Cliff Hangers always wait until the last minute to get started.
Do you struggle to get started and seem to wait till the last minute to get things done? Is your reputation rife with turning in assignments just under the wire? Do you kick yourself often for not starting earlier when under pressure to finish? If so, you might be a Cliff Hanger Time Management Personality Style. Last-minute decision-makers often score as dominant Cliff Hanger personality styles with the TSSI.
We all have natural behaviors regarding the use of time and how we organize time and space.
Sometimes our styles work well for us, but when we do not understand how to work with our natural styles, we can get in our own way and impede our best intentions. Understanding what can work for us and what does not impacts the overall quality of our life. And the clock moves forward rapidly.
What Cliff Hanger time management personality styles say
You’ll often hear Cliff Hanger’s exclaim:
“I don’t have to start that project now, because I can’t finish it.”
or, “I really do my best work under pressure.”
or, “I’m always amazed that I can’t ever start early but somehow I magically pull it all together to finish just under the wire.”
If you’ve said things to yourself and others like the examples above, you may score dominant or strongly as a Cliff Hanger time management personality style.
If so, here’s what we know about you.
Cliff Hanger time management style preference highlights
Cliff Hangers, above all others, really think they do better when they postpone and procrastinate. Individuals with this time management personality style feel excited when racing against the clock to get things done. Cliff Hanger personalities really hate to be bored. So, often they’ll create a crisis-like lifestyle or choose an ’emergency-ready’ vocation. Even if they don’t become an EMT or other emergency worker, they may create last-minute emergencies within their otherwise boring lives.
What a Cliff Hanger time style likes is excitement. But what they really crave is the adrenaline they often ride to get things done and stay focused. So, last-minute deadlines create familiar excitement.
However, a Cliff Hanger may not realize the un-measured costs of getting work done just under the wire.
Cliff Hangers often wait to feel inspired to begin. Starting tasks consistently tends to be difficult. And, pressure helps create focus. She thinks her ability to complete tasks is enhanced. hen things that go wrong need to be handled at the last minute. She often comments she would have done more had she not run out of time.
For Cliff Hangers, working with other’s time style preferences is a challenge
While the Cliff Hanger bores quickly, she may also be unaware of how her style impacts others. Last-minute decisions drive perfectionists and planners crazy. So any time a Cliff Hanger has to work with others on planning, implementing, and completing tasks on time can get dicey. Other people may feel stress and frustration with Cliff Hangers. And as a result, a Cliff Hanger may feel judged, scrutinized, and shamed. When this happens, his ability to even get started will suffer. When asked to complete projects well and on deadline is questioned, last-minute decision-makers may get worse.
All is not lost, however. Cliff Hangers can close the gap and take steps to get better results.
When they do, they’ll avoid the stress that ‘waiting for inspiration’ causes, reduce errors due to time pressure, and often learn how to like their style preference more. Learning to work with your time management style preference is the key to create more enjoyable workflows and time to enjoy your life.
Flow is defined as the “natural, effortless unfolding of life in a way that moves us toward wholeness and harmony” (from The Power of Flow, Belitz, and Lundstrom). The gateway to flow begins with awareness, being present in the moment, and learning to manage your inner experience.
Flow Steps offer simple choices to help resolve your time tension and restore freedom over time and space.
Flow Steps Help Cliff Hanger time management personality style types
To be successful, Cliff Hanger time management personality style types need to stop thinking about such huge deadlines. Instead, they need to re-imagine how they work to begin small. Identifying shorter milestones and deadlines will help.
However, in order to invoke real change and better manage your time, you need to always start with the end in mind. These ten tips can help a Cliff Hanger can stop last-minute decisions and enhance workflow and overall productivity.
- Start with the end in mind. Try backward scheduling to ensure larger projects are completed on time.
- Schedule a ‘must start by’ deadline
- Define the first 1-3 steps of each project on your plate so you can reduce the time it takes to get started.
- Define done. Take a moment to clarify what it would look like to get the task complete.
- Prioritize projects by how long they may take to complete.
- Make small milestones as goals and set a completion date for each step. Then backward plan from the due date
- Build ‘downtime’ to explore true spontaneity each day.
- Track time on tasks to get an accurate and realistic picture to use for future estimating
- Assign a realistic time estimate and a priority to every task that is required
- Allow only the lowest priorities to be completed last-minute
These are just a few ways to use your natural style to create a more pleasing workflow experience.
The Six Time Management Style Preferences
Read about the other Time Management Style Preferences:
- Hopper Time Management Style Preference
- Hyper Focus Time Management Style Preference
- Big Picture Time Management Style Preference
- Perfectionist Plus Time Management Style Preference
- Impulsive Time Management Style Preference
- Cliff Hanger Time Management Style Preference
Click to read more about the 3 flow steps and 6 Time Management Style differentiators.
Once you identify your time management style preference you can integrate Flow Steps into your experience. There are 6 Organizing Style Personalities too.
The Six Organizing Style Preferences
Different organizing styles require different solutions. These are just a few ways to use your natural style to create a more pleasing workflow experience. Once you identify your dominant preferences you can begin to take steps to integrate more Flow Steps into your experience.
Read about each Organizing Style Preference:
- Everything Out Organizing Style Preference
- Nothing Out Organizing Style Preference
- Saver Organizing Style Preference
- Minimalist Organizing Style Preference
- Straightener Organizing Style Preference
- No Rules Organizing Style Preference
Click to read more about the 3 flow steps and 6 Organizing Style differentiators.
Conclusion
Once you identify your time style preferences you can begin to take steps to integrate more Flow Steps into your experience. The Time & Space Style Inventory™ (TSSI™) evaluates your time style preferences and how you manage priorities, attend to details, and take action. By learning your dominant and strong style preferences, you can make the most of your time and choose to take actions that increase flow in your life. Consistently taking the Flow Steps in your strong style preferences will help.
Learn to successfully manage your self and your decisions about time. The TSSI can help you embrace your natural style preferences and live in flow! So, don’t wait and waste more time. Stop wasting time and take the Time & Space Style Inventory. You’ll figure out your Flow Formula, get clues to help you manage time and get and stay organized. When you know yourself better, you can spend more time doing what you love and enjoying your life.
