Baby Steps
Break It Down Into Baby Steps
We all began with baby steps. That’s how we learned to walk – one tiny step at a time. That’s how we can overcome our procrastination and accomplish our tasks.
Sometimes a project or task simply seems too big and overwhelming to tackle. You know you should reorganize your closet and get rid of all the stuff that no longer fits or that you don’t wear anymore. It’s such a big job though that you keep putting it off and finding excuses why you don’t have time to tackle it today. (I’ve been here…have you? Decluttering seems like such an awesome task it is easy to procrastinate and put it off.) Whenever you find yourself in this type of situation, start breaking the big job down into baby steps. Take it one little step, one little task, and one little action item at a time.
With the closet example, start by going through your sock drawer, or sort through you summer t-shirts. You have time for that and it won’t take more than a few minutes to get done. Then keep going and go through your skirts, pants, shoes etc. Before you know it most, if not all of your closet is reorganized. (If this is too much for you take 15 minutes each day to work on your closet or your drawers. If you need more help with decluttering, check out flylady.com)
Flylady.com says: “Set the timer and do 15 minutes of cleaning or picking up toys or newpapers. Concentrate on one thing, not all of it. Get a laundry basket and put the things that don’t belong in the living room in the basket. Take a garbage bag with you, too. Start throwing away the trash. Don’t get caught up in the guilt we have about recycling this stuff. Just bag it up for now.
You can apply the same technique to all sorts of other situations. Instead of getting overwhelmed by the big project at work, break it down into baby steps. The first job will simply be to break it into bite-size chunks. Then you can begin to tackle the chunks, one step at a time.
You can do that. Make that list, then start ticking items off a little at a time.
“This is worth the extra effort to go slow. I know it is not in our nature to plod along. We want what we want, and we want it now. You are going to have to quiet this voice in your head and take it one habit at a time. Consistency has its rewards.” – FlyLady
To baby steps and making progress
Fran Watson
P.S. What one step did you tackle today?