Writing two books over the last year has given me a new appreciation for the ability to focus on a task. It’s also opened my eyes to the incredible power of procrastination!

So many things in life have deadlines attached. The trash has to be out on the curb by 7am Thursday morning. You have a reserved seat for a concert, 8pm sharp on Saturday night. It’s easy to plan around events that have a finite beginning and end. It gets tougher when you’re confronted with an open-ended chore that could take a day, a week, or a year or more.

Next time you face an assignment without a timetable, create a timetable. Give yourself intermediate deadlines to meet and then a final time limit. Procrastination happens when we’re focused on too much to do, or too little to do. Structure helps annihilate procrastination!

Imagine a project to prepare a client presentation for an indeterminate date. Your framework might look like this: 

• Client interviews complete by 10/1/08
• Research finished by 10/10/08
• Verbal outline complete by 10/15/08
• Visual aids identified and in order by 10/17/08
• Prepared to deliver by 10/21/08

One key to preparation is to focus on creating tools and resources you can use in multiple situations. A wider range of uses means less groundwork for similar demands in the future.

News and Updates

I shared The Law of the Garbage Truck™ in a recent newsletter, and it’s important to give credit where credit is due! David J. Pollay is the author of that delightful article. To learn more about David and his work, please visit http://pos-psych.com/news/david-j-pollay/20071002426

Mike’s books will be arriving on store shelves and in your home library during the fourth quarter. You can pre-order “89 Seconds to Sales Success” and “89 Seconds to Leadership Success” at http://www.mikefaber.com/cart.php.

Mike around the United States

The Broadcast Your Best!™ 3-Step Story Process workbook is now available for purchase at http://www.mikefaber.com/cart.php. Learn how to Reflect, Connect and Apply your own powerful stories. If you’re in sales, leadership, speaking or coaching, this is a “must have” for your library. Just $19.95 per PDF file book, or $23.95 to purchase your print copy.

To book Mike for your next meeting, off-site or convention, call 877-262-2402. For details on upcoming events and presentations across the country, please visit http://www.mikefaber.com/work.php

If you cannot see this newsletter easily, click here http://www.mikefaber.com/news.php for the online version.

 Mike Faber
Phone 720-851-5208 Toll Free (outside Colorado) 877-262-2402
On the Web www.mikefaber.com