on.
Then work through each of the tasks crossing them off as you go. When you find yourself drifting or thinking about adding another task, just ‘reel yourself in’ and ask … is this necessary at this time to complete this goal or task? If not, forget it … for now at least.
Stay focused and concentrate on getting the job at hand done!
Mind Mapping Tools
There are many time management tools for helping to achieve these things, and even the good old ‘Pen and Paper’ is perfectly good for listing the steps towards completing a task.
In another post I spoke about Simpleology (has a free version, and is a flexible, versatile and efficient tool) as a way of managing your ‘to do’s’, but if you are a bit like me and appreciate a more ‘visual’ tool, then in addition to a list management tool you might want to try MindMapping.
There are a number of paid options out there, but I really suggest you try a free option like ‘FreeMind’ at least to start with, so you can see how you go with it.
I love it but have never really spent a lot of time getting familiar with the software to make it do all the things that it can do. You can certainly learn a lot about using these tools by searching on places like Google or YouTube which is better still, so you can watch someone teach you how to use it.
Maybe you don’t even know what MindMapping is (of course you can Google it), but put simply it is like a Flow Chart for a To Do List …
It is often used as a brainstorming tool, but it is equally as useful as an organizational tool … Mostly the software uses different shapes as bubble containers where you can write a task or point, then you can ‘expand’ it out to attach (usually by lines or arrows) to other bubble shapes that contain a break down of the original point or task. You can extend these ‘layers’ out into multiple levels depending what might be helpful for the task at hand. So you can break tasks or points down into Categories, Sub-categories, Sub-sub-categories etc.
The MindMapping software will usually allow you to use color as another way to help organize your tasks or thoughts and to categorize them for you.
Here is a Free Download for you – A quick MindMap I put together to give you an idea (nothing flash, just something very simple to give you a bit of an idea).
Just Right Click Here or Right Click on the image below and select ‘save as’ to download the zip file to your computer. The file contains a .jpg file and a .mm FreeMind file (you will need Freemind to be able to open it up, and then you will be also able to edit it). The image in the zip file is a lot bigger than the one below so you can read the points more easily …
Hi Lyn
Great post and how very true. We all have a tendency to over-complicate the simplest task.
I have set up an opt-in form before but do you think i could get it right this time?
It took me over 3 hours to do something that I new how to do but tried to ‘do my own thing’. Instead of following instructions I thought I could remember what to do and I made a mistake and kept going round in circles!
I should have prepared everything first and then I would have been ok.
Good luck with your challenges.
Annette
Hey Annette, Thanks for taking the time to stop by and for the comment… much appreciated. Also great share there! It’s so easy to create unnecessary obstacles for oneself… Sounds like it would have been frustrating… Wishing you all the best with the Challenge and beyond also… Will be checking out your site too… I am making a list of sites to keep a watch on… 🙂
Lynne, I totally agree with you. We overcomplicate things and never finish great projects. When we put the things in order and set deadlines, simple steps,… , we can to so much in it doesn’t have to be perfect. 🙂 Great post as usual. 🙂
Hello Irena, Yes… I don’t like to even think about how many partly finished projects I have on my hard drives… I have finished a few things, but really only a drop in the ocean compared to what I should have done by now… Thanks once again for being so encouraging… 🙂
Good post Lynne.
I can so easily identify with what you say about overthinking tasks until they become daunting. I’ve ground myself to a halt and that’s why I’m doing the QSC.
I’ve used FreeMind for a while now and have also found it useful for organising content for blog posts, articles and video scripts. It’s useful because you can slot in additional information if you find any after you’ve done your initial outline.
Hi David, Thank you for taking the time to stop by and make a comment… I really appreciate it. I am one of the worst for overthinking just about everything I do! And that was definitely one of the reasons I took on the QSC as well. If you have used FreeMind for a while, then you can see from my effort that I have not really used it much, that being said, I need to use it more, and I thought that even a simple one might be helpful to someone who is new to the idea of Mind-mapping and Opt In funnels. Totally agree about how useful it is with being able to add things as well as move them around etc. Thanks again for the input 🙂
Hi Lynne … I like your style. Nice post. As a visual myself, I have been using mindmaps for over 30 years. Other people … my wife for instance … remembers things auditarily … and has an unorganised list in her head … a nightmare when shopping because in supermarkets she follows the list in the order it is in her head … good exercise recovering ground all the time … but loses a lot of time. I guess life would be less interesting if we all thought in the same way …
Hwy Richard, Nice to meet you 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment… You sound like your a Mind-Map Pro!
Ha… with the shopping I make a list in the order (roughly) that I go from one end of the Supermarket to the other… But you are absolutely right… it would be pretty boring if we were all the same 🙂
Hi, Lynne! We share a lot in common as I’m one of those visual types who writes also! This is a great post. Sounds like it came from the second chapter of my next book! LOL
I tried using Simpleology but couldn’t commit to it – a bit too much detail for me.
Thanks for sharing this!
~ Barbara
Hi Barbara, yes it does sound like we have a lot in common… Lol… Funny with regards to my post sounding like a chapter in your next book! Lucky you haven’t published it yet or you might have thought I ‘borrowed’ it! 🙂
I have visual combined with other things going on most of the time… With Simpleology, I actually had the same problem with it when I first joined, and really every time I tried to use it up until the newest version… for some reason I found the new version way easier to manage and navigate, so not to sure how long ago you tried it… And thank you for taking the time to stop by and make a comment… much appreciated. 🙂
Hi Lynne,
Another great post, and I’ve used the mind-mapping tool in the past, great little tool! As you say it’s all about getting done, staying focused and completing the correct task consistently is one of the most important things I’ve learned from the QSC program. Take action, doesn’t have to be perfect, but do something!
To Your Success,
Art
Hi Art, Thank you… I do appreciate your input, and yes I think this is one of the big benefits of getting involved with the QSC… it ‘forces’ you to focus and take action, and now that we are near the end, we just need to forge on and continue with the good habits we know will make a difference with our online efforts! Wishing you every success also 🙂
Hi Lynne! Great post…can fully relate! I fooled around and fooled around with my optin box and finally said, enough, it’s going out the way it is! Taking imperfect action is definitely better than no action! I like Simpleology – been using it a while, but not on a consistent basis. Need to use it daily to keep me on track! I downloaded your mind map to take a look. Have never really liked them but I see so many products and marketers use them that I am keeping my mind open!
Hi Barbara, Thanks for stopping by… glad to meet someone else who likes Simpleology… I find the newer version a lot better than the older version. And I have issues with consistency as well 🙂 The mind map thing is something else I have not been very consistent with… I can certainly see how they can be useful, but sometimes just having something else to learn stops me spending so much time on it… There are some paid mind mapping programs that are probably a bit more user friendly and perhaps a bit more fun… but FreeMind is a good starting point. 🙂
Hi Lynne! Excellent job on your site….such a clean layout makes it easy to read and navigate – well done! Excellent work on your articles and the helpful tools you have here already.
Keep up the great work!
Hey Craig, Thanks for the kind words… glad you like the site… I decided on the theme because of it being clean and simple, plus really easy to setup a good front page… Was looking for reasonable shortcuts. I do appreciate you taking the time to drop by… and I really need to get on top of creating more content… So still working on it… 🙂
Ha Ha – At least I know I’m not alone. For better or worse, there’s nothing wrong with being a perfectionist. What QSC taught me was simply to do it, get it out there and then when you have the time perfect it.
I too have started many projects, over-thought them re-worked them and eventually walked away from them because I’d made it too complicated…
Hey Duane… No you are definitely ‘not’ alone! You wouldn’t believe just how much I have been going the same old rounds this past week… Thanks for stopping by, I have to catch up visiting other people’s sites… things have gotten away from me this past week! 🙂