It’s the beginning of a new year and many of us are full of resolutions and plans.
Unfortunately, the realisation is dawning that we haven’t magically transformed into an organised person. Decluttering resolutions are staying in a notebook and Netflix with ice-cream is a much more tempting option.
When we think about New Year’s resolutions, it’s often about the big things.
I’m going to declutter the whole house, transform the garage, organise my paperwork, become a minimalist.
These are great resolutions, but we can feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the tasks. This can send us right back to the sofa with Netflix and ice cream.
Sometimes what we need to do, is take one small step towards our goals. If we start with tasks that are quick but impactful, we can show ourselves we can do it and feel the difference it makes.
Small Actions
Start by asking yourself ‘How can I make my life easier’.
Make a list of 5 small tasks which would improve your home life.
For example:
Make a place to put your keys.
Tidy your shoes.
Declutter one kitchen draw.
Schedule a time to do it. Alternatively, when you have 5-15 minutes, pick an option from the list and complete it.
You can achieve a huge amount, in a short, focused time period. Once you feel the benefit of one change, you’ll want to do more.
Bigger tasks.
Getting started (especially on bigger tasks) is hard to do and there’s a reason why.
To put it simply, think of the brain in two parts.
· The rational part for planning and thinking things through.
· The survival part which responds to potential threats.
If we think a task is going to be difficult, our survival brain responds by stopping us in our tracks. This response is necessary for dangerous situations, but less so for sorting out the garage.
The good news is, you can work with both parts of your brain to accomplish your goals.
For example, if you would like to declutter and organise your wardrobe.
Your rational brain wants to do it, but you just can’t seem to start.
Begin by telling yourself that you are not going to do it.
Take the first step by saying ‘I’m not going to organise my wardrobe, I’m just going to open the door’.
Followed by, ‘I’m not going to organise my wardrobe, I’m just going to put the jeans together’.
‘I’m not going to organise my wardrobe, I’m just going to make categories’ and so on.
By side stepping the brain’s danger mode, you’ve managed to start the task. Often this leads to accomplishing most, or all of your goal.
I hope this blog has given you a basic understanding, of why taking action can be difficult. Rather than judging ourselves, we can work with this knowledge to accomplish our goals.
Every positive action we take today, increases our happiness tomorrow.
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Start the New Year with focus and clarity.
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