I’ve tried my best to give credit where it should be given on this blog, citing the original voices of quotes, thoughts and helpful ideas. I can’t remember for the life of me.
But it has proven to be revolutionary.
I’ve heard someone say, “If you have something to do at home after work, do it as soon as you get home, before you sit down.”
In the original context, the person was talking about completing small tasks such as changing a light bulb, taking out the trash, watering the plants, or washing the dishes.
As soon as I heard this idea, I adopted this approach to get things done at home and have loved it ever since.
I have found the advice very helpful. I think you will too.
When I get home from work, I often find myself tired. I just want to put my feet up, turn on the TV, and rest. Maybe you, unlike me, are ready to tackle a project that needs to be completed around the house and can somehow motivate and energize you after an hour.
However, I found it to be the opposite. Most of the time, sitting in a comfy chair kills the momentum and motivation for the day. It’s getting harder and harder to find the energy to get anything done at home. In the evening before bed, you may do so reluctantly, but only if necessary.
On the other hand, adopting a “do it before you sit down” mentality will take the energy for the rest of your workday, stop you from procrastinating, and give you real physical and mental rest for the rest of the night. You can Not hanging over my head all night.
Here are some of the places where this productivity approach works well.
- cooking dinner
- Run errands for children/family
- Water the plants, walk the dog, take out the trash
- help the kids with their homework
- Volunteer projects you contributed
- weekly cleaning project
- start washing
- mow the lawn
Of course, this approach may not be suitable for multi-hour projects like repainting a living room, tearing down a wall with a load, or decluttering an entire attic. probably requires a little more forethought and planning.
But for me, I’ve seen time and time again that the “do it before you sit down” mentality proves effective when it comes to completing a small project in the evening. I would.