What is the Sticking Point?
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
For the past two weeks I have had a pile of my daughter’s old t-shirts sitting in my room.
They were nicely folded, yet they annoyed me every time I saw them.
So why did I leave them sitting there you may ask?
I had an empty plastic bin ready for them in the attic.
Yet, it never seemed like a convenient time to go downstairs, make a label and bring it back up.
And I knew if I put that pile of shirts in the attic in an unlabeled bin, I would forget what they were for.
When I would see them and remember, it never seemed like a great time to make a label. I was getting up to shower, grabbing something quick from my bedroom during the work day, or getting ready for bed. Not ideal label making time.
Getting Started
Finally, I just stopped and made myself take the 2 minutes to make a label. In fact, I think in those two minutes I was able to make the label, grab the shirts, put them in the bin, and put the label on the bin.
How many tasks or things are happening in your life that have a sticking point as simple as this?
I could hear James Clear in my head, "What is the 2-minute version of the task you’re avoiding?"
Okay, so simple sticking points are one thing, but what about the bigger projects, right? You could schedule time on your calendar or change how you go about the task.
For example, I have a friend, Nicole, that has three kids and they all seemed to always be growing out of their clothes. She used to set aside an hour or two once a month to go through closets and drawers, edit items, and move hand me downs from one room to the next. Then she changed how she does the task.
Nicole has one of those four section clothes sorters in her laundry room. It looks like this. As each of her three kids outgrows something, she washes it and then adds it to the clothes sorter (each section has the child’s name on it). Then, when that’s full, she moves those same items to a bin, labels it right there in her laundry room, and to her basement it goes. The fourth section she uses for clothing items headed to Goodwill or another donation organization. Simple, efficient, and all the pieces are in one place, so she doesn’t have an excuse.
So, what’s holding you back?
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.