Procrastination Leads To Realization
Back again : )
Here is a personal lesson from my life –
*Things I Know To Do But Fail To Do or Procrastination Leads To Realization*
My last post dealt with having to repair my toilet. This is a follow up to the toilet post.
Last week around Wednesday, my wife mentioned to me that one of our toilets was running and wouldn’t stop.
It just so happens that when this one toilet of ours doesn’t shut off, it will overflow from the water tank.
Having been a contractor in another life, I just “jimmy rigged” it and put it off to do on the weekend (typical contractor attitude - work on everyone else’s house but neglect your own).
Well the weekend came – Father’s Day weekend. I was busy at a Saturday Evening Seminar and then Sunday was Father’s Day (my excuses to procrastinate).
Needless to say, the toilet didn’t get fixed.
And…you already know what is coming next.
That’s right. On Wednesday evening at around 8:30 PM, the toilet wouldn’t stop running.
What’s the big deal? Just shut off the water valve to the toilet and wait to call the plumber the next morning right?
Well, the valve was old and I was very concerned.
I don’t know when was the last time you got under the sink or behind the toilet and checked to see if the valve worked or not, I know I don’t.
Of course, when I went to shut off the water valve, it was stuck to the point where I needed to put a wrench on it to turn the handle.
I cranked it as far as I could — fearing I might break off the handle — then where would I be? Now it was around 9 PM!
The water didn’t shut off.
By this time, my wife was reminding me how I was going to fix the toilet over the last weekend, and I didn’t. I was now in “hot water” (with my wife).
Okay, one last try with the wrench, more torque this time…and I got the water off without breaking the valve…phew!
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Thursday AM –
I go to work on the toilet, which is now an emergency. So I am fixing the toilet instead of making money like I should be.
Why not call a plumber?
Well I told my wife I was going to fix it and didn’t – so I was already in “hot water” (appropriate for a plumbing story don’t you think?).
I wasn’t going to spend a couple of hundred dollars to pay someone to fix it now that it was an issue (”good old fashioned male stubborness and pride” — my wife might say “stupidity”).
So I did it myself. The video post I made shows what a pain it was.
I spent too many hours and didn’t get some high priority items accomplished because of it.
The lesson — I realize if I just did the toilet when I said I would and not put it off, I wouldn’t have had my wife upset and I could have been making money instead of spending my time being frustrated, sweating and getting dirty.
I hope this is the last time I have to review this lesson plan — my life will better if I learn it this time and not have to repeat it agian.
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How does this apply to business?
I don’t really have to answer that do I?
If I do — here it is:
Do the most important things first so you won’t spend your precious time putting out fires and attending to emergencies in your business because you put off to tommorrow things you should have done today.
I am not going to go into time management, but I have a list of things you can do to manage your time better.
If you want this list, email me at chuck (at) chuckyockey (dot) com put in the subject line ”Time Management Tips” and I will send it to you.
Good luck!
To living your dreams,
Chuck Yockey
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