Last week, I shared one of my all-time favorite reminders to help me keep clutter at bay: Touch It Once!
As much as this one tip has helped me get…and stay…more organized, it wouldn’t be complete without today’s sequel: Do It Now!
I realize that those of you who are naturally organized operate this way without even thinking about it. Take my former roommate, for example. She would never sit down until all the work around the apartment was done. (My dad used to joke that you couldn’t leave a glass out on the counter with her in the house, because as soon as you turned around, the glass would be snatched away to the dishwasher.)
Those of you who knew my granddaddy would think that I would come by this character trait naturally. My grandmother called him “Donald Immediately,” and that’s just how he lived his life. When a thought struck him, he acted on it. Immediately. While this kind of energy tended to drive Grandmother crazy, Granddaddy was one of the most organized and productive people I knew.
Sadly, I tend toward the other side of the family. I had a great-grandma who used to say, “Let’s dread the dishes.” Then she’d set down the dishrag and head to the living room to visit with company. (To be fair, she worked super hard on a farm all week, so she probably deserved the break.)
The trouble comes when you “dread the dishes” on a daily basis. Walking away from the dirty dishes—or any other household chore, for that matter—quickly adds up to a big mess!
Instead, I now tell myself, “Do it now.” Thinking about checking out a new curriculum for homeschool? Do it now. Need to sew that button back on a shirt? Do it now. Want to return those phone calls or emails? Balance the checkbook? Weed the garden? If at all possible, do it now. As soon as the thought enters your head, act on it. Capture the moment. Seize the day. No time like the present.
Why is living life this way so important? Because life comes with all kinds of built-in distractions, especially if you have kids. If you don’t do it now, chances are good that you won’t do it all.
So the next time you think about a job to be done, don’t put it off. Do it now. You might be surprised at how much more productive your life becomes.