5 Steps to Getting Into the Groove and Getting Things Done

My husband laughs at me a lot because he thinks I'm just not hip. The funny thing is I agree with him. I often use slang that is WAY out of date and when I try to use more current slang it just sounds funny coming out of my mouth.

He's not alone in laughing at me either. I remember the first time I used the term "diss". I used it correctly when talking to some colleagues at work and one of them actually stopped the conversation and asked me what I had said. It was obvious he couldn't believe I had just used some current slang (well, it was current way back then) and he was trying VERY hard to keep a straight face as I repeated myself.

All of this is to let you know that if you're laughing at the title to this article, it's OK! And if you don't know exactly what I mean, that's OK too because I'm getting ready to explain it to you.

Records, vinyl, LPs had grooves in them. The grooves are in the form of a tight spiral. To play a record, you place the needle at the end of the record player's arm into the groove at the outer edge of the record. While the turn table rotates, the needle travels along the groove and eventually comes to the inner edge. There's no other path for the needle to take (unless the record has a scratch or something interrupts either the path or arm).

Getting into the groove means getting into the flow of getting things done. One step or task follows another almost effortlessly just like the needle follows the groove of a record to play one song after another.

Wouldn't it be great if we could go through our days getting exactly what we want to get done done? I'm going to share with you the 5 steps I use to focus on accomplishing my most important tasks every day.

Be Specific. Most people set about doing tasks with only a vague idea of what they want to do. But if you want to get things done, you need to be VERY specific about (a) what it is that you want to get done and (b) what you need to have available to get it done. Being specific takes the guess-work out. It's like laying down the groove on the record. You decide what it is that you want and then you lay out the path/groove that will get you there. It's OK if you don't know exactly every step along the path to reach your end goal, but you have to at least know what it is you need to do today to get your groove ready.

Set a realistic timeline. When you play a record, you can set the speed at which the turn table rotates. Different records require different speeds of rotation so that the recording sounds the way the artist recorded it. If you play a 45 rpm (rotations per minute) record at 78 rpm, it sounds funny because it's so rushed - kind of like everyone inhaled a bunch of helium and decided to talk really, really fast. If you play a 45 rpm at 33 rpm, it sounds funny because it's so slow. However when you play a 45 rpm at 45 rpm, it sounds just right. (Is this reminding you of the story of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, too?)

So when you set a timeline for what you want to get accomplished, be realistic. You don't want to be running around rushing to get something done because that's an invitation for stressing out. You don't want to be too generous with your timeline because that's an invitation to put off the tasks you want to get done and set yourself up for procrastinating. We all know what happens when we procrastinate, you just wind up rushing to meet the deadline anyway.

Schedule Uninterrupted Work Time. The needle of a record player follows the groove of the record unless either the groove is scratched or else the record-player's arm in disturbed. Getting your work done is very similar. You need to schedule uninterrupted work time and make sure you've got everything you need to be productive right where you need it. Every time you are interrupted by someone or something else, you're jumping out of your groove and not getting things done. If what you want to get accomplished is important enough to get done, it's important enough to schedule time for and not check email or visit with friends on Facebook.

Evaluate Your Results. Albums are records with multiple songs on the. Think of your tasks that you want to get done as individual songs that make up a larger goal you're working to accomplish. At the end of each song/task, pause and evaluate how you're doing. Are you pleased with your results or do you need to adjust something? Is the pace you have set for yourself realistic? Do you need to schedule more or less time to accomplish the next task? Do you need to ask for help to get things done? Do you still want to reach for this goal or complete this project?

Celebrate. When you've done what you wanted to get done, take a deep breath and enjoy what you've accomplished! Just like at the end of a performance, the audience will erupt in applause and cheers. You've just finished a task or goal or project and you definitely need to take some time to acknowledge all that you've done before heading off to the next task. This celebration is critical for you having the energy to set up your next groove and getting the next thing done.

One of the best things about these 5 steps is that you can use them for any size project, task or goal. If you've got a big project or goal, just break it down into smaller and smaller tasks until you can accomplish the task in a day, then apply the 5 steps to each and you'll have established your groove for getting things done.

You Functional Divorce Assignment:

What is your most important task for today? Take a minute or two and decide the most important thing you need to get done today.

Work through the 5 steps. Be sure not to skip any steps along the way! If you do, you'll be less efficient and won't really b in the groove. Groovy, right?