Getter’ Done

By Dave Murphy

“If you have to eat a frog, don’t look at it too long – if you have to eat two, eat the biggest one first.”

What we are really talking about here is procrastination. People procrastinate for a variety of reasons. Many of us in the fire service are no strangers to procrastination and can readily offer reasons such as: we are too busy at work and at home, we don’t feel well; the list goes on and on. Ken Blanchard’s book, How A Last Minute Manager Conquered Procrastination, offers a few suggestions to help those who continually put things off until the last minute.

  • Prioritize: Decide what is most important. This is standard practice at the scene of an emergency incident; what about elsewhere? Some things can wait, while others cannot. Plan tomorrow’s agenda the day before. Capitalize on your most productive time of the day, do at least one undesired task early in the morning. Establish an effective prioritization system that works for you and stick to it; you will realize immediate results.
  • Propriety: Do the right thing at the right time for the right reason. This is another area critical to individual success in the fire service. Make a plan to meet deadlines on time. Prioritize needed study time for that promotional test and other time-sensitive dates. Schedule leisure time activities only after essential items have been covered. Balance your day with enjoyable and not-so-enjoyable tasks.
  • Commitment: A job worth doing is worth doing well. Whatever you do, do it with all your might. This goes without saying at the incident scene. Remember that feeling after a quick knockdown? Is the same amount of enthusiasm present on lesser demands? People derive a great deal of satisfaction from a job well done, which also serves as an automatic motivator for the next item on your list. Don’t forget to reward yourself for your accomplishments.
  • Minimize distractions – Turn off the phone and television, pull the blinds, and shut the door. This is very often hard to achieve in the confines of a noise-infested fire station, but distractions can often be minimized with a little forethought and the thoughtfulness of our brother and sister firefighters. One may find solitude in the sleeping quarters, the bay area or even out on the picnic table. You can accomplish a great deal more when you minimize possible interruptions.

In summary, every individual should strive to develop skills to thwart the proverbial “waiting until the last minute” situations. By utilizing the aforementioned concepts, you can become more on time, be on target, and change your life for the better. The battle to overcome procrastination begins with a simple plan that must be initiated by each individual person. In the immortal words of Larry the Cable Guy, “Getter’ done”.

Dave Murphy retired as Assistant Chief of the Richmond (KY) fire department. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Fire and Safety Engineering Technology program at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Four Firefighters Hurt in Fire in Abandoned Harlem (NY) Building

Four firefighters were injured battling a massive fire that tore through an abandoned Harlem building where jazz icon Billie Holiday reportedly once lived.