Friday, April 15, 2011

"Life is Hard by the Yard but a Cinch by the Inch"

Do you procrastinate? Do you feel overwhelmed by a task you have to get done? Maybe you have a tough  day or week ahead.  Maybe you have a big project to do.  We all get worried sometimes that we will "NEVER finish or do ___(fill in the blank)___________!"

There is a saying "Life is hard by the yard but a cinch by the inch."  I believe this is talking about that very mindset.  If you think about it there are very few moments happening right now that we can not handle.  The key to tackling big tasks is to break them down into manageable pieces.  Take that "Y-A-R-D" and turn it into a bunch of "inches" that you can manage.  Be realistic. 

For example (and this is an easy one), let's say you have to clean the bathroom and you don't want to! Who could blame you? Instead of looking at the WHOLE bathroom as a project, why not break it down a little bit?  Always start with the EASIEST thing first.  That way you will feel like you accomplished something and energize yourself to do more. Decide that you are just going to clean the mirror.  Take a break.  If you feel like you can do more, clean the counter, and so on.  The idea is to take large tasks and turn them into doable smaller ones.

Give it a shot.  The next time you are feeling overwhelmed by something that feels HUGE, tell yourself that life is hard by the yard but a cinch by the inch.  Ask yourself what the easiest thing is that you can do right now to get started.  Do it and see if it gives you energy to do more.  I think you will be amazed at how much you can accomplish when you put your mind to it.