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© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
Suggestions for Success with The Overcoming
Procrastination Toolkit First of all, there is no way to screw this up.
This is not school. There are no rules and no grades and no way to do “better” or
“worse” in this process. This is your life. You are the expert on you and you will
automatically do what!s “best” and moreover, what!s right, for you.
My mission with this Toolkit is to give you some support and inspiration around the
projects that mean the most to you and, more importantly, give you an opportunity
to take a good, long, compassionate look at your own creative process so you can
figure out what!s working, what can be jettisoned and how to best get out of your
own way so your Big, Genius-y Ideas can get out into the world where they belong.
That being said, I do have a few tips that will help you get the most out of this
process. And you might want to try them, if only to help you figure out what doesn!t
work for you.
1) Allot 15 Minutes Per Day To Your Project
Plunging into your day knowing that you!ve already made even a little bit of
progress on the work that is dearest to your heart will improve your whole world.
If I could actually make you do stuff, this is the number one thing I would enforce.
As it happens, you are the agent of change in this relationship and I can!t make you
do anything. But I strongly urge you to set aside 15 minutes per day for your
project. It!s amazing how much work you can get done in 15 minutes. It!s even
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
more amazing how much progress you can make if you put in 15 minutes a day,
seven days a week. Try it. You!ll see.
Let me put it this way: my clients who do the daily 15 minutes see astonishing,
mind-blowing results, usually accompanied by a few miracles. My clients who don!t
do the daily 15 minutes...well, some of them have amazing results and some don!t.
How you spend these 15 minutes is entirely up to you, of course. I recommend
that you make a list of possible 15 minute tasks, some easy, like daydreaming;
some fun, like brainstorming titles; some tedious, like database updating; some
requiring courage, like a phone call to an important person. With that list at hand,
you can select a task for each day that suits your mood.
Finally, I strongly recommend that you allot these 15 minutes in the morning,
before you check your email or go online at all. It takes an iron will to resist the
siren call of the Internet, but it!s worth it. Whatever!s out there can wait for you to
put yourself first for just these few minutes.
2) Find An Idea Catcher
Paying attention to your creativity causes increased creativity.
You are a genius and you are having a lot of really good ideas every day. But
chances are, you!re not writing them down. And the half-life of an unrecorded idea
is…well, it!s pretty short. So find a system that works for you (I like index cards,
but other people like notebooks, voice memos, journals, calling their own phone
and leaving a message, Post-Its, etc.) and use it every day.
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
Then you need to create a home for these great ideas. (This is my number one
organizational tip: everything needs the right-sized home.) I suggest creating a file,
folder or envelope, labeling it “Genius” and at the end of each day, put your ideas in
there. They will nest and grow and turn into something fabulous.
3) Allot 15 Minutes A Day For Some Very Dull “Exercise”
A body in motion puts the mind in motion.
That!s right – I want you to do some simple, repetitive motion for 15 minutes per
day, every day. But it!s not to get fit or to lose weight or to lower your blood
pressure – it!s to enhance your creativity. So find some simple, repetitive exercise
that you don!t hate (walking, running, swimming, calisthenics, dancing, jump rope;
if your range of motion is impaired, you can knit, toss cards into a hat, chop
vegetables, fold laundry, sort paper…even going for a drive can be good) and find
time for it every single day.
Any repetitive task tends to occupy the left (logical) brain just enough for the right
(creative) brain to flower. That!s why you always have such great ideas in the
shower, or while you!re out walking the dog. So let!s cultivate that.
I think it!s important to make the “every day” commitment in order to automate your
decision-making and free yourself up from the internal debate that sounds like,
“Should I walk today? I walked yesterday. But I might not walk tomorrow. And it
might rain. I!m sort of tired…” That kind of circular, inside-your-head conversation
is just a big energy drain.
Tell yourself you!re going to do it every day (and you don!t have to do it well – half-
hearted efforts count just as much as a full-on attack) and then do it. No excuses.
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
And let me reiterate: this is NOT for your health. It is for your creativity and your
creativity alone.
Here are a few more suggestions:
- Get a notebook in which to keep all these worksheets and stuff
- Fill out your Weekly Project Tracking Sheet before you listen to the week!s
recording
- Keep a doodle pad & magic markers handy while listening to the recordings
- Get a kitchen timer - one you like - so you can track your daily 15 minutes
- Keep a running list of all the compliments you receive
And most of all, be proud of yourself for taking this action towards a fuller, richer,
more creatively fulfilling life.
Thank you for undertaking this process. You are good and brave.
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
MISSION STATEMENT
The Organized Artist Company exists to provide a secure, structured, goal-oriented environment for artists. We seek to facilitate growth, enrichment and achievement in all areas of the artist!s life.
AGREEMENTS
I agree to graciously accept success, love, health, prosperity and overall well-being for the greater good of all concerned.
I agree to honor the confidentiality of the group.
I agree to honor all commitments of time, money and other resources. I understand that there are no excused absences.
I understand that extra help is available for an additional fee.
I agree to maintain an openhearted and supportive attitude towards my colleagues and towards my own self, and to do my part to create an atmosphere that is positively charged for success.
Agreed: _____________________________________
Date: _______________________________________
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
TEN NICE THINGS
Ten Really, Really, Really Nice Things About Me This is not a trick question. Just quickly – without pondering – write down ten things about you that are nice. Maybe you have good posture or cute shoes or a wicked backhand or a great sense of humor or you!re a very safe driver or...
1. ___________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________
6. ___________________________________________________________________
7. ___________________________________________________________________
8. ___________________________________________________________________
9. ___________________________________________________________________
10. ___________________________________________________________________
Ten Successes/Wins/Blessings That Have Happened In The Past 12 Months Again, work swiftly. These could be ten things that you made happen, or just nice things that happened in your world. No victory is too small, no event too big.
1. ___________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________
6. ___________________________________________________________________
7. ___________________________________________________________________
8. ___________________________________________________________________
9. ___________________________________________________________________
10. ___________________________________________________________________
These lists can serve as the beginnings of a daily gratitude practice or just as an occasional pick-me-up. They are also great conversation starters, Facebook postings, elements in a personals ad, etc. Notes:
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
PURE PREFERENCE WORKSHEET
This worksheet is designed to help you hear what your heart and gut are telling you, quite apart from what!s “realistic,” “practical” or what you “should” do.
STEP ONE: Listing Your Options List your options. Assume all factors are equal. For example, if you are deciding between jobs, assume they each pay oodles of money, are an easy commute, work with great people, etc., even if that!s not “realistic.” We!re not concerned with practicalities; we!re just trying to discern what, all things being equal, you prefer.
1) ___________________________________________________________________
2) ___________________________________________________________________
3) ___________________________________________________________________
4) ___________________________________________________________________
5) ___________________________________________________________________
STEP TWO: Ranking Your Options Ask yourself, “Between choices 1 and 2, which do I truly prefer?” and circle your preference at Line A, below. Continue to Line B, asking, “Between 1 and 3, which do I prefer? And between 2 and 3, which do I prefer?” Circle your preference each time. Keep going until all choices have been ranked against one another.
A) 1 / 2
B) 1 / 3 2 / 3
C) 1 / 4 2 / 4 3 / 4
D) 1 / 5 2 / 5 3 / 5 4 / 5
STEP THREE: Scoring Your Options Count how many times each number is circled. Remember to count both down and across.
1 = 2 = 3 = 4 = 5 =
STEP FOUR: Results What do you notice about your results? Is there something on the list that got zero votes? What information do you have now that you didn!t have before?
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
Naming Where You Are And Claiming Where You!re At
This article walks you through how to fill out the “Naming and Claiming” Worksheet.
It should be pretty close to the information on the recording, but sometimes it!s nice to read instead of, or in addition to, listening.
You may already have a project idea in mind, or maybe not. Or maybe your project
idea is to create a project idea. Either way is OK.
First off, let!s take a look at the circumstances that are causing you to think that
maybe a project would be a good idea with the “Naming And Claiming” Worksheet.
Because you can!t get anywhere until you know where you are.
This exercise has a bunch of parts to it, so I advise doing one segment at a time,
and don!t skip ahead, or you might get sort of confused.
The first line of the worksheet asks you to answer the question, “Right Now I Feel
___________.” So, without pondering, just write down the word that describes how
you feel right now, as you contemplate starting this process. Do you feel excited?
Nervous? Happy? Discouraged? Terrified? Giggly? On Fire? About to jump off
the high dive?
I encourage you to be completely honest here – there!s no reason that the feeling
you!re having ought to be a “good” feeling. And if you are feeling some trepidation
or anxiety, well, fine. Let!s haul that monster out from underneath the bed and call
it by its name. No sense pretending you feel all chipper and yippee-skippy if
you don!t.
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
The other reason to be honest is because it!s possible that as you look at this word
you!ve written, you may realize that this is a feeling you often have when you are
beginning something new. So in the same way that performers feel “butterflies”
and immediately think to themselves, “Wait a minute, I!m not nervous, I!m just
about to go on stage and I always feel this way before I go on stage” and thereby
are able to transform the feeling into energy (rather than fear) so you, too, may be
able to realize that this feeling you have is merely your body!s signal that it knows
something new is coming down the pike.
And while we!re on the subject of stage fright, let!s just straighten one thing out
once and for all: performers get stage fright. People sometimes say things like,
“Oh, you performers, you just love the spotlight!” Implying that performers are
some kind of ego freaks.
Now, some performers are ego freaks. But some dentists are ego freaks, too.
Most of the performers I know are, at heart, tremendously shy. But since according
to The Book Of Lists, “fear of public speaking” is ranked number one and “fear of
death” ranks number seven, the average person assumes that anyone crazy
enough to go in front of a crowd voluntarily must not feel any fear. Or, perhaps
they must have some pathalogical need for recognition and applause.
To the contrary!
Performers feel the exact same “fight or flight” reaction we all do when facing a
crowd: the blood rushes to the internal organs so your hands and feet get cold,
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
your breathing gets shallow, you feel like you have to pee and you wish for all the
world that you could just disappear. But performing artists have one secret
advantage: a compulsion to share the story. Whether through theatre or dance or
storytelling, the drive to share the story overrides the “butterflies” and eventually,
the seasoned performer learns to look forward to that rush of energy that occurs
while standing in the wings.
Artists are not addicted to applause. We!re addicted to telling the story.
OK, back to the business at hand. The next line of the worksheet asks you to
describe, in just a few words, what your current situation is. For example, let!s say
you!re considering a project goal called “lose ten pounds.” The current situation
that!s causing you to consider that goal might be: clothes don!t fit, feel sluggish,
don!t feel sexy. Bottom line it. You don!t need to write down the whole story – in
fact, I!d prefer that you didn!t. Just write down a few of the prevailing conditions.
The next line asks “What You Want To Keep.” By which I mean, what aspect of
this current situation do you honestly want to hang on to?
For example, you may hate being unemployed, but you love not having to get up in
the morning. Filling in this line might lead you to realize that you would love to find
a job that didn!t start until after 12noon. Or, to go back to our “lose ten pounds”
person, perhaps you hate feeling overweight, but you love baking treats for your
sweetie. This line might inspire you to bake delicious healthy treats for your
sweetie.
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
Maybe you hate your full time job but want to keep your sense of security, or you!re
tired of writing alone, but you love your ability to work in your pajamas. Any little
thing or big thing is fine. Sometimes we don!t make a change in our life
because we!re afraid that if we do, everything might change. This line helps
you figure out what you prefer not change, and then you can construct your goal
with that in mind.
As I will remind you plenty of times, you cannot screw this up. There is no “right”
way to complete these exercises; there is only your way.
Now write down one idea of what your project goal might be on the next line. And
you aren!t making a commitment yet – you may well change your mind, in fact
you!ll probably change your mind before you!re done here – so feel free to
experiment, make a guess, take a flyer.
On the next three “So That” lines, I want you to write down three things you think
might happen as a result of your completing the project goal you just recorded.
They can be three sequential things:
My Goal Might Be: to audition for a play
So That: I get cast
So That: I get noticed by an agent
So That: I become a huge international movie star and live in a mansion
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
Notice that these “So Thats” do not need to particularly realistic. I don!t care
about realism right now.
Or your “So Thats” might be three concurrent, simultaneous things:
My Goal Might Be: to clean my apartment
So That: I can concentrate on my work
So That: I can invite people over whenever I want
So That: I can find my socks in the morning
The next line is a bit of a mind-bender. I want you to write down your “Opposite
Goal.” That is to say, I want you to write down the exact opposite of what
you!d like to have happen. The “Bizarro World” version. So if your goal is to lose
ten pounds, your “Opposite Goal” might be to stay the same weight, or even to gain
another ten pounds. If your goal is to audition for a play, your “Opposite Goal”
might be to never act again.
I know – it seems a little silly. But Neuro-Linguistic Programming teaches us that
people are motivated both “toward” and “away from.” To be “motivated toward” is
how most creative people are: you see a vision in your mind of something that
doesn!t exist yet and you work to make it come true. But many are also “motivated
away from”: you see a vision of what you don!t want, and work to make it not come
true. In other words, you see a vision of yourself ten pounds thinner and you work
to make it come true; you see a vision of yourself suffering from obesity, heart
disease and diabetes and work to make that not come true. (Lawyers and housing
inspectors tend to be “motivated away from” people, and thank goodness for that.)
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
Since we all have at least a little bit of each kind of motivation, it pays to give
a name to that which you are fleeing.
And now you are to write three more “So Thats,” but these are three consequences
of your “Opposite Goal.”
For example:
Opposite Goal: to never act again
So That: I never express myself creatively
So That: I spend all my days stuck in a cubicle dying under fluorescent lights
So That: I end up lonely and alone in a house with thirteen cats
Or maybe:
Opposite Goal: to gain another ten pounds
So That: I end up with heart disease
So That: I have to buy a whole new wardrobe
So That: I end up lonely and alone in a house with thirteen cats
Go ahead and exaggerate. Be a little silly. Again, I!d rather call those monsters
by their right names than pretend they!re not there.
Great job so far. You!re doing really well. Pat yourself on the back again.
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
Now, this next part is about values. And it!s sort of a sneaky way to figure out what
your own personal values are. I!ve found that if you just straight-out ask someone
what their values are, they are likely to say things like, “health, family, friendship…”
And those things are certainly valuable. But they!re a bit generic.
I!m looking for the values that truly motivate you and really get you fired up. Or as
my client Laura put it, “I work out, and I could tell you it!s because I value my
health, but it!s not really for my health. I work out because of my vanity!” And
she!s right – vanity is an excellent value and a highly motivating one. So is
money. As is the desire to share your work, shine your light and be seen by
important people.
I want you to go through your worksheet and extract any words that reflect a
“positive” value. If you look at the example on the next page, you can see the
words highlighted in yellow are then listed at the bottom – and they got transposed
into the form of a value, if necessary. So the word “excited” gets written down as a
value of “excitement” and the word “fit” gets written down as a value of “good fit.”
The words highlighted in blue represent “negative” values, so you just need to flip
them around to determine the value they represent. In other words, if you wrote
down words like poverty, failure and loss, those might get recorded as values of
prosperity, success and winning. And you might have to fudge around with them a
bit – that!s OK, this isn!t an exact science. As you can see on our example sheet,
“nervous” got written down as a value of “calm,” “sluggish” become “energized” and
a little further down, “have to buy” reflects a value of “thriftiness.”
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
You might want to keep playing around with this list of values, and add to it as new
ideas occur to you. These unique-to-you values will be your inspiration when
you feel dried up, and they will give you courage when you feel weak. These
values are what will motivate you to pick up the phone and call an important
person, or to make a bold move you might otherwise shy away from.
Great. Almost done. Just make a few quick notes about anything you!ve noticed
while doing this work – anything you want to make sure you remember – and call it
a day.
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
NAMING AND CLAIMING
Right Now I Feel: ___nervous, excited____________________
The Situation Is: clothes don t fit, feel sluggish, dont feel sexy ____________
What I Want To Keep: ____making delicious treats for my sweetie__
My Goal Might Be: ____to lose ten pounds_____________________
So That:__I like myself_______________________________
So That: ___I can feel strong and healthy_____________
So That: _I feel more confident & can ask for a raise____
Opposite Goal: ____gain ten more pounds_______________________
So That: ____I get heart disease___________________
So That: ____I have to buy a whole new wardrobe_______
So That: _I end up alone and lonely in a house with 13 cats_
Values: excitement, good fit, sex appeal, delicious treats, my sweetie, self-love, strength, health, confidence, asking and receiving, money, wardrobe and looking good, calm, energized, good heart, thriftiness, friends, companionship and community
Here!s What I Notice About This: _______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
© Samantha Bennett 2009 www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
NAMING AND CLAIMING
Right Now I Feel:____________________________________________________
The Situation Is: _____________________________________________________________
What I Want To Keep: ________________________________________________________
My Goal Might Be: ___________________________________________________________
So That: ___________________________________________________
So That: ___________________________________________________
So That: ___________________________________________________
Opposite Goal: ______________________________________________________________
So That: ___________________________________________________
So That: ___________________________________________________
So That: ___________________________________________________
Values: ____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Here!s What I Notice About This: _______________________________________________
© Samantha Bennett 2009
www.TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com
!
MY INAUGURAL STATEMENT
As always, work right off the top of your head and don!t second-guess yourself.
The lesson from the past eight years has been:
_______________________________________________________________
And today I inaugurate a new era of:
_______________________________________________________________
The hallmarks of which are:
_______________________________________________________________
And I give thanks for:
_______________________________________________________________
And I know that with the help of my friends, both seen and unseen:
YES WE CAN!