The Gap Between “Would Like To Do” and “Done”

Most of us are great at thinking of things to do.

We’re great at dreaming up weekend projects around the house or thinking of ways to do new things where we work.

The place where our ideas die is the gap between “I would like to do” and “done.”

How do we bridge that gap? It looks different depending on who you are, but for most of us, these ideas will help.

Realistic Goals

The first thing we have to do is decide of what we’d like to do is realistic. I don’t know what you’re thing is, but if you’ve dreamed it up, I bet it is realistic with some help. Most of the time it is. If it isn’t realistic, maybe there’s something similar or a version of what you’re dreaming that would be realistic.

Action steps

Most things worth doing seem huge at first. The key is to not let it stay that way. Break up how you’re going to accomplish your project into actions steps. Action steps are small steps that you can do to get to a desired result. For instance, paying off that $30,000 car may seem like too lofty of an idea right now, but if you break it up into making 3 extra payments a year until it’s paid, it becomes more realistic.

Be sure to start these actions steps with action words… do, make, call, get, find, etc.

Schedule

Actions steps are great, but many people lose their enthusiasm after that. You have to schedule out when you’ll complete them. This doesn’t have to be on a calendar, it can be in your project manager, but decide when you’d like to act on the steps. I’ve had so many times that I outlined the steps but, because I never scheduled them out, I never got started.

Recruiting help

We work together. Everything is easier when you aren’t alone in it. Depending on the size or kind of dream you have, you’ll probably want to recruit help. Tell your dream to others. Let them catch the fire. Let them help you. Networking often plays a large role in this.

What else can help us bridge the gap between what we’d like to do and what we do? We’d all love to hear!