“So much to do, so little time.” My husband and I often think that way. In fact, we find ourselves either doing, or thinking about doing, some task or goal most of our waking hours. We have chosen a lifestyle that demands much of our time and energy. We are often controlled by that lifestyle, rather than controlling it.
Most days we thrive in that atmosphere; however, some days we are imprisoned by it as we find ourselves out of balance and out of sorts.
How can we achieve the tasks and goals in a manner that does not swallow us up? I have found that compartmentalizing my responsibilities is helpful.
- Make a decision about what tasks need to be accomplished and which ones do not.
- Eliminate the “I shoulds” and replace with the “I wills.”
- Create a list of the “to do’s.” Categorize the tasks as “must be done now,” “should be done soon,” and “it would be nice to get this done.”
- Decide which job you will tackle first.
- Compartmentalize the tasks of the project that you will be tackling.
- Commit to spending a designated period of time, 30 or 60 minutes, on one task.
- For that period of time, work as though you were under a very pressing deadline, putting all of your energy and focus into the task.
- Use a kitchen timer to alert you when the time has ended.
- Stop when the timer rings, even if you feel like continuing on. Why? Because one reason we do not tackle big (or even small) projects is because we are sure that it will take too much time right then. If we continue working, we will find that our prediction has come true. However, for 30 to 60 minutes, we can take time out of other civilities to begin to attack this project.
- Pat yourself on the back for staying on task and take notice of what you accomplished.
- Reward yourself for the accomplishment.
Affirmation for the Week:
“I can accomplish a project of any size when I break it down into bite size pieces. I will commit 30 to 60 minutes to tackling each task and following through on that commitment.”
Have a compartmentalized week!
Mary Rau-Foster
A few weeks ago I told you about my husband’s journey to cure his cancer. The website is
www.fostercuringcancer.com if you wish to read his blog.
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Mary’s book “Motivating Moments” makes a great gift for you, your family and your friends. This 211 page book, with illustrations, is a guaranteed morale booster, as well as thought provoking and inspirational. To learn more and to order online, visit www.motivatingmomentsbook.com or www.workplaceissues.com/motivatingmomentsbook.htm
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Thank you, Mary. This affirmation was perfect timing. I usually save your MMM’s with a “reminder” to keep them coming up each day of their current week when i open email; For some i set the reminders for longer than a week- or keep re-setting them each week. I need to give this (Feb 20) MMM one of those longterm reminders!
FYI, the January 2d MMM is still on my reminder list!