The past week was an emotional blur. Saying goodbye to my grandfather, traveling, and being reunited with family under such sad circumstances put me behind a little bit. Once things returned to "business as usual," I didn't have to energy to pick my life back up where I left off.
The laundry was piling up. There were two-day-old stains on the kitchen floor. The toy boxes were unorganized. And my floors were even becoming a vacuum's worst nightmare.
On days when I find myself unable to get motivated and less than productive, I've implemented a little trick that helps me snap out of my rut, or at least gives me a leg up on returning to normal.
THE 30-MINUTE RULE
When I start to feel overwhelmed as things pile up around me, I take a look at the clock and make note of the time. Then, I tell myself that for the next 30 minutes I'm going to tackle what I can. I start in one room and work my way to the next. I'll start in my bedroom by making my bed, organizing some clutter, putting clothes away, and start a pile in the hallway of things that need to be put away in other rooms. Once my room is finished, I'll move to the kids' rooms, the bathroom, and finally the living room and kitchen. I save those two rooms for last since most of our time is spent there.
Typically, once I get going, I find that getting things back to normal takes less time than I thought. And if not, I'm usually on such a roll that I'll go ahead and finish up anyway. Once my household has been tidied up, I might even feel energized enough to tackle other household projects.
THE LET IT GO EXCEPTION
There are days when the 30-minute rule loses its spark. On those days, it's ok to let things go and try again later (or the next day). Sometimes after a good night's sleep, I'll wake up the next day ready to go. If not, I know that I'll try again.
The next time you find yourself in a rut, give the 30-minute rule a go! You just might surprise yourself with how much you accomplish!
