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Hey there! Back with another post about how to manage your time more effectively. And after both promising that this would be a series and then keeping that promise with another post only a week later. It’s a shiny new me, I tell ya. If you’re finding this post and at all confused as to why a home improvement blog is providing time management & organization tips, read here.
Today’s tip is my absolute favorite one to give. I could go on and on about this alone because of the difference it makes in getting the DIY done (but it’s SO simple!). You ready? Here it is:
When you walk through the door, DO NOT sit down!
YOUR. COUCH. IS. EVIL. Couch, bed, bean bag chair, whatever. Where you park your ass isn’t really all that important. The problem is the sitting.
Lemme explain. I work a full-time day job, then do homework, renovation, etc. on the side. So when I get home from work, I’m just the right amount of tired that I sometimes convince myself that sitting (oh-so-briefly) to rest before getting back up and starting a project is a GREAT idea. I think to myself, “I’ll just take a five minute breather between the work I just came from, and then get to work on the house/school/side job/whatever.”
Wrong. Wrong-O. Because for me, that five minutes turns into an all-night procrasti-fest and I never get a thing done. So, over time, I’ve learned one very valuable lesson: there’s no such thing as a five minute break after a full day of work school [insert here]. There’s just a big lie that I’m telling myself. And the worst part is, it’s incredibly convincing. I fall for it at least once a week. Especially because this time, it will be different. I really will (!) get up and get another load of laundry folded. I’ll definitely (!) paint another coat on the wall. I’ll finally (!) unpack my bag from my vacation and begin that art project from the awesome things I found.
But none of it ever happens. If I sit down, I don’t get back up. There’s only more vegging. So instead, I tell myself to do something, anything, when I walk through the door to the house. Get right back in the car and take the dog to the park. Start the wash. Clean out the pizza boxes from the fridge. Anything that will get me into “house mode” and let me refocus. Because once that happens, I don’t feel nearly as tired as I’d led myself to believe before I crossed the threshold. I feel like taking another step. From throwing out the pizza box, I’ll grab the trash bag and put it outside in the bin. And then I’ll take the bin to the curb. And then I’ll stop by the mailbox and pull at the crabgrass growing between my flowers. And then I’ll grab the mail, sort the junk, and throw it into the bin. And then I’ll walk back into the house and may pick up something else. Or I may sit down. But it’s better than sitting right when I walk through the door and none of it happening at all.
The point is, my initial starting point seems to make a world of difference between getting something done and wasting the night away watching Neflix. It’s so tiny and insignificant. But I swear, it works.
Sound simple enough? Sweet. Now give it a try when you get home today.
I couldn’t agree more! When I get home I have to change into my workout clothes right away or working out will not happen. After my workout, I do let myself sit down to eat dinner, but after that if I stay sitting the dishes won’t get done and all I’ll do the rest of the night is watch TV. If I get up and do the dishes right away, other things follow and I end up with a productive night. I go to bed feeling so much better than if I had “rested” all evening.
I can’t wait to hear more of your ideas!
100% agree! I do something similar because my vice isn’t the couch. It’s the TV. Once it’s on, I get distracted from anything productive. It doesn’t matter if it’s a repeat of Big Bang Theory I’ve seen a thousand times, I will watch it. If it doesn’t go on when I get home, I never have to struggle to turn it off and actually do something productive.
you speak the truth my friend! seriously, i need to stop getting sucked into my couch when i have an hour…and at least do something productive while i’m watching some of the real housewives of o.c. =)
This is absolutely true for me! If the first thing I do after walking in the door is sit down on the couch with my iPad and start surfing the web, forget it. Nothing gets done. And then it’s suddenly 8 pm and I have to make dinner.
AMEN sister! Every single time I sit down “just to watch one show” it turns into marathon SVU night….just add wontons and I am set.
Maybe I will put a big sign that says “the couch is evil” on our garage door!
Giggle, my husband melts into the couch after dinner. I enjoyed my visit to your blog so much. I hope you will link this post to my hop today xo
So true, and this has everything to do with home decor, because home decor won’t happen if everyone sits all day and night… which by the way is what I did all morning. Arghhh! It’s almost 1:00 PM!
I know exactly what you mean! I’m not doing grad school, but working a full time job, mommying, and writing a blog keeps me pretty busy. But if I sit down as soon as I get home, well, then all of the sudden the kids are lucky to get peanut butter sandwiches for dinner! Have a great day!
I completely agree with this– no sitting down, and sometimes even no changing into my comfy clothes, until I have done SOMETHING. even if it is just the 3 day old sinkful of dishes!
Such a great tip! I find I am the same way…the couch is totally evil!
OMG this is so true! I have to tell myself I can chill after I empty the dishwasher/ finish blog post/ write letter, etc and then I finally get into whatever I’m doing and get reenergized.
Great post!
Carrie
So true! My vice is reading during/after dinner – then I get sucked into the book and don’t get anything else done. Even worse, if I curl up to read on my couch with my dog, I’ll be sleepy within 15 minutes, even if it’s only 9 o’clock… not the best way to get things done around the house.
This is my problem…don’t start reading through your daily blog roll or you will never get to your Etsy sewing! I like to check in every morning to get a dose of my blog faves happenings. Then I come back after running errands, or the pool, or something with my kids and think it is time for a “blog break”. So here I am at 1:30 pm (yes, I ran errands all morning, started laundry, made lunch) and need to get sewing (which I LOVE) but feel I must.get.through.all.blogs.on.my.list.FIRST! And if I post to comments–uh oh!
Hey now, replying is serious business ;)
I accidentally sat down last night but, I was SO strong, and at about 6.50pm I managed to get back up and go out to the DIY store and run a few errands. Proud!!
This is one of those weird things you never fully understand until someone says it aloud. But you are right, and I totally do this too.
Now that I am conscious of it I am dreaming of what I could accomplish if I never spent time lazing around at all… darn couch.
This is the exact problem I have, so I try not to sit down either. But when I do, I end up feeling guilty by 10 or 10:30pm so I end up doing some work which leads to a late night. And then I get mad thinking “why in he heck didn’t I start this sooner?!”. Lol. It’s a vicious cycle.
I know that feeling! Way too well.
Couldn’t agree more!! On a side note, where do you get the brown paper I see lining your floors? I live in the Atlanta area, too, and that paper could really come in handy during my massive quest to hang drywall in a 2200 sq ft home…. alone.
Just picked up a roll at Lowe’s or HD. Can’t remember which at this point, but I’m sure it’s available at both. BIG roll and inexpensive ($10-15 I think).
You are spot on with this post. One of the biggest cons to owning a comfortable couch is that it works very well. Every time I sit down on it, the time seems to fly by and my to-do list goes out the window. This is probably why I end up hiring a contractor to do my renovation projects rather than doing it myself – cause my couch wont allow me to do the work.
I totally agree, I got a new table/desk recently to use instead of sitting on the laptop on the sofa to write, as I would start off getting in from work and ‘just sitting down for 10 minutes to finish today’s blog post’ then once that’s done I’m comfy on the sofa and end up just browsing the web for hours.
Now I try to get some things done when I get in then sit down at the table to write later on as that means my screen time is naturally cut short by dinner time!
xx
YES!
We just moved, and when our furniture wasn’t here yet I was so productive. Now that our couch is here and it’s all soft and comfy, my productivity has plummetted. I’m really, really hoping to not make a habit of it, though…
You are absolutely right! If I have to sit down I only sit at our kitchen bar. The chairs are not that comfy and I can see from that spot everything that needs done so it is easier to get back up and get to work! Couch is only for after supper, after chores, after shower. And then I really might as well go to bed!
You got that right! I was born in the 60’s so I’m a tv junkie. Love it. Love watching new shows, old shows, movies, but mostly DIY network. I dvr so many shows. If I sit when I get home, it’s so hard to get back up. It’s known to happen, like when the dog is standing on my lap staring me in the face like helllooo, I’ve been here cooped up all day, take me for a walk, now! So, it does happen, I do get up and I even turn off the tv. I have a few years on you, so sometimes I feel entitled, but I’ve only got 20 or so good years left, I need to get my ass in gear. I have been working on this knockoff wood sign for like 2 freaking months. Ugh. Now I feel lazy. No TV tonight, I swear.
p.s. Go check out the new addition to my family. You won’t regret it.
I took your advice yesterday! You are SO right. The couch IS evil! But oh so comfy once you finish all the things on your to-do list and are finally ready to relax for the night :)