Do you ever feel like you start 8 different things throughout the day, but you never finish any of them? I’m talking about all of the different little tasks around your house, or on your to-do list that need to happen, but you just keep putting them off.
You put the clothes in the washing machine, but never turn them over to the dryer.
You start doing the dishes after breakfast, but get distracted and leave the crusted pan in the sink all day.
You start a much needed conversation with your spouse, but the kids interrupt, so you never finish it, and the tension rises all day.
Sound familiar?
I want to share with you today, why leaving tasks unfinished is adding to your stress levels. Why these little things are taking your mental brain power when they don’t need to be. And then, how to take action and start finishing these tasks in a sustainable way.
The Problem with Leaving Tasks Unfinished
There’s been endless research to show, when you leave tasks unfinished, it creates tension in your brain. And when your brain feels tension, it results in stress in your body.
See, your brain thrives on finishing tasks. That’s why when you leave that pile of laundry left unfolded, every time you walk by it – you have a negative feeling. This is just a natural trigger that happens in your brain. Crazy right?
I want you to take a minute and think about what is on your to-do list right now that needs to get done.
Maybe…
- You really need to call the insurance company but you’re just dreading it
- You need to get that pile of laundry folded that’s been sitting there for 2 days
- You know you need to call your mom because you haven’t touched base in a bit
- You need to open that mail that’s been sitting there all week
- The kitchen is a mess and every time you look at it, your stress levels rise
Each of these things have practical, workable, and sustainable solutions. But the problem is, when you get overwhelmed by all of it, it’s easy to just do nothing.
So often, we have a tendency to be reactive, but we’re not always great at being proactive. It’s a natural instinct for us to react to problems and put out fires. We start one thing with good intentions, but get distracted by something else that needs our attention.
But I want to help you start shifting your mindset, to be proactive. Because when you begin to approach your home, your family dynamics, and your own mindset, in a proactive way – you start to feel better about your day. And when you feel better about your day, you feel better about your life.
How to Start Finishing the Tasks
We’ve talked about why unfinished tasks are adding to your stress, but now let’s talk about the solution.
When you finish just one thing, from start to finish, you start to lift the tension in your brain, and you feel better.
And here’s the cool part. So much of your tension can be eliminated by taking just 10 minutes to complete a task. Just 10 minutes!
I want you to look at the examples I gave you above. All of these things listed can be done in 10 minutes. But instead of just taking the 10 minutes to finish them, you think about how much you don’t want to do them. And as a result your adding unnecessary stress to yourself.
Kind of silly when you stop and think about it, right?
So, what’s an area of your life where you feel stuck, or that’s overwhelming you? It’s time to take action!
I want you to set the timer in your phone today for 10 minutes and just go finish 1 thing. Not 10 things, just 1 thing. If you start finishing just 1 thing every day, you’re going to make a lot of progress by the end of the week.
Make that phone call.
Give your kids something to do, and go have that conversation with your spouse.
Tidy up that room that is stressing you out when you look at it.
Fold that load of laundry and put it away.
When you finish the task, take a minute and think about how good this makes you feel to have it done.
This one simple shift can change your day.
I want you to break the cycle of feeling like you’re spinning your wheels and never accomplishing anything. You deserve more out of your day!
Let me know what you take action with today. Tag me in Instagram or Facebook so that I can celebrate with you!
Ok friend – I know sometimes it’s hard to know where to start, with everything you need to get done. Which is why I have a FREE list of 10 minute projects that you can do around your house to get done and feel better about your day! Get to it and start eliminating the unnecessary stress today! You can do it – I know you can!