This morning I woke up excited to make more progress on my house projects. Before breakfast, I set the timer on my phone for 15 minutes and attacked my desk. There was still a pile of papers there that I hadn’t dealt with yesterday. Because they required more involved decision-making, today’s tasks took slightly longer but here’s what I did:
- Created a file folder and filed my coaching notes to get them off the desk.
- Read and recycled several pieces of paper with outdated notes and even one very old letter from a friend that I had pulled out of storage boxes to read.
- Consolidated the remaining notes into a very small pile that I expect to be able to work through this week.
- Put my notebook and 2 books I’m reading on one of the desk shelves so they won’t clutter up the desktop while not in use.
- Reorganized the inspirational items I keep on my desk (a photo of the shrine near my house when I lived in Japan – one of my favorite quiet spots of all time, a token from a client, a few notes to remind me of my purpose and values) to give them a place of more prominence.
What remains on my desk:
- laptop
- desk lamp (though I may put it away for the summer time- there’s plenty of natural light and I rarely work in this spot past sundown this time of year)
- mason jar holding pens
- writing notebook
- a few notes to be addressed and recycled this week
- paperweight
- inspirational items
I also emptied the trash from the rest of the house into the main bins. I’m planning to do this daily as it allows me to see what kind of trash we’re producing. Currently it’s mostly food packaging, tissues (now going to compost) and paper towels (also going to compost). Next is to look for ways to reduce our trash. Yesterday I pulled some microfiber cloths out of the back of the closet. Today I’m going to wash them for use in place of paper towels. One step at a time…
What I learned… 2 things:
1- I underestimated how much I could do in 15 min. Tomorrow I’ll tackle something more challenging and if I am not done when the timer goes off, I can either add another 15 min or leave the rest for another day.
2- The hardest part of this process for me is being patient with the results coming gradually. As soon as I start looking at my space with a more critical eye (what is that doing there? why is that corner so dusty?) I want to tackle it all. But having tried to do that many times and burning out then not coming back to it, this time, I’m trying to limit myself to pace myself for the long-term.
What helps you be patient as you try to make gradual, long-term change in your life?
Life in the Tiny Moments 