3 Keys Thursday: 3 Keys to Digging into that Overwhelming Task

Photo: Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

Writing about what needs to be done sometimes gives me a nudge to get it done. As is often the case, yesterday’s blog post spurred me into action. Consequently, my table now has more clear space than it did yesterday. It’s not fully clear yet, but it’s definitely improved. Papers are even filed where they belong instead of being dropped into a pile that I run from, planning to file them later.

Ready to dig into your own version of my pile-heavy dining room table? Here are three keys to tackling that looming task.

Start somewhere. Sometimes the task looms because it’s overwhelming. Just pick a spot and dig in! If it still feels overwhelming, turn the pile over and start from the bottom. Still too much? Pick another pile. Any progress is progress.

Do what you can. Often, a task gets left undone because we don’t feel as though we have time to tackle it. Picking up one thing or one pile, spending one minute or five (or 30) – all of these make a dent and every dent yields at least a little bit of that coveted organizational prize: clear space.

Don’t add to it. Like a dieter who feels that the day is lost after she succumbs to a brownie, we might feel as though the situation is so far gone that adding one more thing to the pile won’t make a difference. But it will. And the more we add, the more time it takes to actually get the job done.

For me, knowing where to start was easy -- it was time that was the obstacle -- but I was frustrated enough by the clutter to make time. Figuring out how much time we have, using it, and then walking away can be both frustrating and liberating.

Sometimes, though, life intervenes and finding that elusive time is just more than we can manage. If that's where you find yourself, I can tell you with confidence that there's one more thing that might give you a nudge.

Write it down.