Why does it always seem that we become more productive leading up to a major deadline, event, or vacation? What is it about these occasions that makes us change our habits? Even if the change is only temporary, it serves to remind us of what is possible. If only, we can harness the changes and incorporate them into everyday routines.
I recall when reading David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done, he also focused on this question. There is something about a looming deadline that makes us focus. I go into a state of hyper-focus. This is the case whether I need to catch a plane, host an event, or prepare for something big. When the deadline passes, I normally revert back to my old habits. While I do complete lots of things, other things often fall to the side. The tasks of lower priority end up hovering at the bottom of the list remainig untouched until… the next big deadline.
In considering what’s different about these times for me, the pace sticks out. I’m often moving faster and working longer than normal. By default, this extra speed and time allows me to complete more. However, it’s also unsustainable. I prefer to maintain a steady tempo, working in incremental sprints as needed, to get through the hard bits.
I’ve been employing this strategy for a number of years. Growing up, one of my best friends committed to cleaning her bedroom for 5-minutes a day. At the time I scoffed at the idea. To me it seemed that 5-minutes was too short to really accomplish anything, so why bother. Since then, I’ve come to adopt this idea in a host of different ways. What I discovered from Sprinting through Clutter and Modifying my own Bad Habits, is that the small sprints help a lot in the long run. I like to think of them as small-scale maintenance. I’ve also discovered that a lot can be accomplished in 5-minutes.
Five minutes is enough time for me to empty the dish drainer or put away all my folded laundry. It’s just enough time for me to complete something small to prevent major build ups from happening. While it’s not sufficient time to accomplish the really big things, it does make those looming deadlines easier to tackle. It takes care of the little stuff, 5-minutes at a time.