I Just Wanted to Pick Up, And Now the Room Is Worse Than When I Started!
Background
Have you ever just wanted to pick up the bedroom, and five hours later it's worse than when you started? Here are some thoughts about that common frustration.
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Getting sucked into a bigger project
Let's say that one task is to put your shoes away. You go to start and realize that:
- the shoes don't all fit into the current space
- they are hard to get out and put away in the current configuration
- or they really don't have a home
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You decide to sort the shoes so that they will fit into the space. You start sorting and then you realize that, if the shoes were polished, you might wear them more often. So you go and get the polish. Next thing you know, you've got newspaper on the floor and you're looking for a brush and a rag. You find your brush and rag after much searching but realize that the shoes are dirty and should be cleaned before being polished. So you put the polish down and you take the shoes outside to clean off the dirt. As they're now wet, you leave them outside to dry. You return to your other shoes, and the bedroom is more of a mess than when you started because there is newspaper, polish, rags and brushes all over the floor, along with all of the shoes you got out to sort. You look at the clock and realize that you have spent two hours and nothing has been picked up.
What about this?
What if we break our work down into two categories, put away and projects. It's not a problem to sort your shoes, polish them, or find another home for them. But instead of trying to do everything at once, decide what your goal is for that time. For example, if you want to do a quick pick up of the bedroom before you go to bed, then the goal is to return things to their home, even if it isn't a good one. Things that don't have a home can be put into a box labeled "needs home.”
But wait...
I really do want to sort my shoes, and polish them, and try out my new organizing ideas. That's great! Just find a way to capture that intention. Maybe write it on a project list or your calendar or take a picture of the project (the unpolished shoes) and text it to yourself as a reminder.
The thing to remember
If your goal is to pick up, keep reminding yourself of your goal. If you wander down a project path, gently remind yourself that you are picking up and that you can pursue your project at another designated time.
Good luck!
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