Why we put off easy things (and how the NRA principle overcomes this tendency)
Hello,
Welcome to the newest edition of Course Builder's Corner.
Today’s edition features an idea that’s been helping me get a lot more done in my business and I’m sure it will help you, too. It’s something I call the NRA principle.
After reading, let me know what questions you have on how to apply it.
Why we put off easy things and how the NRA principle overcomes this tendency
Do you ever find yourself putting off a few items on you to-do list?
Somehow, you keep meaning to get around to them but there they remain. Yet other items you get to immediately even if they are unpleasant.
Why?
One reason is some items are ready for action and some are not ready.
A ready action is one you can act on right away, a not ready action is something you can't do yet.
For example, imagine you wanted to get a book published. You decide you want to get a literary agent. You put on your to do list "Call a literary agent."
This action is probably hard to actually act on. Do you have the name for a literary agent? And if so, do you have their number? If not, this action isn't helpful on a to-do list. This action is not something you are ready to do.
Tasks that are ready might include
Do a Google search on how to find a literary agent
Ask my friend who published a book how he found his agent
Post on social media asking for help in finding an agent
Any of these tasks can be executed immediately. And if it can be executed immediately, you are more likely to do it when you have a moment. Now that you know what a next ready action, we'll cover the steps to creating them.
How do you deploy the next ready action principle?
List actions (think of these as a kind of rough draft)
For each action ask "What do I need to be ready to do this right now?"
Write your answer to the question next to your rough draft action
Here's an example:
Task: Attend Juliette's third birthday party.
Question: What do I need to be ready to do this now? (imagine the party was today)
I need the address. So my next ready action is to contact Juliette's mom for the address.
Had I not done that, I would have probably waited until the day of the party to ask for the address but I did this a few weeks in advance. This was lucky for Juliette's mom, too as she realized there was no address on the Facebook invite and she updated it right away.
Here's another example related to putting off a writing project
I had an article to write for a marketing campaign at work. I noticed I was putting it off.
So I asked "What do I need to be ready to do this now?"
My answer:
I need to do some prewriting to explore the ideas for the article as they are unclear - (brainstorm: ways to describe the concept, metaphors, stories, models and research studies)
I was then able to get started on this immediately. Yup, it's a way to overcome procrastination.
Here are some other advantages of using the next ready action principle
You are better prepared to act when the right time comes. Imagine if I realized I needed Juliette's address only a few minutes before leaving for the party. I would have gotten it but I'd probably have arrived later and less relaxed.
Your mind can relax - There's a research study in which people were asked to plan a next action or not to see what effect it would have. Those that decided what to do without a concrete plan had thoughts of those tasks continually interrupt them. But those with a concrete plan were able to relax and focus on other things.
Less procrastination. Ever had the experience of putting off a task only to discover that when you finally got around to it, that it wasn't that bad? That's often because the task was vaguely defined. In that state, our minds can imagine it being much harder than it really is. But when we define a next ready action, we realize we are actually ready for the next step.
Try taking one of your projects or to-dos and converting it to a next ready action. Let me know how it goes.
I thank you for getting this far. 🙏🏽
Two ways I can help you
The Atomic Course Blueprint- Want to create a course without the usual overwhelm? Try creating a tiny course. Find out more here.
iPARA: How to organize your digital life for action- Is digital disorganization keeping you from reaching your goals? What if just four folders could let you not just stay organized but actually get things done. See for yourself here.