Another little way to approach tasks…
(Especially the “not so fun ones”… 😉 )
If it’s going to take Less Than 5 minutes… Do it Now!
This is one of those “organisational” tips… It’s one that I think about quite often!
It’s usually the “Less Than 5” jobs that end up piling up over time, making them (you guessed it…) MORE THAN 5!!!
I use this strategy in ALL aspects of life:
- Replying to an easy email/message straightaway
- Actually putting the washing IN THE DRAWER (not just on top of it)
- Cleaning the shower while I’m in it
- Spraying and wiping the sink/bench before I leave
- Giving the lounge a quick vacuum (No! you don’t have to do the whole house at one time!)
- Picking up some leaves or weeding as I walk by it
- Straightening up the table and putting things away that have been left on top of it
So if you see it, and it will take less than 5mins to do, Don’t walk by it! Just do it then and there. This strategy tends to work well with thing that you don’t particularly want to do, and/or find tedious.
Get it done, then move on with your day. You’ll feel like you’re “on top” of everything and not sinking under all the little jobs.
I have also found this strategy really awesome for doing nice things for others:
- Writing a little love note to your partner or children and leaving it on their pillow
- Turning on the kettle for someone after you
- Letting someone go ahead of you in line at the shop
- Messaging an old friend or someone you haven’t caught up with for awhile. It doesn’t take long to say, “How are you? I’ve been thinking about you”
- Ringing a shop after you’ve left to tell the Manager that the person who served you was really helpful and awesome at their job
I also tend to assume that any spare time I may have later on might not come.
Hence, if I get jobs done NOW, then I know they are completed in case time gets away on me later in the day.
