I’ve always been a planner. I love to optimize, and no one has to remind me to do things.
I like to set goals and priorities for myself. Cross things off my sacred To-Do List. GSD—Get Shit Done.
Every day I start at zero, energized to see how much I can accomplish. GSD!
But I’ve just learned that most people aren’t naturally like that. And that they won’t ever change.
Kind of mind-blowing for someone who’s married to a non-planner.
Most people, according to Gretchen Rubin’s book, The Four Tendencies, need an extra nudge to hold themselves accountable.
So if you’re not a planning freak like me, here are some of the ways you can reframe your thinking so you can do the things you’ve been meaning to do.
Get a Buddy.
You might need someone to hold you accountable. And that’s totally okay!
Rubin tells a story in Tendencies about her friend who was having trouble reaching her exercising goals, even though she was a top track athlete in high school. Rubin explained that her friend’s coach was expecting her to show up every day, so she did.
Get a buddy to set your deadlines; you’ll feel obliged to meet them.
Find the reason why you should do it.
You might just need a reason to convince you to get something done.
For example, when I was in my 20s, I had a housemate who had a hard time tidying up after herself. But she found her motivation for tidying up was that she was expecting guests. We tended to have friends over a lot, so while the house wasn’t tidy ALL the time, it was tidy ENOUGH of the time.
Create an ‘identity’.
Some people resist scheduling and planning. And they don’t like being told what to do. Ever.
If you’re one of those people, try putting your own spin on tasks and goals.
Basically, find a way to tie your values to your decision-making.
Here’s how: Imagine what type of person you want to be, and then imagine what that person would do. Are you a person who makes smart choices about money? Are you a healthy person?
This notion of identity was also my biggest takeaway from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits (a good book, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it for folks who aren’t naturally of the GSD mindset).
He says instead of starting with the outcome (the goal), we should be starting with ‘who we wish to become’.
Make a game out of it. Or place a bet on yourself.
Challenge yourself to get something done.
Here’s an example from Tendencies: Put all of your tasks onto little pieces of paper and drop them into a bowl; draw one out to see which task gets done first.
And then do it.
You could even throw down a challenge by saying to yourself ‘I bet you won’t do it’. Yes, that’s the opposite of an affirmation.
Bring it!
Here’s another idea from Rubin’s book: Pretend you’re someone else while you’re cooking dinner or folding laundry. Have fun making a game of it.
I guess my game is called…
You guessed it! GSD!
Ready to edit?
If you need a GSD nudge, I’ll be your buddy!
Here are a few ideas:
- Make a walking date with a friend.
- Think about who you want to be. What do you value most?
- Pretend to be Julia Child while you’re making dinner. Helloooooooo!
- If you’re a planner like me, don’t forget to take a break from your list. Schedule yourself some fun time 🙂
Happy editing!
Erica
