productivity

What if I didn’t sit?

Sam Falco

Yesterday, when I returned home after running a couple errands, I had a few tasks left on my to-do list. The familiar thought that crossed my mind was, “I’ll start them after I sit for a few minutes.” And then I thought, “What if I didn’t sit?” Sweetie wasn’t due home for a couple hours and there were many things I could do around the house beyond the basic to-do. What could I accomplish if I refused to sit?

A lot, it turned out. After knocking out the to-do list, I started tidying the office. It had become super cluttered over the past month. The built-in cabinet was a mess. The chair I used to like sitting in for journal entries was piled high with supplies I couldn’t put away because the cabinet wouldn’t hold anything else. Papers covered my desk. I kept at it until the only thing that still wants attention is a rolling cart that has an assortment of odds and ends. I’d have put them away, too, but Sweetie came home earlier than I expected and off we went for dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant.

I have developed a habit of doing a small thing and then rewarding myself by sitting “for a few minutes.” I have a hard time doing nothing, so I pick up a book, become absorbed, and a few minutes turns into thirty or more. I’ll set a new goal for when I’ll get up. It’s easier to keep reading and more fun, too. The cycle repeats and time slips away. I’ve read a lot, but necessary tasks pile up. The sheer volume of stuff to do intimidates me and… well, it’s so overwhelming that I have to sit down.

I don’t need to rest after fifteen minutes of light activity. Or even two hours. I’m even standing up as I type this post. I’ve put a sticky note on the cover of my Kindle, my laptop, and at the top of my computer screen: “What if I didn’t sit?” I bet I’ll get more done.

WIP Limit: 1

Sam Falco
Daily writing prompt
What have you been putting off doing? Why?
View all responses

I used to be a world-class procrastinator. I put off doing things so much that my to-do list would grow to enormous, anxiety-provoking lengths. Eventually, I’d start something from the list. I’d set it aside when I ran into an impediment (or if it was hard or tedious). Then I’d start something else. That would go on until I had so many projects in progress that I couldn’t keep track of them all. Then I’d procrastinate some more.

I started to change my ways as a result of my work in software development, where I learned lean and agile practices. One of those practices is to limit “Work in Process,” abbreviated WIP. Unfinished work is a form of waste. One way to limit that form of waste is to only have a few things in progress at a time. Whether the focus is organization wide and applies to major initiatives or at the team level and applies to smaller goals, we focus on a very small set of things to work on. Focusing on a particular initiative, project, or feature means we finish it faster than if we dispersed our attention across multiple streams of work.

Since WIP limits helped in my professional life, I thought they’d work in my personal life as well. I made a list of all the work I had in process. There was a surprising number of uncompleted projects in the wood shop, the yard, the house, and in my writing. There were so many that I almost gave up before I went any farther.

I knew that wouldn’t help, and I turned a critical eye on the list. I made the hard decision to abandon some of the projects. That bar cart I’d been “going to get to?” It pained me to throw it out, but I knew I’d never get back to it and if I did, I was going to have to start over anyway. Being honest with myself and getting rid of things I was never going to do freed up space–in my life and in my head–for the ones I could do.

Next, I surveyed the remaining projects. I selected one that would be easy to finish yet would give me the biggest benefit. I ignored that other projects were waiting and worked until I finished it. Then I picked another and focused on that. Again and again. Just like a software development team delivers faster when it focuses on a single feature, I started finishing projects faster. When I got stuck on one, I refrained from switching to another. Instead, I focused on getting that project unstuck.

My list is much shorter now, and it doesn’t cause me anxiety even when it grows. I recognize that I can only do so much at a time. As long as I’m smart about selecting the most valuable things to do, that’s enough. It’s not that I’m putting things off. I’m focusing on doing what I can do so that I can do it well and finish.