The saying tells us not to sweat the small stuff. But we do, don’t we?
Especially the small stuff we keep putting off.
And putting off.
And putting off.
The jobs that are so small that we never get around to them because there is always Something More Important to do instead.
So we get on with the bigger stuff: the emergencies and squeaky wheels and Very Impressive Projects. But there’s a tiny voice in the back of our heads reminding us of those small things, and whenever we manage to quiet the other voices we remember… Oh right, I still need to send that card / make that appointment / get back to the lady at the library.
[If you don’t have multiple voices screaming in your head, perhaps you don’t need to read this. For the rest of you…]
When the small stuff piles up it can really weigh us down.
So today I took care of a few small things. Each one took less than five minutes. But those few minutes silenced several tiny voices that had been clamoring for a week or two.
How wonderful to have those small things off my list! And off my mind.
The next time you feel stressed over all the stuff you need to do, and not sure where to begin, I suggest you find a small task or two that you can quickly conquer. It might just give you the boost you need to tackle something bigger.
Happy Friday
I can relate to this! I’ve found a lot of help lately in applying the idea of “sprints” to those little tasks I tend to put off. I set a timer for 20 minutes and do a cleaning sprint, or set aside a hour and do a paperwork sprint. I never feel like doing it, but I always feel better afterward.
Those little things weigh us down more than we realize. Checking some off the list can be amazingly freeing.
I can relate only too well. Being a procrastinator and a perfectionist contributes to the problem. Small, unfinished tasks add a lot of mental clutter and stress to life. Timer setting, making a list to work through, and being aware of time spent spinning my wheels in front of the computer instead of diving in to something are some of my strategies for dealing with it. Usually once I get started on something I find it was not nearly as scary a task as I imagined.
I think that is often half the problem, that we think those little tasks will take more time, or more emotional effort than they really do. Why do we allow such silly fears to affect us?