075: Let's Play a Little Hot and Cold. How to Snap Out of That Analysis Paralysis

If you are ready to prioritize what matters most to you and start taking action on that, I will have a live Dare to Prioritize challenge coming up in May. So be sure to head on over to daretoprioritize.com to join the waiting list so you are notified as soon as the doors open for registration.
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Did you ever play the game “Hot and Cold” growing up? You know, your friends would hide something and they would tell you if you were getting hotter or colder as you searched for it. Well, it turns out this game can be applied to productivity as well.

“By using the principles of hot and cold, you can hone your focus, increase your efficiency, and achieve your goals faster than ever before.” ~ Elise.

We’re hopping in the time machine in this episode for a little bit. I want you to go back with me and see little Elise in a game of hot and cold. Remember the way it was played - or at least in my family - whoever was "it" would leave the room while the other players hid a prized object somewhere in the room. When "it" returned, they would have to search for the object while the other players gave them clues by saying "hot" when they were close and "cold" when they were far away.

I was always a bit nervous playing this game because I hated getting things wrong, especially in front of an audience. I was the kid who dreaded P.E. class because we had to do things in front of each other, and I was always afraid of making a mistake. So you can imagine how I felt playing hot and cold. Every step I took was a potential mistake, and I didn't want to let my team down.

But deep down, I knew I wanted to find the object and win the game. So I had to take a risk and start moving. Sometimes I guessed the right direction, and other times I was wrong, but I learned from my mistakes and kept going. And when I finally found the object, it was such a rewarding feeling.

Now, as a coach, I see a lot of people who get stuck in analysis paralysis. They spend so much time thinking about their goals and all the different ways they could achieve them, but they don't take action. Just like in the game of hot and cold, you have to take a risk and start moving towards your goal. You might make mistakes along the way, but you'll learn from them and keep improving until you finally reach your prize.

Let’s start you along with a little experiment in The Weekly Shift with 2 steps:

Step 1 - Think of one thing you've been putting on the back burner that you care about, are passionate or excited about that you know would be good for you and that you want to pursue. Do you have it? Say it out loud right now...or at least say it in your head right now

Step 2 - Find a way to play hot and cold with this thing, goal, project or idea by taking just one tiny step every single day this week. See how it feels to take action on it.

Take action. Get feedback. Take your next action. Get feedback. Take your next action. So on and so forth.

If you are all in on trying the shift this week, head over to @theproductivityshift on Facebook or Instagram and comment in the weekly shift post with some sort of fun emoji.

**This podcast is lovingly created by yours truly, Elise Enriquez, and produced by Rachael Sanya.