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Simply..baby steps....

7/6/2014

10 Comments

 

Once I got over my indignant resistance to it ('But I'm not a baby!') I found this approach so useful! You will all have heard of it before, but have you actually tried it?

When I use it I get through tasks faster and with a lot less stress. A friend once cut out baby sized footprints from paper and laid them on the floor to remind herself...

Cath wants to organise her writing things (see comments on this post). Now if she is like me she'll want it all done NOW. Actually she is more sensible and talks of taking a month over the job, which tells me she probably knows all about and practices baby steps already - but just to use her task as an example -

In the past I would set to with great energy and enthusiasm, pull everything out - the stationery, cards, stamps, diaries, writings finished and unfinished, poems, books about writing - while making a vague sort of plan, then discover, you know how it is, that I can't put them all in one place until I've moved other things from the shelf and to do that I need to sort the said things into keep and find a place for, give away, throw away, put aside to return to owner, and ..all these decisions soon tire me out and now I have twice as much stuff to deal  with, and I feel overwhelmed and want to give up!

If I baby step it, I break the job down into tiny parts. The first part might be to collect together all my stationery from around the house into an empty cardboard box - and then, and this is the important bit for me - I STOP.

I've completed my task.

I've achieved something.

I feel satisfied.

I go and do something else.

When I come back maybe 10 minutes later, maybe next day, I have a little bit of a handle on the scale of the task and can decide the next baby step, and before I know it the job is done and , to my surprise, I've enjoyed doing it.

If you've never tried baby stepping you might try it on something you've been putting off....
10 Comments
Cathy
7/6/2014 09:33:11 pm

I couldn't agree more and I probably get more done. Breaking projects down into smaller increments doesn't make it so daunting. I feel I've accomplished something and am moving forward.

Reply
Freda
8/6/2014 07:12:03 am

Feels good to be moving forward doesn't it! Even if it's by tiny increments.

Reply
cath
8/6/2014 02:09:06 am

What you describe here I've done that too, many times, so many times I have a name for it: 'oh help, I am creating an avalanche again'. And you are so right, the stopping is essential. It makes the work so much more rewarding.

Reply
Freda
8/6/2014 07:14:17 am

Oh that's a good phrase!

Reply
Jane
8/6/2014 07:40:14 am

Thank you for this great advice Freda. I have CFS and often get completely overwhelmed by a task. Doing it this way sounds really achievable. Baby steps!

Reply
Freda
8/6/2014 05:58:37 pm

You might like FlyLady.net Jane....

Reply
thebabyguides link
2/7/2016 03:48:13 am

People who are expecting babies have a lot of things in mind - To find the best gynecologist for taking care of the expecting mothers and then to find the best paediatrician.

Reply
When Is Christmas link
11/5/2017 07:57:23 pm

Thanks for this info

Reply
When Is Easter link
11/5/2017 07:57:54 pm

Great Info Here

Reply
Christmas Countdown link
11/5/2017 08:06:25 pm

Great stuff on here

Reply



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    An artist seeking a simpler life - (but not too simple!)

    All words and images copyright Freda Waldapfel 2010 - 2020

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