For weeks now, I have felt I was unable to make any progress on a number of projects.

I'd come home from work, look at all the things I had to do/wanted to do and feel overwhelmed and unable to get going on any of them.

I had my lists - master projects list, projects list, procrastination projects list, to do list, JDI list, 100 day challenge list, goals list, ROTM list, branches list, holiday projects list, etc. But nothing much was getting crossed off the lists, while I kept finding more and more things to add to the lists.

There was something I needed to do that I kept procrastinating on and it was causing a log-jam and preventing me from getting to those other projects I wanted to do. I felt I shouldn't work on the other projects because I had not done the Very Important Project that I had been procrastinating on.

And what was this Very Important Project that was causing the log jam for me?

A three-inch stack of papers!

Pathetic, isn't it? How such a small thing could assume such big proportions and result in such a lack of productivity in me!

So, the other day, I finally "bit the bullet" as the saying goes and worked on the stack of papers that was holding up all the rest of my projects.

I broke it down to baby steps and worked in 30 min. segments and processed all the papers and took the opportunity to clear some files as well.

That cleared the log-jam. It freed me to work on a project I had procrastinated on for quite a long time - I cleaned the chandelier, yesterday. I felt free to spend a good part of the evening doing that because I didn't have that voice in my ear shouting, "You should be doing your paperwork!" My paperwork was DONE already!

So, if you are finding yourself "stuck" as far as productivity is concerned, check to see if you might be having a log-jam, as well. If so, find the cause of that log-jam and see if you can clear it. Then, watch the flow of productivity.

Bless- I believe this may be my problem. Something has log jammed. Like you, I have the lists and the plans and good intentions. But I still seem to be spinning my wheels. In order to do one thing, there are three other things I'll have to do first, and each of those have a couple of things needing done in order to get THEM done. Then I just get frustrated and throw up my hands and do nothing!!

Example: I need to do laundry. Okay, discounting the fact that the washer is dying and needs to be replaced (I'll get to that in a moment). First I need to pick up all the things in the floor in the way of the dryer. Lots of weird stuff that takes time to deal with. Then move stuff off the top of the washer, if any and there usually is, Then start the washer and fill. Find clothes in piles and sort through to see what we need right now and what can wait. Find trash and out of place items that distract me while getting the clothes...

It goes on and on. Okay, back to the washer and add in the dead fridge and stove. We need new ones!!! They will have to all be replaced at once due to the way they are set up and small space they are in. If I could just get things in order I could buy them and make everything I do, cooking, cleaning, washing easier on myself. But I just can't seem to get to that point.

I don't know exactly what the jam is, but I am going to try to figure it out because I am so tired of being overwhelmed and frustrated and hoping no one shows up to visit unannounced.

With all the things I have that could be it I am wondering the best way to find it. You knew it was the stack of papers so you took care of that, but I am not so sure. There are so many things I need done and I can't really pinpoint what bothers me the most. It all bothers me pretty equally. I just want to wave a wand and it all be right. Start over with a clean slate. Okay, since that is not likely to happen (and believe me I have given it a try!! ) any suggestions on how to figure out the jam?

Good topic Bless. I think it applies to many of us!

Often my log-jam is one thing that I'm procrastinating... it just eats at me, and no other project can be guilt-free while IT remains undone. I cleared one today (filed taxes), and have another upcoming.

I'm getting through it with detailed project lists. For instance: I have similar issues with things on the washer/dryer... my pressure cooker has been moving between table and washer for a WEEK now. It belongs in the cabinet above the fridge. It's in my way. It's a hassle. It will tack 3 minutes to put away, but I have to get the step stool from my oldest DD's space to do it.

So why am I waiting??? Kristil, it sounds like you have some of the same projects I have--little annoying things. What about designating an "Annoyance Interval" of 20 minutes, and tackling one of them?

(On the dryer--it may just need a new heating element and a good lint cleaning! I'm using a 25yo dryer on it's third element (needs to be replaced this spring), and the small investment in the repair, since we can do it ourselves with a little effort, is worth it. I'm saving up for my "dream" machines!)

Kristil:
Just a thought but those other items in the way, could you put them in a basket (for now) and get on with the laundry? As far as the clothes, a good investment in either cheapo laundry baskets, (for various batches) or one of the standing divided ones on wheels might work wonders in your area!

Sometimes, in my case only, if I procrastinate on one thing, then I don't have to do anything else! That way I am justified in doing NOTHING, because of the item that needs to be done first? WHY? Couldn't I do it another day and get on with what needs to be done? I play those games with myself all the time,
and find that if I DO NOT THINK about what I am doing, I can get it done, (like the JDI forum, there are little things all day long that need to be done, and I sometimes would put them off, for ........). So now, I take a few minutes (I allow that!LOL)
and see how far I can get. It works for me, and I hope you come up with a good solution for yourself.

Another thought, if DH is still not working, it seems to put a damper on getting things done when they are around, I have no clue as to why, but found that in my own case when he was home.
I think that was because I would be "involved" with decluttering or craft, and usually he would be looking for me! So I would stop and just give up! LOL

EC:
That is outstanding you can repair your dryer (wow, that is old) and save the money.

So admire your lifestyle and making things SIMPLE in your home.
It gives a calmness to the reader...I know there are bad days and good days, but mostly calm.

Bless:
EXCELLENT discussion. I hope I added to it.

EC: You aint alone with dryer. My dryer is about 16 yrs old. My husband is good at repair. Dryer broke 3 times its wire. Gotton be patience till get new one.
3 basket of laundry still in the basement. No dryer I just do bit time to hang up on the line.

Bless, this is a superb topic.

I think the biggest thing to remember about logjams is to avoid the " I can't do this because I have to do that first" trap. You can always do SOMETHING. Eventually, one of those somethings will undo the logjam.

Kristil, Rather than wait for the things to go away, get a big box and remove them. Simply box them up and put them someplace else until you have time to deal with them. You mention watching movies a lot. Maybe the next time you watch a movie, drag out the box and sort the items. Every 20 minutes or so, pause the movie and put some of the items away. Unfortunately, in our busy world, 2 uninterrupted hours can be a luxury we can't afford. OR get everything put away and then sit down and watch the movie as your reward.

I am glad to know that I am not the only one with this problem! Misery loves company, they say.

I procrastinate on quite a few things, but none of them seem to paralyze me the way inaction on the paperwork seems to do!

Kristil: Your laundry dilemma sounds a lot like my new carpets dilemma - I wanted new carpets, but I didn't want to put new carpets until I painted the walls and I didn't want to paint the walls yet because I wanted to replace the windows, but I couldn't replace the windows yet because of the cost plus I had to find someone to do it and take time off from work to be at home while they did it and it was just too much of a hassle. So, I didn't do anything! And, in the meantime, I felt embarrassed about the stained carpets everytime someone came over. After years (and I do mean years) of agonizing over it, I decided that I should paint and recarpet now and worry about new windows later - after all, I could always repaint, couldn't I? So, I started painting in the summer. Of course, I had to stop with just 2 more walls left to paint, because I got ill! So, I need to wait a little longer before I can finish the painting. But, at least, I got started.

Maybe for you the log-jam might be all the things that are in the way of getting to the washer - you feel you need to deal with them first before you can toss in a load of laundry. If so, then, I, too, echo the suggestions of the others - gather all that extra stuff and put into boxes or baskets to get them out of the way, temporarily. Go through them and sort them and deal with them later, one box at a time. But for now, get the laundry done.

Invest in a couple or three laundry baskets - when you toss the clothes to be washed, toss the lights into one basket, the darks into another and so forth - your laundry will be presorted for you and you can just do one basket at a time.

Also, as the clothes come out of the dryer (or line, if you hang them up to dry), see if you can donate some of them. The more you declutter your wardrobe, the less clothes you have to launder! There are 2 of us at home - my 15 y.o. DD and I - and we usually generate 3, occasionally 4, loads of laundry a week and that includes our clothes, towels, bed sheets, etc. Very manageable.

By the way, all my appliances are 16/17 years old, too, bought when I first moved into this house! So far, except for replacing the hoses on the washer, I've had no repairs.

*************

Yesterday evening, I started cleaning the kitchen cabinets - another project I had been wanting to do. But first, I switched on the chandelier and admired the sparkly crystals!

Snort--if you could actually see my life, you'd see it's rather chaotic. Six people, homeschool, and business in 900 square feet is anything but calm all the time. LOL (Which is why I'm constantly trying to simplify life--there's not ROOM for complex!) But, I think I type calmer than I am. Thanks!

One of the things I do when I'm feeling log-jammed is to start picking at the edges--that's how loggers do clear a jam. They start un-tangling the outer edges, loosening it up and sorting it out. So, if I'm jammed over EVERYTHING being nutty, then I pick one small project that I can do quickly, and just get it out of the way--it's one bit of the tangle sorted out.

That's where the small steps come in helpful. I can't do everything right now, but I can do something... and sometimes a thing done adequately is more helpful than waiting for the Ultimate Dream. I've a friend with a tiny kitchen and tangerine bathroom. She hates them both. She's log-jammed with them, and it's tangling other areas of the home, because she's just so annoyed with the bath and kitchen.

I look at them and think: paint! Paint is good!

She says, Good paint is too expensive, and then I'd need to X and Y and Z and M... and I'd just destroy everything when we do get to remodel in 900 years...

I think, Use cheap paint. A coat of grey primer and some nice light paint over it will cover that tangerine bath, and even without a remodel, it will be vastly improved. No need to totally rewire--just bring in some plug-in wall-mount lights. Paint the cabinets and walls, even if you can't afford to change anything with layout. $100 invested, and some time, and two very main rooms could be VASTLY improved for the short-term, and the log-jam overcome!

(This particular friend is new to a lot of organizing skills, and is slowly understanding how she hedges herself up with expectations and assumptions, when the actual process and DOING are so much easier!)

Here's an annoying piece to my log-jam: slimy soap mess around the sink. I'm going to solve it with a $2 soap dish TOMORROW. It's been annoying me for two months, at least. My goodness, I could have saved two months of annoyance for $2?? Very well worth it.

Another log-jam for me has been the children's room. I have finally pinpointed my annoyance: I need more unity in the storage bins. I know. It's DUMB. But, for me, it's a big thing! I'll be able to get it sorted out when our taxes come back, so in the meantime, I'll pick at the edges of the log-jam by further streamlining the toys and belongings, so I don't over-buy on the storage totes.

(Weeding the toys also opens things up for the "upgraded" playthings I want to add in: a few Waldorf-style dolls, improved dress-ups, and some roll-up kitchen playmats!)

EC:
If that is the amount of space you have you are doing a great job! Have you considered using the soft soap in a bottle? That eliminates that gooky stuff. You can get a giagantic bottle on sale and put into smaller bottles. That is what I do for all the soaps in the house, kitchen, baths, laundry room. Just a thought.

It's a good thought! We have one specific soap we need to use for allergy reasons, and it's not available in soft-soap form. And, I have a nearly-4yo who is fascinated with pump mechanisms. I think soft soap MIGHT last til noon on day one.

Right now, the soap just sits on the rim of the sink, and gets gunky. I'm going to pick up a little soap dish with the pokey bottom, so the soap sits up on prongs and gets to dry all the way between uses.

Yep, we have a TEENY home. It's funny, when we look at houses, and the realtor warns us that "it's a small one, but very nice"... and we walk through saying WOW SO MUCH SPACE... because the house is 1800 square feet.

I prefer living in smaller spaces, as there's less room for mess to collect, so there's less work, overall. And, it gives us an excuse to have a small number of very nice things to fill the space, rather than having to spread a small budget over a larger space. Sure, it's snug quarters, but we're pretty streamlined, and the log-jams are little, compared to what I could get myself into with 4500 square feet or something!

I look at this tiny space as a training ground. When we do buy our permanent little house, we'll be well schooled in tidy living habits, so the larger space will seem palatial. Even now, when things are tidy, I can look around and breathe and feel like we really do have a LOT of space here. I like the size and layout of the rooms far better than many homes I've been in. We definitely have 900 square feet of LIVABLE space... I've a friend with nearly 4000 square feet of mostly awkward space. I'll take my little space over hers, any day!

Sorry for the thread-jack!

Back to log-jams, and how to work out of them!!

I'm definitely in favor of making my list (to help clarify all the things that are bugging) and then either tackling the BIG jam (such as procrastinating a particular thing that really could be done right now, if I'll just do it), or whittling away at de-jamming the edges (such as when there are a lot of little annoying things, but no one big trigger.)