6 Strategies to Beat the Mess
Bless this mess.
I’ve never been so attuned to my mess as I am now.
Moving can do that to a person.
It seems like a never ending battle.
So how are we managing it?
Take Small Bites
Ever look at the sheer amount of stuff and feel overwhelmed? Me too. It’s easy to walk away and find something else to do.
To get moving on a project, I take it step by step. Just identify the first thing in front of you and take care of it. Then move onto the next. Before you know it, progress is made.
Time Block It
I plan a block of time to clean a specific area. Running a business, taking care of kids stuck at home, and taking care of a house is a lot of work. There is always more to do.
After making sure my priorities and obligations are properly addressed, I’ll segment off about 30 to 60 minutes to clean an area. I work as hard and fast as I can in that amount of time. When time is up, I bless and release. Move on. There are other things to do. It will be there tomorrow.
Set a Goal
Create a goal that gives you a clear finish line. For instance, my garage was a mess. My goal was to be able to fit my car. I worked as long as it took (about 3 hours) to organize, toss garbage, and do whatever it took to create a car sized space in my garage. The result, it fit… barely. And I got a TON of work done.
Distraction
When I really don’t want to do anything, like the dishes, I need to find anything to motivate me to keep moving. The best way I’ve found in that instance is complete, mind-numbing distraction. Netflix, talking on the phone, listening to the radio… anything that takes me away from the boring task I’m accomplishing is a gift.
Mindfulness
On the flip side, extreme mindfulness works weirdly well also. I first tried this while packing Define My Day books during the Christmas holiday season.
Believe me, nothing is more monotonous than packing orders for 12 hours. When I couldn’t listen to any more music, I shut it off and started paying attention to every detail of what I was doing. Every action, object, and step in the packing process got my full attention.
It’s seems counterintuitive but time flew by. It felt a lot like meditating and my mind was so clear (and a bit tired) by the time I was finished. I’ve used the practice many times since.
Education
This is probably my favorite strategy for managing chores. I listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and even some online courses.
I can only use this strategy at times when little thought is necessary to finish my task… mowing the lawn, straightening up a room, dishes, etc. If a task takes even a little thought, like cooking, I either mess up my dinner or can’t remember a lot of what I should have been learning because my attention is too divided.
Bless and Release
There will always be another mess to take care of in life. We can’t let it get too out of control and we can’t let it take over our lives.
Most important of all, we need to be happy with whatever we decide to accomplish or leave for another time.
Keep moving forward,
Nick
