Are you staring down a completely overwhelming organizing project or a never-ending to-do list? If so, keep reading. Just ahead is a simple way to tackle all of your big and overwhelming projects 30 minutes at a time. (That already feels better, doesn’t it?)
Here’s the back story.
The other morning my husband shared an idea that motivates him to check more items off of his ever-growing to-do list. The idea was inspired by the ESPN documentary series 30 For 30. Jay’s remake of this idea is 30 Under 30 (which isn’t to be confused with a list Forbes puts together each year.)
So what’s Jay’s 30 under 30 idea? He simply creates a list of 30 projects that will take under 30 minutes to get done. These are easy-win projects he can knock out in some spare minutes after work or on the weekends.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I was intrigued by this idea. Sadly though, my to-do list is full of organizing projects and other to-dos that will take more than 30 minutes a piece to finish. But I’m also a huge fan of chunking down big projects so I can make progress in smaller slices of time.
Here are some examples of how this could work for your organizing to-do list.
First, pull out a piece of paper and put “30 Under 30” at the top.
Then, number from one to thirty.
Next, think about an area in your home that you want or need to organize and bite size it. Instead of adding, “Organize Closet” to your list, break your closet down into smaller sections that you could work on 30 minutes or less at a time. For example, you could break your list down by garment type (pants, skirts, dresses, shirts, sweaters, jackets, shoes, etc.) or by storage location within your closet (top hanging rack, bottom hanging rack, top shelf, bottom shelf and shoe rack on the floor.) If those chunks feel too small, group a couple together. If they feel too big, break them down further, i.e. left-side top hanging rack and right-side top hanging rack.
The idea here isn’t to figure out exactly how long everything will take and break out precisely into 30 minute chunks. You’re looking for chunks that will take less than 30 minutes. How much less is up to you. By doing this, you’ll create a list of tasks that feel manageable. Next time you have 30 minutes free, you can make progress on a project that matters to you. Not only will that 30-minute time investment net you a check mark on your list, you’ll also be motivated to find another 30 minutes to get yourself another one!
What happens if you don’t finish in 30 minutes? Well, you may just find yourself compelled to keep going. And if not, then you pick up where you left off next time, feeling satisfied that you’re 30 minutes closer to the finish line.
Okay friends, gotta run. I have a list to make!
Aby
What a fabulous idea! I was just thinking that I might try a daily micro-organizing or micro-cleaning approach. For example, our toaster looked ready for a cleaning, so that was it for the day. 30 under 30 is very catchy too.