When you’re a busy parent of young children, it can often feel like there's never enough time in the day to get everything done.
Between work, school runs, sports or other activities and everything else that comes with family life, it's easy to feel overwhelmed or like you're not making any progress, and when you start to feel that way, it’s really easy to slip into a state of procrastination, which then makes your to do list feel even more difficult.
Over the last few years I decided to really embrace the art of baby stepping my way through things in order to get them done without procrastination or overwhelm.
For me, breaking down tasks - even the everyday ones - into much smaller steps has been a game-changer, and it’s also helped a lot when it comes to delegating and teaching the kids how to get things done too.
When we look at a task as a whole, it can be intimidating. We feel like we don't know where to start. But when we break that task down into smaller, more manageable steps, it takes the pressure off. You’re not as stressed about completing the task because you don’t have to think of it as a big task anymore. It’s just that one step you’re focused on.
If you're trying to declutter your entire house, the thought of tackling it all at once will make you want to give up before you even start.
Decluttering one room at a time can still feel like too much. Even one cupboard.
But one shelf in one cupboard? That we can handle, and we can take that task - that one shelf - and break it down even further.
Don’t tell yourself to declutter and organise that shelf. Just start by removing the easy things.
Take out anything that’s broken, anything expired, anything you know you don’t want anymore.
Give or throw them away, and consider the job done for now.
When you’re ready, head back to the shelf, take everything out, wipe down the shelf and put everything back in again neatly.
Done!
Breaking down tasks into smaller steps also makes it easier to involve your kids in the process.
If you ask your kids to fold the washing, it will feel like a huge task.
If you do it together and break it down into tiny steps, it becomes do-able.
Start by sorting into into a pile for each family member.
Then sort the pile into big clothing items (shirts, pants, etc) and small items (socks, undies).
Put socks and undies away.
Next sort the big items into shirts, pants, pyjamas, jumpers. Fold each smaller pile one by one and put it away as you go.
Done!
Breaking tasks down into smaller steps might slow the job down a little at the start, but it will save you procrastination time and stress in the long run. It makes tasks feel more manageable and encourages your kids to get involved, so it’s definitely worth a try.
I hope you found these ideas helpful! If you’re ready for next steps in organising your home & life, you might want to check out my popular House & Family Binder. It’s a simple set of prints to help you get organised and run your household without stress or overwhelm.
Check out the House & Family Binder here >>
x Marissa
