We don’t have a problem knowing what we should do.
The problem is that we just don’t do it!

That is why Steve Levinson, Ph.D. and Pet C. Greider, M.Ed. wrote the book Following Through. Their conclusion? There is a design flaw! According to Levison and Greider, we have two guidance systems, both of which are designed to steer us in the right direction. "Our Primitive Guidance System is vigilant, reactive, and present-oriented. It's designed to make sure we respond to immediate threat or opportunity. The Intelligence-Based Guidance System uses intelligence to figure out the best course of action." Unfortunately, each system does its own thing, with absolutely no coordination between the two! And we wonder why we don’t follow through on our intentions.

The good news, it's not our fault! The better news, we now have some tips for connecting those two guidance systems so that we can follow through:

So, let’s take a look at some strategies for preventing interruptions:

• Spotlighting: take advantage of the enormous potential that "cues" have to influence your behavior.
• Willpower Leveraging: take one easy action today that makes it much more likely that you'll do the right thing tomorrow.
• Create Compelling Reasons: make it matter now, eliminate wiggle room, and making sure it fits you.
• Leading the Horse to Water: getting started with the easy part of an intention to build momentum for the hard part.
• Going Too Far: outfox yourself, even our mixed up guidance systems have limits, find them.
• Right Before Wrong: do the right stuff first, it will feel so good, you won't be interested in doing the wrong thing.
• Strike While the Iron Is Hot: just do it!
  

Productivity Pointer To create multiple paragraphs, or start a new one, in a cell of an Excel spreadsheet: 1. Plant the cursor where you want to begin to skip to the next line. 2. Hold the Alt key down and press Enter. Now, type away!

Learning Opportunities

What are you doing next Wednesday, September 24th? We would love to have you join us for our Path to Productivity workshop. If you want to improve your ability to follow through, then clear your calendar and plan to participate. There is still time to register.

Are you one of those people who regularly intends to "clean off my desk" or "get organized" or "deal with all of this paper", and yet struggle to actually do it? Chances are you haven’t been given the tools to do this successfully. Please join us for a free webinar on Effective Paper Management. In just an hour, you’ll have the tools you need to follow through!