Are you struggling with “I’m not ready” feelings? What comes first, second, third? How far in advance do you need to make plans? When should you call to hire someone to help around the house? When should you book a mover? When is the right time to submit a book for publication? To change jobs? To start college visits? To open a business?

Getting timing right can feel tricky. It seems like we barely stopped shivering from winter, but if you are thinking about hiring a landscaper or are preparing to put your house on the market, you’ve already missed the spring season. Many businesses book their jobs a month or two in advance, and by then it’ll be summer.

I’m not trying to stress you out. Far from it. The older I get, I realize two things more acutely…

usually things work out just fine whatever the timing and also…

the earlier you make plans, the better.

Do those two things seem at odds with each other? They aren’t at all.

“I’m Not Ready”

The earlier you make plans, the better.

I love to travel but I hate to buy airline tickets. It’s a game I always lose. When I went to Denver recently, I made reservations just a month ahead, even though this trip had been on my calendar for a year. As a result, I paid almost double versus what the price would have been if I’d bought the ticket months in advance. Also, the ticket agent told me a voucher I had earned from being bumped from a flight three years ago would have been honored just a week before. I lost about $400 by just a week! Grrr. Something like this has probably happened to you, too.

Several clients are planning to move this summer, but they aren’t mentally ready. It’s hard to make plans when you don’t have your next address yet and your dates are in flux. However, May through August is prime moving season, and movers book up several months in advance. Every year, people call me asking if I know a mover because they can’t find any movers who are available this month. How to handle this? Call for a written estimate as soon as you know you might be moving. As soon as you can narrow down your move window to a particular month, get on a mover’s calendar. Changing your date with a mover you’ve already committed to will be easier than trying to hire a mover within a tight window.

Usually things work out fine whatever the timing…

but getting information while waiting is also good.

Have you ever procrastinated on something, felt guilty about it, and then when it finally happened, you realized that the timing was perfect after all?

I’ve had to buy three new appliances within the last year. We waited six weeks for a new fridge, crossing fingers that the old refrigerator would keep working, even after the freezer compartment stopped cooling. Through that experience we learned that LG doesn’t repair their appliances older than ten years, so when my fifteen-year old dryer broke last month, I didn’t even try to repair it. I also didn’t hem and haw about whether to replace the matching washer. The money spent on the new washer and dryer would always be less than the cost of a flood. I was watching a client deal with her washer flood at the same time, and I didn’t want to go through that. I made a quick decision with lots of information already on board. Replacing both the washer and dryer at the same time was a no-brainer.

Everything seems to be slower these days. While we’re more used to overnight deliveries, there are so many consumer goods that just aren’t available due to Covid, and it’s probably getting worse due to the spring lockdowns in parts of China where many consumer goods are produced. For example, new Apple computers are being delayed 1-2 months. Mark my words, this is going to affect back to school shopping…again. I do not want to think about fall yet, but it’s already time.

Do it now.

Project management means managing the three legs of a stool: cost, budget, and timeline.

It’s the same at home: figuring out what to do first, second, and third, organizing your money, and planning who does what to whom. Even on small projects, like buying a new refrigerator, it takes focus and planning to go from, “I’m not ready!” to “I’m so happy with the finished project!”

One of our clients stopped using her main bathroom for nearly a year due to a leak, causing major inconvenience on top of existing health problems in her household. We helped her hire a contractor and get the work done in a few short weeks, which meant she could once again take care of her family members safely. She just needed a project manager to help her get started.

Photo organizing clients are often wondering when the right time to start is. Organizing a complex photo project with tens or even hundreds of thousands of photos takes time, so it’s always a good idea to at least start your project now. Yes, right now. You can only see the end of a photo organizing project after the initial inventory.

A different client is opening his fifth business location this month. His goal was clear from the start, but the rest of his priorities and computer files were scattered, which was creating a huge drag on his time and energy. We ran an executive strategy session in January and helped his team focus in on four key priorities for the business. They are now all using the same online project dashboard with tasks under each of those four key priorities. They are all communicating with speed they never had before. Oh, that fifth business location? It just opened. 🙂

These are some of the many examples where having us onboard as a productivity coach enabled these busy people get past “I’m not ready,” do it now, and reach their goals just mid-way through the year.

Are you struggling with “I’m Not Ready” feelings?

It’s normal to feel like you aren’t ready for a big project or change in your life. It’s normal to get stuck sometimes.

But you don’t have to stay stuck.

Work with an executive coach, a professional organizer, or an expert in that field where you need help.

Successful people don’t struggle alone. They get help, get ready, get things done, and move on. You can, too.

You can do this.