I don’t know about you, but it can get a little overwhelming looking at the to-do list ahead of me. Maybe it’s a “want to do” or “need to do” (and there is a difference), whether that’s a home project, cleaning the bathroom, or pulling weeds. If I’m being honest, the list can feel like it’s always climbing with things I just don’t. really. want. to. do. But, I don’t think the answer is always to just abandon it!
So today that’s what’s on the to-do list: learning about a power hour to help you with your other to-do list. 😉
Staring at the list can lead to decision fatigue. Where do I start? Maybe it’s something I’ve been putting off for so long that a small task now feels daunting. Or maybe it’s something I’m really excited about, but yet I still stall at getting it started.
If you follow along over on my InstaStories, you know that Power Hours got me through our basement renovation in the dead of winter when all I wanted to do was sit and watch Harry Potter marathons under a giant blanket! I get asked all the time how I get things done. There are many things that contribute to that; including, but not limited to:
- We don’t have kids yet, so our time looks a lot different.
- Consistently reevaluating my list and prioritizing.
- I don’t really get as much done as you think. Haha!
- Rockin’ the power hour!
How to Use a Power Hour to Get Things Done:
1.Make a list. Download the tasks swirling in your head in the “Notes” app on your phone or with a trusty pen and paper.
2. Set a timer on your phone and get to work. I ask my assistant (also known as Siri) to “set my timer for 1 hour” or maybe it’s just power 15 minutes.
Why a set time? Well, let’s look back at my basement before:
I saw the mounting to-do list in my head. I wanted the outcome, but there were sooo many tasks to get there. I could have thought, okay I’m going to spend the next 60 days at 5 hours a day – well, that just sounds horrible and overwhelming. Where do I even start? It can feel crushing.
Instead, if today I just say – I’ll give it 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes to it, we tackle it little by little.
3. After the timer goes off, decide to keep going or decide to stop. Most of the time, just getting started has motivated and excited me to keep going. But there are plenty of times I decide to stop and that’s a huge win because even after 15 minutes, we got a start! This is my favorite step, because it feels so freeing.
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It can be tempting to fill our lives with a constant to-do list and that’s not at all what I’m promoting here – it’s actually the opposite. I’m saying that power hours help me free my brain and do the things that enhance our relationships and lives; not be sucked into the chase of perfection.
Our basement has been a ginormous blessing to us. And while there are walls we want to decorate and projects we want to try down here, we’re currently in the phase of reaping the blessings in this space – a cooler retreat from the heat, another place to gather people at our 4th of July party coming up, and a peaceful place to chill. Here’s my basement today, brought to you by MANY power hours! Without them, our basement would still be an allergy contributing mess.
Some examples of how I’ve recently used power hours to make our home better than before:
- Writing this blog post. 🙂
- Hanging two towel hooks in our guest bathroom.
- After almost 4 years of staring at them, I patched and touched up the paint on the walls and ceilings of our second floor.
- Pulling weeds 15 minutes at a time.
- Washing all the linens.
- Cleaning windows and screens.
- Straightening a picture falling inside the frame.
- Decluttering our linen closet.
Power hours can be applied to any facet of life: home, work, school, or even planning an event. This power hour concept has been such a game-changer and blessing to our family – and I hope it will be for you too! Some of you have already tried power hours in your home. What have they helped you tackle? What is something on your list that a power hour may help with?
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