The procrastinator and the planner live in harmony

In October, my boyfriend and I plan on beginning our semi-retirement adventure. Our plan is moderately nomadic. We want to live in different areas of the world 1 year or so at a time. We are beginning in Hawaii to be near my dad and have a list accumulating of all the wonderful places we want to go. We want to experience the culture beyond what you can do on a vacation. Sounds great right?

The challenge is getting to the point where we can go. Between us, we have 2 homes, 4 cars, a local business, 2 jobs, 2 pets, and a lot of stuff. All of the stuff needs to be either sold, stored, shuttered, or given away.

Wait. That’s not the challenge.

The challenge is to get it done with a partner who, at the surface, appears to be a procrastinator. Certainly an avoider.

Avoider: Avoids difficult and unpleasant tasks and conflicts

Let’s just say that there are a ton of unpleasant tasks and conflicts ahead of us in the next 6 months.

And the other one is a planner.

Planner: Likes to get things done in an orderly fashion without an enormous stressful push at the end. Is impatient for results.

So how are we going to make sure it isn’t a mad rush at the end, without the planner becoming a nagger?

AGILE to the rescue

We are borrowing a method from software development called agile.

I know. Most of you aren’t software developers. So what is this agile thing and why will it work?

Let’s start at the beginning.

• Our goal is to move in 6 months.

• We have 9 strategies to get there including milestones like sell stuff via a garage sale and sell 1 of the homes.

• We have posted each of the 9 strategies on a wall on a 9 x 11 sheet of paper.

The process is:

1. Each week we will plan our weekly “sprint.” A sprint in this context is time-boxed periods of one week, during which we work to complete a specific set of tasks. What will we do this week to move each of the 9 strategies forward? Just like in the TV show Silicon Valley, we are using post it notes to identify the tasks we can get done this week. However, we have put it on a door that we don't use for entry and exit.

2. When they are complete, they are removed and moved to the done sheet of paper.

3. Upcoming tasks are on another paper (see the one with all the post-its)

4. Repeat

Watch the video below to see how it works,...

Why does this work?

• Ownership. Each of us takes ownership over our own commitments

• Visibility. The planner sees progress without nagging

• Risk Management. The avoider sees the work ahead and (hopefully) won’t avoid the hard stuff

• Adaptability. We can adjust as time commitments change and opportunity arises

• Alignment. We are aligned on the upcoming work reducing frustration or disappointment

I love how work strategies can become life strategies and vice versa. What methodologies do you follow at work that you feel can help your personal life and help you achieve your goals?

If you struggle with getting the important jobs done, reach out for a coaching discovery call to find out how coaching can help you move past the barriers that are stopping you from achieving your big hairy audacious goals (BHAG),