The Pie-in-the-Sky Procrastination Trap
Do you fall in? How to climb out.
By Sue Brenner, PCC, PMP

You can feel it. A sense of dread creeping in. "I know I have to work on the project. It's due tomorrow. I've already put it off all month..." Then you drift into the Pie-in-the-Sky trap. You start to dream up a speech on leadership that you want to give some day. You really get absorbed in writing. An hour passes. Now you really need to work on Priority A Project. Then your mind wanders to that new website you want to design for your small business and that fantastic product idea that will make you millions. 5:00 p.m. rolls around. Now you have to dash off to meet your wife at Restaurante Italiano for that date you scheduled a month ago. You'll have to set your alarm for 4:00 a.m. to get at least a couple hours in on the project before the 9:00 a.m. deadline tomorrow.

What can you do if you or someone you know has fallen into the Pie-in-the-Sky Procrastination trap? It takes some willingness, work and discipline to climb out but it can be done. It requires recognizing Pie-in-the-Sky behaviors along with an openness to do things differently. Follow these steps to descend from the sky and land back on your feet.

1. Create an idea box.
   Savor your creativity. When you begin your day, pour out your ideas onto slips of colored paper and drop them into your idea box. Then add new ideas that come to you throughout the day. This will give you a chance to do something with your ideas without having to act on them immediately or think about them for long stretches of time. It will also prevent you from burning people out by telling them to jump from one project to another causing your team to leave behind the things they need to get done. Your idea box will house your ideas for you so that you can temporarily put them to rest. Then, when you need a good idea for a product or project, you can reach into your Idea Box to find the "keepers."
    

2. Find the "keepers."
   Once every three months or so, sift through your idea box. If you're an employee, select a few ideas to present at the next department planning or brain storming session. Think about which ideas would add the most value to your company. For example, which ideas connect with the company's purpose? Which ideas directly line up with the top goals for the year? Which ideas are likely to generate revenue for your company? Find the "keepers" and pass them along. Rally around your strongest ideas and gather thoughts about next steps to bring them to life. Then you'll be equipped to move beyond the idea phase.
    

3. Un-stick yourself from the idea phase.
   Unless it is your job to be the "idea person," you must learn to stretch beyond ideas. Consider that every project has three phases: idea, research, and action. If you find yourself falling into the Pie-in-the-Sky procrastination trap then ideas are fun but muddling through the middle parts of projects get boring. If you, or others, have chosen to take an idea of yours on, move it into the next phase - research. Find out whether it's an idea worth diving into. Ask your leaders. Send out a survey: Do your customers want this? If not product idea X, then what? Once you un-stick yourself from the idea phase, you can then draft an outline of the work, money and people needed to pull it off. With these details, you can sketch a plan.
    

4. Plan a little.
   Not too much. Just enough to get the job done. This is often the toughest challenge for those caught in the Pie-the-Sky trap. Break down vague or grandiose ideas into smaller goals. Map out the actual work it will take in small pieces. Create distinct baby step deadlines. To ensure that you don't underestimate the work, get others involved and encourage their input. Who else can commit to the project? Who is already on board? Who wants to volunteer? Use simple tools like MSOutlook to capture your time line. Or for more complex projects use MSProject. Then print out your schedule, making it large and visible. Get ready for and take action on upcoming tasks that appear on the radar. If you push past the excitement of the idea phase and plan a little, you'll be ready to take action.
    

5. Follow your words with action.
   The tendency for Pie-in-the-Skyers is to skip steps #3 and #4. Your own innovation inspires you. At a client meeting you blurt out that you're putting together a self-help DVD for the client company to improve teamwork. A look of panic appears on your co-worker's face in the room. You meet with the same company two weeks later and throw out four more new ideas without any word of the DVD (you've forgotten about it). If you keep generating ideas without any action, people won't take you seriously. It may even cost you important accounts or even your job. If you can't resist pitching big ideas, qualify them with comments like, "This is just an idea. I'll check to see if we can pull this off." Once you hone in on priority projects, commit to them, concentrate and take action.

Take a moment now to write down ways to climb out of and prevent the Pie-in-the-Sky Procrastination Trap. Post these tips in a visible place in at work or at home. What three steps will make the most difference for you in overcoming the Pie-in-the-Sky procrastination trap? Identify these three steps and plug them into your calendar today. Pass on these ideas to another person and team up to put new behaviors in action. Make progress by starting today. It takes practice, but you can do it without losing an ounce of innovation. Don't think about it too much. There will be plenty of time to dream tonight. And your idea box will be waiting for you in the morning.

Copyright © 2008 Sue Brenner

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