Earlier this summer, a client told me how excited she was to start using her grill. There was part of the grill Abby had to clean first, and she kept putting it off because the instructions looked complicated and time consuming. Once she got started, it was actually a rather quick process. Abby wished she’d just tried it out sooner, because then she would have gotten the whole thing done and been able to start using the grill as soon as the weather warmed up.
Does that sound like a familiar pattern when it comes to facing a new project? Do you keep putting things off because they seem like they’d take too long and you don’t have the time to deal with them? It happens to me, too.
One strategy I use to combat that pattern is to try breaking things down into smaller steps. Doing a little each day or each week can help toward accomplishing my goal, instead of waiting for a day to do the whole big thing. When a project feels overwhelming, somehow that “do everything” day gets rescheduled a lot due to gorgeous weather, a favorite friend in town, errands that need doing or any other excuse. Working towards my goal a little at a time is much less intimidating, and I’m less likely to procrastinate. If I’m lucky, the project turns out to be like cleaning Abby’s grill, faster and easier than it first seemed. Even when that doesn’t happen, tackling tough projects this way gets the work done but still leaves me time to take advantage of that gorgeous weather, hang out with the visiting pal, or get those errands done!
Sometimes, though, a strong push at the start is needed to get a project on track. If you’ve got a big organizing project you’ve been putting off, I can help you get the ball rolling.
I wish my clients and friends a wonderful Labor Day holiday, and for Jewish folks a wonderful, sweet new year!
Side note: These blog stories feature real clients and their organizing solutions. To maintain client privacy, all names have been changed.