Why do we accomplish some things on our To Do List and others just sit there? Because we are not specific. This leads to the most popular yet elusive culprit of this century: (dum da da dummmmm): Overwhelm.
We don’t understand why we’re overwhelmed, but we avoid things that give us this vague feeling of danger or discomfort. Think of it evolutionarily: If we feel like we might get eaten by a tiger if we go “over there” we will probably avoid “over there.”
Fabiola’s Experience with Joumor
When Fabiola came to my Reorganizing Mastermind in January, an item on her Grand To Do List the first day piqued my interest. “Wash 2 bags.” When I asked about this, Fab explained there were 2 cloth bags from an international trip she had taken 2 years ago, waiting to be washed. They weren’t that dirty, she just hadn’t gotten around to doing it.
“What would it take to wash the bags?” I asked.”Oh, just set aside 15-20 minutes to hand wash them, ” Fabiola said.
Two students came to the board to write their Project To Do lists, and I suggested Fabiola choose the bags. Although she was confused that there was apparently only one thing to do, “wash bags,” she was willing to try.
By breaking down our Overwhelming and Vague to do’s into the smallest possible part that we will actually do, we can see two things:
1. What’s really involved in accomplishing our task
2. What we’re avoiding
Fabiola continued to ask what else she needed to do to wash the bags: to set aside time, to have her boyfriend help…and soon realized she had been holding onto these bags exactly as they were because they were from the last trip she had taken with her parents before they became ill and eventually passed away. She had never processed her grief, but had been “busy” ever since- too busy to wash the bags.
With this realization, Fabiola chose to do a releasing ceremony, inviting her friends and family to her home to honor her parents. Thanks to those bags. Which she was then able to wash.
“I’m so grateful for the Reorganizing Mastermind, I learned so much about me and many useful life skills. Clearing, forgiving, reaching out, flowing like never before.” – Fabiola Bergi
Specificity Defuses Overwhelm
If you are avoiding something, make a Thing that you’re avoiding Project To Do List.
It might seem really simple, but break it down into the tiniest action step that you DO feel able to do. You might realize some things…AND accomplish it.
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