Harder Than It Needs to Be? – TPW479

Life is already so complicated; let's not make it (and productivity) harder than it needs to be

Welcome back! I hope the year is off to a good start for you. Thank you for giving me the grace to take the month of January off to focus on some other things, to rest, to think and pray and plan. I’m excited to be back in front of the microphone and looking forward to this year. 

One of the things I’ve thought about a lot during the month is the ways we--I--often make life harder than it needs to be. For me, that’s manifested in worrying about things that might (or might not) happen, stewing over regrets from the past, and putting off doing things that hang over my head.

I decided I’d share with you some of my thoughts. I also did some research on what others have had to say about this, and will share some links below to other resources in case you want some ideas for ways to eliminate things you’re doing that make life and productivity harder than they need to be.

1. Procrastination

Impact: 

When we put things off until the last minute, we give ourselves less time to do a good job and increase the stress of whether we'll get it done in time and correctly, carrying it around in our head for much longer than the time it would take to just do it. This is true of important projects and small tasks, like making a phone call or running an errand. However it manifests in our lives, it simply makes life harder than it would be if . . . well, if we didn't procrastinate.

Solution:

Develop habits of planning ahead and allowing sufficient time for important projects so that you’re not waiting until the last minute. (Same true of small tasks.)

2. Accumulation 

Impact: 

The more stuff we have, the harder we have to work (and the more time and money we have to spend) to maintain it, clean it, keep it organized, clean around it. This has a direct impact on productivity, as it takes time we can’t use to do other things. For example, the more clothes we (or our children) own, the more laundry we have to do. The more “stuff” we have on our counters, shelves, etc., the harder it is (and the more time it takes) to keep those counters, shelves, etc., clean. People whose space is over-cluttered also are more distracted and have a harder time concentrating and making decisions. 

There’s also the mental/emotional load of clutter. WebMD article cites a study that found that women who see their homes as cluttered produce consistently high levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), while women who described their homes as well-organized and restful showed lower levels of cortisol. People with chronically high cortisol levels can experience symptoms like high blood pressure, insomnia, weight gain, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, headaches, and more.

Solution:

Be more thoughtful and intentional about the things we own. For example:

* Use the one in, one (or two or three) out rule: Each time you buy a new item, donate, sell, or trash one.

* Cancel subscriptions for publications you don’t read, apps you never use.

* Don’t bring anything home that you don’t know exactly where you’re going to put it. 

* Cultivate habits of “a place for everything and everything in its place.

* Schedule regular times for purging, such as:

* Clothes at the change of season 

* Books when you finish reading them 

* Children’s toys at birthdays and Christmas? 

3. Disorganization - when belongings don’t have a designated place