By time, not task

for blog

Ever tried to seriously clean your house/apartment?  Not just tidying up but getting rid of bags of stuff and scrubbing the entire space so it feels hotel clean?  No? Bet you wanted to.  Bet you even tried.  You probably managed to throw out some things and clean up some counters but that’s as far as you got.

What happened?  You had a goal.  You worked towards it.  So why did your house not end up looking like the Marriott?  Because you focused on the task, not the time.  When you focus on the task, the hurdles are big:

  • You can feel overwhelmed by what you know is a big job and watch Netflix instead (so much more fun!)
  • You can skip a day or two because how much can you really get done in a day anyway?
  • You will feel defeat every time you look at your space and see a room that housekeeping obviously missed (despite those three hours of cleaning I did last week!!!)

So what if, instead of a spotless house/apartment, your focused on cleaning for 30 minutes a day. 

Here’s the difference:

  • 30 minutes a day is doable.  Set an alarm and do it.  Stop when the alarm sounds.
  • 30 minutes a day doesn’t require planning.  You dig in, work, and stop at the alarm
  • 30 minutes a day feels good.  When you are finished, you have accomplished your goal. 

If you take this approach, at the end of the week, your place starts to look decent.  By week two, you can invite friends over without fear of mockery and by week three, your place is actually starting to shine (disclaimer: this schedule may vary depending on your level of Oscar Madison going in).

Try this: make time, not the project, the focus for something that you have had on your to-do list.  Try it for three days and observe the momentum you feel and notice the progress you are making.