The Flash: Whatever you are going to do, do it now!

How cool would it be to streak across town and do your grocery shopping in a millisecond? What if you could take care of all of your yard work in a mere moment? How about being able to do all of the work on your desk before your co-workers have even returned to their seats from getting their morning coffee? Like a red blur you could jet across town taking care of all the things you need to do. It would make everyone’s life easier if they could be The Flash!

No matter what version of The Flash character you are a fan of, Jay Garrick, Wally West, or Barry Allen, it is likely that you are also a fan of The Flash’s superpower: Incredible speed. Incredible speed enables The Flash to move far faster than any regular human. While The Flash does great things, like fighting crime, with his super power, maybe we can take the essence of his superpower: doing things quickly and immediately, and apply it to our own lives to make us more productive.

Don’t wait, do it now!

Most if not all of us have a tendency to procrastinate. It is a rare thing indeed to find someone that gets things done quickly and on a regular basis. That is probably why The Flash is such a great character and hero to many of us. However, even if you could do things fast, that doesn’t mean that you would do them: There has to be a sense of urgency compelling you: You have to want to do them now.

There is real power in doing things now and not waiting. If you have a stack of stuff on the end of your counter, or an overloaded coffee table, that is a sign of not making a decision. Clutter is a big flashing sign of procrastination. When you have an item in your hands, then that is the time to make the decision about what to do with it. Don’t be paralyzed by indecision, act now.

I have always admired this quote from President Theodore Roosevelt and I think that it sums up this philosophy nicely:

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

— Theodore Roosevelt

Don’t let there be stacks of dishes, piles of paper or load of anxiety weighing you down, because you have been putting off doing what needs to get done.

Tips on being productive

If the idea of being a creature of “now” is completely contrary and antithetical to your nature, you are not alone, and if you use some of these tips, I think they will help you.

• Keep a small notebook with you, and make lists of what needs to get done. Cross off the tasks as you complete them. Make lists for daily, monthly and yearly goals and tasks.
• Ask yourself honestly why you are putting off a particular task. Is it unpleasant? Difficult? Something that forces you to face reality? Whatever it is deal with it, and get it done.
• Start using a timer to see how long tasks actually take to accomplish. You may be surprised to find out that many things don’t take as long as you thought. For instance, I have found that most household chores that get put off take less than a minute to actually complete. Get it done, and time yourself to see if you can do it faster.
• Big tasks are best done in small chunks. A little every day is better than a whole bunch once in a while. What did your mom tell you? “Inch by inch everything’s a cinch.” It is true and goes for just about everything.
• Don’t put off your workout, put on any of your Flash compression shirts and leggings, and get it done then go about your day or evening knowing you took care of business.
• Focus on what you are doing right now. Don’t worry about what is next or hold on to feelings from the previous event. Focus on now. There is real power in being in the moment.
• Stay disciplined to a philosophy of completing tasks in a timely fashion, and not letting them linger. Get a plan, stick to it and repeat.

You are The Flash!

So now you are armed with plenty of tips and tricks to make yourself as productive as possible. You may not have any super powers, but you will be functioning like a superhero to others if you focus on doing what needs doing and doing it right now. You can put on your Flash compression shirts and leggingsand feel comfortable and confident that you can more than live up to The Flash’s lightning emblem.