habits – Patricia Lawless

I love a clean sink.

I breathe easier when the dishes are clean. I sleep better when everything is put away. And I feel happier when the counters are clear and ready for a new day’s worth of food activity.

And I’m not alone. There is research that shows how clutter increases your stress and reduces your focus. Also, I bet you find your life more relaxing when things are tidy.

Knowing this, I still resisted (and denied) that truth for a long time. I’d leave dirty dishes in the sink for days hoping that someone else would do them. Some days I even resented that no one else was doing them (though I didn’t really ask them to, I just assumed they’d do it because we were out of clean spoons… as if a couple of teenagers are going to voluntarily and spontaneously do the dishes. Facepalm).

Why do I have to be the one to do the dishes all the time? My inner teenager would whine.

I didn’t want “doing the dishes” to be part of my job description. Even if you set aside gender role stereotypes and all that, I never liked doing the dishes. It always felt like I was a wayward teen who was scolded into doing it because it was something my parents decided I needed to do. Even though I’ve been out of my teens for a long time. Even though I’m the parent now. Even though I want clean dishes.

It’s time to grow up.

Continue reading “What I learned about life from dirty dishes.”

This week I’m answering a question from April about the best way to get things done (see the video below).

There are a lot of productivity experts out there. I am not one of them.

I do, however, know what works for me.

From David Allen to Charlie Gilkey, and from Jocelyn K. Glei (with the folks at 99u) to Steven Pressfield. They all have enriched to my education as a doer of things.

I’ve tried Asana, Trello, the GTD system using index cards, the Pomodoro Method, and many other systems.

Why?

Because I’m an information junkie. And also because I’ve been searching for the right way to get stuff done. But you know what I’ve learned? That the system you use matters less than the habits you keep.

[ctt tweet=”Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. ~Jim Ryun” coverup=”n068t”]

So in today’s video, I lay out 5 steps to go from “I don’t know where to start” to actually getting stuff done on the daily.

Hint: #5 is the most important step (without it, the rest don’t matter).

Leave me a comment below and let me know how you get stuff done. What are the tips and tools you have found that work for you?

Productivity Resources:

Charlie Gilkey has a great blog: Product Flourishing.
The old-school classic by David Allen never goes out of style: Getting Things Done.
A newer book, chocked full of great advice: Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind by Jocelyn K. Glei and 99u.
It’s About Time: Finding Magic, Power and Ease in Your LIfe by Leslie Keenan — helps you become friends with Time (and scheduling).
And for more of a kick-in-the-pants than a “this is how to do it” – Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art.

Do you have a question you’d like me to answer? Click here.

Note: the links to books above are affiliate links which means if you click on them and buy the book, I will make a few cents.

Tag: habits

What I learned about life from dirty dishes.