I tend to get easily overwhelmed when there are too many things that need to be done and no clear direction on which need to be done first. It’s almost like my brain is unable to simply choose one and do it, so it somehow tries to do them all at once resulting in absolute meltdown.
Take my house for instance. Not being able to make a choice regarding selling, renting, or staying, I was actually working out all three options in my head all the time. I was making plans with my dad to come out and help install hardwood when I didn’t even know if I was going to be staying here. I was contacting realtors to try to rent the place out, and I didn’t even know if I was leaving.
This happens the most with more menial tasks like housework. I’ve got this huge pile of stuff to do that I can attack at any angle as well as lots of little piles of non-housework stuff. There are no flashing arrows that say “YOU ARE HERE” and so I just stare at it in frustration and do nothing.
I think I’ve found something to help combat this. Even though I make lists compulsively, I rarely actually follow them because just the act of list making itself embeds what needs to be done in my brain. It seems simple but, taking 30 seconds out ahead of time and making an arbitrary choice regarding what I should be working on next makes a huge difference.
Doing so leads to another problem though. I’m obsessive as well. If I tell myself to do “laundry” I’ll scour the house and make sure every single piece of laundry that ever existed is entirely washed, dried, and put away properly. This isn’t exactly good because the rest of the house just gets worse and worse as I dump all my priority into that one item.
What I need is to multi-task, and it isn’t something I do very well unless the tasks being performed have natural periods of down time. So I decided to force it on myself with the use of a timer. It works like this:
In my head I quickly make a list of equal priority items. Then I pick one at random and set a timer. 10-30 minutes usually. I work at that task without looking at the timer until it goes off. When it does, I choose another item at random and start again. I include rest, and fun, and important personal time in as well, so that I don’t forget that I’m allowed to do things I like too. And, of course, the natural priority of things still remains. If that little angel sleeping in the next room wakes up, whatever I’m doing is no longer important and my attention goes to her. Should my clock hit the magical hour at which I need to start getting ready, once again, the priority refocuses.
It’s working pretty well so far. I need to give myself more mandatory time to write and edit photos. So I’ve started including the in the plan. In fact, I have 5 minutes left to work on this entry at which time, if it’s not done, I’ll have to finish it on the next cycle.
It may seem strange to some of you to plan so much of life. And, I’ll admit it even seems strange to me. But, in the end, if it helps me get more done, have less stress, AND have more time to myself and the things that are important without stressing about everything else while I spend that time, then it’s worth it.
Even if you don’t have a personality like mine I think you can benefit from a plan like this. It gives you clear direction, keeps you on task, and forces you to consider what you’re doing before you do it instead of just working at it all haphazardly. It also makes sure you’re taking time out to have fun, relax, and enjoy the life you’re working so hard to make.