My father passed away in late January 2022. It was a tough experience. He was in hospice for the better part of six months in our home. My wife and I were his caretakers. When late-stage dementia began to take hold of my dad, our job became beyond full-time since he would need help with most everyday activities. I don’t think the washing machine ever stopped running. When my wife and I knew he was hours away from the end, we prayed over him, let him know it was ok to let go, told him we loved him and that anything he thought we might be sad or resentful toward him we forgave, and that we would take great care of mom. That evening, he passed away peacefully.
We moved my mother into the main house so she would not be alone. It left the guest house in disarray. My lovely mother-in-law and wife worked diligently to begin to organize, separate, and dispose of what comes with a family member passing. My home office soon became cluttered with things I needed to look at, put away, or throw out. I didn’t want to do it. Not because I was holding on to the past, but because as a self-employed businessperson, you only have so much gas in the tank each day even if you’re a “5 am Club” member like me. You focus on making sure your pipeline of revenue is being pushed along conscientiously and the stuff that doesn’t contribute to that takes a back seat. When the weekends would come, I had other obligations with our kids or general house repairs that left the box and clutter count climbing in my office.
Today, I caught myself doing an A-Ha Take On Me video remake by bumping into boxes, tools, and chairs to get to my work desk. I had to laugh at myself.
“Ok. Time for the 10-minute rule,” I said.
This rule is a productivity strategy to help you get started on something you’ve been putting off as I had. It reduces the overwhelming sense the limbic system (the part of the brain that manages behavior and emotion) perceives as ‘too much’ and convinces you not to do it. Ten minutes is short enough to trick your brain to commit to doing it. It helps you focus on the simplicity of ‘doing’ versus getting to the end and claiming a result.
I set my stopwatch for 10 minutes and began to throw out boxes, make more manageable piles of paperwork needing review, and store files. Hey look at that – I can see the actual wood on my desk!
We all love those dopamine hits which allow us to feel pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation. If you’re stuck like I was, try the 10-minute rule to get yourself to the next level whether it’s getting organized, losing weight, sending that thank you card, or finishing the item that has been on your ‘to-do” list since New Year’s Day.
