Inspiration, Procrastination and Mowing Lawns (7.24.09)

Mowing the lawn is something I actually enjoy, but this time of year it has to be done so often, it's desensitized my enjoyment barometer. I don't mind doing it and after I'm done I really like the end result; it's getting started that I struggle with.

Mowing your lawn can be like tasks within your business, can't it? There are always things that we will set aside, procrastinate on until we get the right inspiration. Don't they usually look like these

• It's done so often, it's not fun anymore.
• It's so mundane that it's hard to get enthusiastic about it.
• It's simply something you don't enjoy.

Regardless, just like mowing the lawn, at some point you have to do it.

How do you dig down and get your inspiration to start the task, much less finish it?

Staying with the mowing analogy, there's a few things I used to inspire, motivate, kick-you-in-the-patootey and get it done:
1. Look at your neighbors. How does their lawn look? Are you the only lawn left with grass so tall it's gone to seed?
2. Reminisce about how it felt the last time. I love to stand back and look across the lawn and visualize my own little putting green. It looks really good and that's rewarding.
3. Reward yourself for a job well done. After I mowed the lawn, I treated myself to a frozen ice cream dessert. It was almost childlike to sit in the shade, on my freshly mown lawn and eat the ice cream bar (despite the dogs staring at me longingly for a lick).
4. Future consequences. What will I have to do if I don't mow my lawn? Would it get so high that it would bog down or break the mower? Very likely. It's not worth it to me to procrastinate about it any longer.

I don't usually have to do all 4 to get the mower out. One or 2, and I'm inspired, if not guilted into it. But hey, whatever inspiration works, right? My lawn is mowed and I got ice cream.