How many jobs have you got at home (or at work) that have been on your To Do list for longer than you can remember? Generally big jobs. Every time you think of tackling it you are overwhelmed by the enormity. Maybe it’s clearing out the garage or a spare room, clearing out kitchen cupboards, decorating. Those huge jobs that will actually make a big difference to you. Even smaller jobs such as ironing, vacuuming, or washing up can overwhelm when you are feeling low.
I don’t have any magic answers, but I do have a method that I find helps me. It’s about allocating short periods of time to complete the task and being clear about what you are going to achieve. You need an alarm that you can set for 15-20mins, such as a kitchen timer, or your mobile (cell) phone.
I work in 20minute blocks. It’s long enough to show results but short enough not to overwhelm. If you aren’t quite up to 20mins, shorten it to something more acceptable for you. Even 5 minutes makes a difference.
The rules are that you must stop doing whatever it is when the alarm goes off. You then stop for the day or take a break. I set an alarm for the break as well. If you finish the task before the alarm goes off, congratulate yourself and take a break. You will be amazed at how much you can achieve in such a short space of time.
For the first 20mins, I take the big task and break it down into much smaller chunks. E.g., I want to clear the spare room. Clear a chest of drawers or even one drawer at a time, clear the wardrobe, clear the floor space, fill a bag of rubbish or fill a bag for charity. The aim is to make the individual tasks less monumental and more achievable. Try putting them in some sort of order as well. E.g., clearing the floor space first will make the other jobs much easier. When the alarm goes off…stop writing your list.
The next time you feel the energy, pick a task, set the alarm and get to it. When the alarm goes off…stop.
What you will find (hopefully) is that having started you will gain enthusiasm for seeing it through. Forcing yourself to stop without finishing, can be frustrating and motivate you to go back and finish.
A little note…always go back to the unfinished task and keep going until you have finished it. Break it down even further if that is going to help. I told my mum about this way of working but she kept starting different tasks and ended up with lots of unfinished jobs!!
I use this approach at work as well, particularly when I am feeling low and my concentration is kaput. I go through my projects each morning and make a list of the individual tasks that are required to complete the whole. I set my alarm for 30mins, and plough on through. After that, I make sure I stand up and wander round, grab a coffee or anything that takes me away from my desk. I am always amazed at how much I get done.
I would love to hear from anyone who tries this? Did it work for you? How much did you achieve?
P.S
Is it ironic that it has taken me two weeks to write this post? Each time I thought about it I would find something else to do thinking I didn’t have time to do it justice. Time to follow my own set of rules me thinks.
Change your mind 