Quirks. Call them peculiarities, idiosyncracies, habits, oddities, eccentricities …

Okay, we’ll end our tour of the Thesaurus!

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We all have quirks which, to some extent, make us who we are. But some of them get in the way of our bigg success. There’s way too many to cover in a short post, so we’ll discuss a few quirks that perfectionists sometimes exhibit.

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Ah … perfectionism. I have to admit to falling into this one, but I get it honestly – my Dad was a perfectionist. To this day, I have to fight the urge to get it perfect. It’s too high of a standard for most of the things we do. We’re only human; we need to accept it.

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The Compulsive Cleaning Quirk

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Something that goes along with perfectionism is being obsessive about something. For example – the Compulsive Cleaning Quirk. No one could accuse me of this. Maybe the Compulsive Picking Up for the Cleaning Person quirk!

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We’re told from the time we’re kids that cleanliness is next to godliness. So Compulsive Cleaners clean … and clean … and clean. And they pick up … and pick up … and pick up. Obviously, clean and tidy are good things but there are limits. This quirk sweeps away your valuable time.

The Infomaniac Quirk

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This is a quirk I constantly fight. It’s the need to have all the information before you get started. News flash – it’s impossible! There’s just too much information available. There are too many options these days. This quirk deletes your productive time.

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The Minutiae Quirk

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People who fall into this trap get caught up in all the little details and lose sight of the bigg picture. It’s important not to get mired down in the bits and pieces and lose track of the cohesive whole. This quirk turns your activities into trivial pursuits.

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Perfectionism can hurt our productivity. So when you feel your quirkiness coming out, here are some little things that make a bigg difference:

Strive for excellence, not perfection.

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Perfectionists aren’t going to settle for anything less than stellar. You will still put out a high quality product or service, but remind yourself that you don’t have to get it perfect.

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Even though my Dad was a perfectionist, he had this saying, “It’s good enough for who it’s for.” Of course, he usually said this when he was working on a project for himself! Remind yourself that sometimes good enough is good enough.

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Know when to say “when”

Give yourself a deadline – be it thirty minutes or thirty days – to accomplish something. This will help you focus on moving ahead without getting caught up in trying to make something perfect.

Make a decision

Take comfort in the amount of information you have. Remind yourself that you can adapt as new information hits your radar.

Remind yourself that “the devil is in the details” but the destination is the direction. Don’t just begin with the end in mind as Stephen Covey taught us; keep the end in mind. Everything should move you closer to your destination.

A law and a question

The law of diminishing returns underlies this whole discussion. You reach a point where it’s just not worth your time to do anymore.

So how do you know when you’ve reached that point? Ask yourself about materiality.

If you press on, what material difference will you make to the finished product?

If it’s material, press on. If not, move on. It’s a key to bigg success.

Have you battled perfectionism? What have you done to get past it? Share that with us by leaving a comment below, calling us at 888.455.BIGG (2444) or e-mailing us at bigginfo@biggsuccess.com.

We think it’s just perfect that you read our post today. Thank you so much!

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Frank Sinatra did it “his way.” Please join us next time when we’ll talk about why Frank wouldn’t make it today. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

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(Image in today's post by woodsy)

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The list itself doesn’t contain any real surprises:

• lose weight
• manage debt
• save money
• get a better job
• get fit
• eat right
• get a better education
• drink less alcohol
• quit smoking now
• reduce stress overall
• reduce stress at work
• take a trip
• volunteer to help others

As we discussed this list, we realized that there is one word that can often make all the difference in keeping our resolutions.

That word is … No!

You can’t keep putting yourself, or your goals, on the back burner and expect anything to change. You have to say, “No!”

Say no to everything that doesn’t help you achieve your goals.

Say no and get fit

For example, assume your resolution is to “Get fit.” Depending on your commute to your preferred fitness center, it will take at least an hour every time you work out.

But it’s really important to you so you’re going to make time to do it.

Then a co-worker or a friend asks you to serve on a committee or join a club that has weekly meetings. Just say No!

Your “No” doesn’t have to be forever. It just has to be for right now while you fit (pun intended) exercise in your daily routine. Once you’ve made it a habit, then you can consider something else.

Say no and get out of debt

Another common resolution is to “Manage debt.” Of course, the first step is to stop getting further in debt.

Since this is really important to you, you’ll find ways to control your spending.

Two common things that hurt our budgets are major purchases and daily decisions. Get in the habit of saying no to things you don’t need so you stop getting further in debt and save money to pay your debt down.

No – it’s a negative word that will positively help you reach your goals!

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We really appreciate you checking in on us today. Next week, we’ll look at what’s hot in 2009. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes. 

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Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00300-010208.mp3

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Don’t Just Make New Year’s Resolutions, Get Them

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(Image in today's post by Cieleke)

According to Newsweek (June 7, 2004), the average American loses 55 minutes EVERY day searching for things they can’t find. We thought that particularly appropriate as we prepare to “spring forward” this weekend, here in the U.S. We’ll “lose” an hour this weekend, but you can get it back every day!

Clutter can cost you more than time. You may have to pay late fees if your bills don’t get paid on time. If you miss appointments, relationships can be damaged. In some places, clutter is so pervasive that people have been injured when they tripped over it!

4 clutter-busters to save you time and money!

#1 – Use it or lose it.
If in doubt, throw it out! Many people do the opposite – they keep it unless they know they won’t use it. Apply the six-month rule. Have you used it in the last six months? Do you KNOW that you’ll use it in the next six months? If the answer is “no” to both of those questions, then lose it!

If it’s a document that you need to maintain, consider scanning it. Electronic storage takes up a lot less space!

#2 – Make a place for everything and keep everything in its place.
After the first tip, you should have a lot less to put away now. Find a place for everything you keep. Once you’ve put it there, keep it there. When you use something, put it back immediately after you’re done with it. Make it a habit.

#3 – Call on a pro.
You may not be the “do-it-yourself” type. Or maybe you just don’t have a knack for organization. Check out the National Association of Professional Organizers. You can search for organizers in your area and find some great tips on hiring a specialist.

#4 – Once you get uncluttered, make sure you don’t re-clutter.
Daily maintenance is the key. Create a system for handling incoming items like your mail, newspapers, and periodicals. For example, you may open your mail over your shredder. Sort any mail you save by action date and file it appropriately. When today’s newspaper is here, yesterday’s is gone. Same with magazines.

Clutter may be a symptom of a bigger problem.
There’s one final note we wanted to make about clutter – clutter may not be the problem. It may be a symptom of this bigger problem …

If you find yourself diving right into your next project immediately after finishing your last project because you’re up against yet another tight deadline, you’re too busy!

Start living on human time. Stop expecting too much from yourself.

Being clutter-free is good for your well-being. It helps you think more clearly. It can save you an hour a day! So schedule some time to attack the clutter and prevent it from coming back!

Do you have some de-cluttering tips to share? Leave us a Comment. We’ll gladly accept your help!

Our bigg quote today comes from educator and author, Dr. Laurence J. Peter:

We’d like to come up with a witty comment about our bigg quote, but our mind’s blank!

Next time, we’ll interview a business networking expert who will share his 3 keys to effective networking. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

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