Most Things Are Not Worth Optimizing
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Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
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PROJECT OF THE WEEK
Most Things Are Not Worth Optimizing
You read that right. It's not a typo.
Our goal, with the Project Of The Week Newsletter is to share actions, habits and projects that may improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
We are all about increasing productivity, but what does that really mean?
My definition of productivity is accomplishing what's important to you and making time for what matters most.
Productivity is NOT doing as much as possible in the least amount of time.
Being able to prioritize is key to leading a genuinely productive life.
Why are most things not worth optimizing?
Reason #1
Optimizing Take Time:
Determining the best way to do a task or projects takes time and effort. For a lot of tasks, jumping right in and getting it done takes less time than figuring out the best way to do it. If it's a task that you repeat, you will likely figure out ways to optimize it over time anyway.
Reason #2
Optimizing Often Leads to Procrastination Based on Perfectionism:
When we feel like we need to optimize everything we do, it's common to delay getting started.
Is it worth waiting two years to create the perfect process, in order to save 10 minutes on a project that takes 2 hours?
Reason #3
Optimizing Can Become an Excuse
If you set an expectation for yourself that you need to optimize everything you do, that can become an easy excuse to use to push off important projects. Reframing how you approach new tasks and projects can make a real impact.
As I often remind myself, "Progress, Not Perfection."
One area of my life where this has made a real impact is in completing all the administrative tasks for Happy Spaces.
When I launched Happy Spaces in 2016, I was determined to create the best business processes possible. As I have gained more experience in running a business, I have found it's best for me to set time slots aside to work on Administrative tasks, just jump right in, and keep it moving forward.
By working on Administrative tasks on a regular basis, for shorter time spurts, and not worrying about what order I complete the tasks, I find that it's much easier to get started. I rarely feel the need to procrastinate and I am crossing more items off my Next Action List.
Getting Started
When working with clients to get organized, this “roll up your sleeves” strategy has also proven effective.
For Onsite Organizing Sessions I work with clients for 4 to 8 hours. In this time, we are able to make a real impact on the organizational systems the client is using.
When working with a Professional Organizer, we start with pulling out all items and sorting it by category. Then we take the time to declutter items that are no longer adding value. Now we can see what items and categories are left, so that we can create new homes that function simply and effectively. Lastly, we will create labels to support the client in maintaining the new systems that we created.
While this may be an optimal process for working with a Professional Organizer, this is not what I recommend to clients when they are getting organized on their own. When clients try this on their own, they often pull everything out, start the sorting process, and then feel overwhelmed and just stop. Which, in the end, leaves their home or office feeling much worse.
Instead, I recommend using a much less optimized process, but one that has proven much more effective.
I recommend picking a small area and setting a timer for 20 minutes. Pull out what you can for 10 minutes and sort it. Next, take about 5 minutes to pull out any donations, recycling and trash. Lastly, take about 5 minutes to put the sorted items back in an organized manner.
Over time, you will create organized spaces, improve your organizational skills, and gain a clear idea of what organizing systems will make sense for your home.
Are there any projects on your list that you have not started because you don't feel like you know the best way to do it?
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.