How do you make yourself do the things you don’t want to do?
Can you imagine how much less guilt, stress, and frustration you would feel if you could somehow make yourself do the things you don’t want to do when you’re supposed to do them?
I feel your pain. Often, when I am on a speaking tour or designing curriculum, it is easy for me to get so focused on that project, instead of doing other important tasks that will help me grow my business. I put the long-term activity on the back burner.
The result? Empty calendar dates, a website that hasn’t been updated in months, unwritten blog articles, and a net zero new connections made.
That’s why I turned procrastination into a game – and it actually becomes not only challenging, but FUN to accomplish those things that would otherwise be put off. Now I look forward to focusing on and growing my business every day of the week. It's a simple form of gamification and goes like this…
The Weekly Alliteration Game:
You can’t do everything – so what can you do? The rules are easy. For each day of the week create an alliteration for an activity that relates to a major area of your business or career. Spend at least one hour in that area just for that day.
Anyone can do one hour… right?!
To help you get started, here are mine with a brief descriptor of what I could accomplish each day. Remember, I don’t have to do all of them, I just have to do some of them to equal at least one hour of activity for that day.
Marketing Monday: Includes outreach such as writing and publishing a newsletter or blog article, social media connections, emails to participants who have connected with me via a speaking event, or complete a Speaker RFP for an upcoming event.
Technology Tuesday: May include website updates, video editing and publishing, updates on “pay to list” sites that I use to promote my speaking, social media profile updates, verifying congruency in my brand across the Web.
Who do you Know Wednesday?: Who do I need to meet that can either book me or connect me with a potential booking, such as a potential client, speakers bureau, local clubs and associations who book speakers, gamification platforms and gurus, or potential sponsors.
Thirsty Thursday: This is “close the deal” sales day. Thursday is all about direct contact with current prospects to get the deal closed. Remember the line from Glengarry Glen Ross, “Coffee is for closers.” Same idea here – only I reward myself with a Margarita when I close a deal on Thursday.
Follow-up Friday: Time to tie up any loose ends. Emails hanging out there in your inbox waiting for my reply, promised proposals sent to potential clients, speaker agreements completed, radio program edited and ready to go for Saturday, and finalizing next week’s schedule.
Social Saturday: Any work done on Saturday is wrapped around social encounters such as taking the computer to a great brunch spot downtown, networking with colleagues in a social setting, or strategy sessions while shopping the farmers market or hiking at Barton Creek Preserve.
Sunday Funday: This is my day to relax, escape into a Netflix binge, enjoy a 3-Bloody Mary brunch… whatever! Depending on the weather, time of year, where I may be in the world… I rejuvenate and get ready to start the week all over again.
Super simple and enormously effective! And the best thing is… no more dread and guilt. As long as I do a little bit each day, my business continues to move forward. Plus, that familiar, overwhelming feeling that “there is so much to do and so little time” is essentially eliminated.
So, how can you apply this? What alliteration activities can you create each day to help you complete your dull, dreary tasks, or to move your career forward?
Not to mention how much happier and more effective you will be! I would love to hear your ideas.
At its core, Gamification is about finding the fun in the things that we have to do. Making business processes compelling by making them fun is about the most fascinating and coolest thing that I can think of!
For more ideas on Gamification:
To Earn Your Level 1 Gamification Certification for Talent Development Professionals follow this link: http://bit.ly/SEN_L1CERT
About the Author: Monica Cornetti
Founder and CEO, Sententia www.SententiaGames.com www.monicacornetti.com
A gamification speaker and designer, Monica Cornetti is rated as a #1 Gamification Guru in the World by UK-Based Leaderboarded. She is the author of the book Totally Awesome Training Activity Guide: Put Gamification to Work for You, writes The Gamification Report blog, and hosts the weekly Gamification Talk Radio program.
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