Meic and the Sticks

My dog Meic is a very clever fellow, if somewhat obsessive-compulsive. He’s highly trainable, so long as you can get him to focus. And recently, Meic has taught me a really important lesson about myself.

Meic loves to fetch. Balls, sticks, frisbees, whatever. He’s a natural athlete, flying high to bring down the frisbee or ball in mid-air, finishing off with an athletic victory strut. So I decided to add a little complication: what would he do with five sticks, all thrown in advance?

Five sticks are hurled from the balcony, dispersed all over the lawn. Then Meic, looking very, very solemn, is instructed to go fetch them all. “Five sticks, Meic! Five! Go fetch!”

Off he goes.

Typically Meic will pick up the first stick he comes to, looking quite pleased with himself. But then he sees the next one. Oh, my!

Clearly discombobulated, he’ll carry Stick One over to Stick Two, then suffers another moment’s indecision before dropping Stick One in favour of Stick Two.

And then he sees Stick Three.

Invariably he has to process all five, sometimes more than once, before fetching any back to me. His executive processes are under too much strain. Soon enough, though, he brings one back to me, limiting his choices to four, then three, then two, then one. Ultimately all five sticks are regained, along with his self-esteem.

What is happening is that Meic is overwhelmed by choice. Five alternatives, and each of them a good one. “Let’s do this! Ah, but wait a minute… What about that?” His mental anguish is palpable.

Don’t know about you, but three of my great weaknesses are poor prioritization, dithering and procrastinating. If I have one problem on my desk or workbench, a hard deadline, and somebody watching me, I’m all over it with great solutions.

But give me two, and I freeze like a deer in the headlights. Or if I have two days to get something done, tomorrow is always my favorite choice. First I need to tidy my desk or go wool gathering on the internet. Picking up the sticks in order is just too much to ask, at least right now.

Now, I know you’re not the least bit like Meic, or me. I know that you can quickly triage the tasks ahead, knocking them off in order of importance, right away, with no need to have someone over your shoulder. If that’s you, you’re lucky.

But if you’re more like me, with a tendency to dither and/or procrastinate, there is hope. Understanding the difference between urgent and important, setting and keeping deadlines, and above all making yourself accountable are key tools in ensuring that your true potential is realized.