Today, we’re talking all about how to feel excited about projects that really don’t feel exciting. I received this great comment from Nikki not too long ago on Podcast 194 (linked at the end of this post) where we discussed the difference between projects and tasks. Her words helped to shape today’s topic:
“I needed this! I get so frustrated with this, but I see some of my work ‘tasks’ are really projects. I know it all works better when I break down my planning into the smallest steps, but my lists often don’t actually consist of those and then I am harsh with myself about what I don’t get completed. I have 3 big projects to complete in the next 3 days, so I am heading off to break down those projects into achievable tasks right now! I am then going to assign some next actions to complete in the waiting room of a medical appointment I have in an hour, before hitting the ground running when I get back. This is really going to help me. I feel motivated and empowered. Actually, I feel quite excited too and these projects are not exciting – it’s getting them completed that I am excited about! Thank you for the exact push I needed!”
Here are a few of my best tips:
(1) Connect the project to the overall purpose of what you’re doing in your life.
For example, anything related to maintaining cars, cleaning the house, organizing, planning details for a vacation, handling medical billing, getting new clothing, decluttering, etc. is part of the process for building a strong and stable family.
Helping a neighbor who is sick or struggling—or putting together an activity for a community organization—helps fulfill the purpose of creating a strong social network and lifting the world around you.
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Find someone to fix the dry wall (sub-project).
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Text my neighbor who just had a bunch of water damage repaired (2-minute task).
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Text the contractor and set up a time for him to come out and give us a quote (2-minute task).
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Get new carpet (sub-project).
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Look at the bid from the carpet that was installed when we first moved into the house (Computer Next Action on Next Actions List).
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Call the company that did our previous install and ask them to come out to give us a quote (Phone call on Next Actions list).
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Look online for comparable bids (Computer task on Next Actions List).
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Talk with Eric about whether we do the stairs AND the room or just the stairs or the whole basement (To Discuss item on the Next Actions List).
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Make call to schedule carpet installation (Phone Call on Next Actions List).
Related Links:
- [PODCAST 194]: The Most Common Stumbling Block to Feeling Calm and Productive
- Are you new to LearnDoBecome and the STEP Program? Click here for our free introductory training: How to Finally Stop Drowning in Piles.
- Ready to join our program and become a STEPper? This link has all of the information in one place for you!
- If you’ve been following along with LearnDoBecome for the last little while, now is the perfect time to become an ARISER! This membership is full of amazing community members that are using their Command Centrals to refine relationships, health, finances, individual purpose, and more. You can sign up for a free, 7-day trial here.
Narda says
Oh, this has been a wealth of what I needed ! And I will continue to study this episode.
I will need to listen this one over and over.
And yes, I’ve been listening while working in the kitchen.
And afterward it makes feel like I’m not lonely.
All of our kids are grown.
Most are married. ..with kids.
Which is part of why the loneliness.
Yet the grown kids are also how I get sweet, wonderful times, too.
My husband passed away in August of 2023 .
I miss him, yet I notice the Lord keeps showing me little things to delight me.
And about a month ago, one of our grown kids. took his life.
He was 43.
After that, I began to get busy and keep busy.
It’s a way of being productive, and also keeps me from thinking about that son and my husband.
I have longed to purchase STEP for years now.
I just couldn’t justify the expense, though it is excellent. So I just get up and get doing the next thing.
I love this episode…I think it was 193, or maybe 194.
Thank you for sharing. HUGS !!!!!!
Tara says
Sending you hugs and love! It sounds hard, even despite great faith in God and the purpose of life! I’m including you in my prayers today.
I also haven’t found we can afford the program but April‘s podcast have given me so much hope and motivation/inspiration from over the years!
April Perry says
Narda, I’m sending you a big hug! I can only imagine how much you are carrying right now, with the loss of your husband and your son. Thank you for your beautiful example and for sharing your experience. I love how you said, “The Lord keeps showing me little things to delight me.” That has been my experience, as well. I am grateful for you and your lovely heart! xoxo
Eva says
I finished listening to your podcast and fell asleep. And when I woke up, I cried convulsively because something big had shifted in me. It was not by something specific you said, dear April, but somehow the conclusion or the integration that developed in my system after hearing your heartfelt, personal, detailed and relatable examples that just like the tasks you mention are not mundane at all that way.
And in that way we all matter, dont we? Even if our steps in life dont look like much, even if we didnt manage to build a family, or pass on that much wisdom to others, not by doing together, not by writing or speaking. First of all: you never know which remark, which smile, which shared distress, can change something for the better in somebody else. And secondly: I believe by honestly getting through something troubling, by finding solutions when before there seemed to be none, by simply living and growing, by finding joy in completing something or cooking a good meal just for yourself if no one else wants to come, every mess cleared, or consciously listen to music that you love: this already is a meaningful life according to God. And by our vibes alone we are making this world a better place. Because we are All connected.
So thank you so much for your support, I love you.
April Perry says
Eva, your beautiful comment has been replaying in my mind over the past couple of days, and I just wanted to thank you for sharing something so lovely with all of us! Everything you shared here is inspiring. My mother loved to quote Emily Dickenson’s poem, “They might not need me, but they might. I’ll let my head be just in sight. A smile as small as mine might be precisely their necessity.”
We all memorized it with her, and she quoted it over and over again. One time she came home from running errands and shared that someone had been sitting alone on a bench, looking somewhat sad, and she went over and sat next to them. She didn’t necessarily know what to say or IF to say something, and she didn’t want to pry into their lives (it turns out they didn’t speak the same language, so she couldn’t have communicated anyway), but she sat by them and gave an encouraging smile. And then she quoted that Emily Dickinson poem as she explained the experience, the smiles, the compassion, and the hopeful outcome.
She wasn’t trying to build herself up by telling us about her service. It was more that she’d had a special connection where she felt God’s love for someone else.
But you’re right that even when we’re in our own homes–not “smiling” at anyone or doing service or “doing” at all, there is still value in who we are and what we bring to the world. Thank you for sharing this. I’m so grateful you are here with us at LearnDoBecome!
Sara says
Thanks for yet another great podcast! Very helpful. I do have a clarifying question: you said that you never do housework alone. How do you manage that? Picturing it, I have a hard time believing I would get everything done if I involved my children in all the work that needs to get done.
Also, a few weeks ago you mentioned you are planning to do an episode on what you do when you are sick. I am really looking forward to hearing that one!
Thanks again.
April Perry says
Thanks for the great questions, Sara! (And for others who may have similar questions, episodes 201 and 202–coming in a few weeks–will answer these questions!) xoxo
Tara Schmidl says
Thank you for taking the time to also make show notes!! It’s so nice to listen while on the go or doing housework and, needing visuals, to be able to have notes to review later – I make use of it!!
April Perry says
So glad these are helpful for you. 🙂 Keep up the great work!
Jennifer Gould says
I’ve heard you talk about the “Work and Family Relationships” course you took back in college, that changed your outlook on your home life. I’ve been searching everywhere for materials about this. What books or resources did you use in this course?
I want to change from taskmaster to collaborator.
Thanks for all you do. 🙂
April Perry says
It seriously was the best class! We had a packet of readings, and I believe I still have it in my college boxes. ❤️ It may take a while for me to get to it, but in the meantime, I do have quite a few articles and podcasts about working alongside our children at Power of Moms (just search “April Perry” and “housework” or “cleaning” in the search function on that site). It is a huge game changer, and I’m excited to hear how it goes for you!