Start the Clock at Home Part and Improve Your Marrage II

For example, I used to have issues with emptying the dishwasher. I would put it off all day, as the awaiting dirty pots would stack up around the kitchen. Then one day I clocked how long it actually took to do it – about 2 or 3 minutes! I was letting a couple of minutes-worth of work rob me of a tidy kitchen for the whole day. When you view it like that, it looks insane! So I acquired the habit of doing it as I wait for the kettle to boil for my morning cup of tea. That is truly all it takes, then it is done.

One must learn a different sense of time, on that depends more on small amounts that big ones Sister Mary Paul

Timing your jobs can be an eye-opening exercise. You discover those jobs that have been niggling you for days can be dispatched in a matter of moments. And you feel so much better in the process!

In fact, you may be surprised by how much satisfaction you can get from such tiny spells of effort. In the same way that the idea of a job grows out of all proportion if you do not do it, when you actually take it on, the sense of competence and efficiency is exponential. Jobs that would have bugged you all day are suddenly behind you, leaving you feeling supremely capable and adept.

The mere act of analyzing the timescale moves you from a place of despair and overwhelm into a much more positive mindset. It forces you to focus on the solution rather than the problem, which is the key to success in any activity.

So instead of walking into a messy kitchen and dwelling on the heart-sinking feeling, look past the (negative) emotion to the bare facts, i.e., there is about 15 minutes work to do. This approach will help you get the job done so much more quickly and effectively. Plus it makes you far more likely to tackle the work at all.

Another advantage of knowing how long jobs really take is that you are more likely to (voluntarily) deal with them in idle moments. For example, if you have a spare five minutes before you have to leave, instead of killing the time, you might use it to put a laundry load in. Or as you are waiting for the toaster, you might empty the kitchen bin.

Do not underestimate the effect of a few minutes work, here and there. This is the way you will reclaim your home – and your life. After all, you workload built up gradually overtime, and that is the best most sustainable way to retaliate – little and often.

So the next time you see a job you have been avoiding, ask yourself how long will it really take? The little voice in your head may claim that you do not have time to o it now, but you can more easily quieten that voice if you know it is only a 1 or 2 minute job. Then before you know it, it will be done. You can then go about the rest of our day feeling less oppressed by what needs doing. In return for a few moments’ effort, you have lightened your load a little.

When you begin to see the magic in these small moments, you will be far more inclined to tackle the miniature battles. And this minute-by-minute approach will lead you to greater victory in the domestic realm.