Why you might not be getting all your tasks done...

This month I didn't get my blog posted on the 11th as planned.
 
To be honest, I had about four different posts drafted, ready to go.
 
But when I read through them, none of them felt right.
 
I wasn't happy with any of them.
 
And I don't see the point in posting something just for the sake of it.

Figuring out why… 

When I thought about it, I realized that I had gotten in my head about my blogs.
 
I was trying to write something that would help or appeal to every single reader.
 
I wanted to write something that was powerful for every single person.
 
But this is just not possible!
 
There's no way I can know what every single person is going through or what everyone needs.
 
I was setting myself a completely unrealistic expectation.

How you can use this… 

It got me thinking about how often we set ourselves impossible tasks.

So often we get frustrated - not because we're not capable, but because the task itself wasn't possible.

We're setting ourselves up to fail!

So have a look at at the list below - some of the most common "impossible goals" I've heard (or had myself).

Do you recognize yourself in any of these?! 
 
1. Wanting other people to change.
 
This has been a huge one for me: trying to get certain people in my life to stop their hurtful or damaging behaviour.
 
But here’s the thing: if someone doesn't want to change, they're not going to change.
 
We can't “give” other people learning: they have to be ready for it.
 
And some people just aren’t there yet.
 
(Think about it yourself: how many times have you experienced a lightbulb moment that made you change in some way, Vs. when someone else tells you to do something?)
 
2. Trying to do 20 hours of work in 10 hours
 
I hear this one from my clients all the time - they're struggling to get through their task list each week.
 
But when we estimate how much time each task really takes, they discover they've set themselves 50 hours of work… with 16 hours to do it in.
 
The math just doesn’t work!
 
If you have a task that takes an hour, give yourself an hour for it (or better still, an hour and a half!)
 
3. Expecting to have 100% constant energy or be 100% productive
 
Interestingly, I used to hear this more from my American clients. The idea of: “I haven't been 100% productive today, so I’ve failed”.
 
But this is so unrealistic.
 
We all have ebbs and flows of energy - peak times throughout the day when our energy is suited to certain tasks.
 
We need to rest!
 
Like our phones, we all need a recharge.
 
So if you're expecting 100% productivity, 100% of the time, you're gonna be frustrated and disappointed.
 
4. One that I still grapple with: wanting or expecting it to happen fast.
 
As the Guinness advert says, “Good things take time!”
 
One of the main reasons I see people giving up on their goals or dreams is because they didn’t give them long enough.
 
They expect to have everything done within a month or two.
 
But sometimes things take years!
 
I'm not giving you a get-out to put things off indefinitely, but think about the following:

• Moving into a new house and expecting it to be perfect and functional within the first week...  
  
  
• Setting up a business and expecting to make money straight away...
  
  
• Moving to a new area or starting a new job or school and expecting to have good friends from the offset.
  
  (I'm definitely guilty of that one! I've been a parent at my son’s school now for 3 years, and I'm finally starting to build those really deep connections.)

 
Something to think about today... 

What impossible tasks are you setting yourself?
 
Are you waiting patiently for someone else to change? (Good luck with that!)
 
Are you hoping to have your whole life under control within a few months?
 
(“I will declutter my entire house and work out 5 times a week and eat only healthy meals and always be patient with my kids from now on, forevermore!”)
 
Or are you wanting to write that book or song that that will be liked by everyone?*
 
(*Note: this is not the same thing as wanting to produce good work. That’s an awesome goal to have. But it’s probably unrealistic that it will be universally liked by everyone.)

To sum up… 

It’s not that we’re failing - sometimes we're just asking for the impossible!

So let yourself off from being perfect, because perfect people don't exist. 
 
Claire  

​❤