One Piece at a Time

Things are getting busy. The kind of busy I forgot things could get. The kind of busy that makes me think I should make a “to don’t” list because it might end up being shorter. The kind of busy that means there are more colored flags vying for my attention in my inbox than I have seen in one place since the opening ceremony of the last Olympics games. It somewhat reminds me of the experience people describe when they believe they have been abducted by aliens. One minute I am standing outside the office in the morning holding my coffee and the next thing I know the day is over and I have been deposited outside the door completely spent but with only a shadowy grasp of what has actually transpired.

It is hard when things get this busy to keep from being totally overwhelmed. When you think of tasks in the aggregate they seem so impossible it can be paralyzing. You think, well, for BLANK to happen A, B, C & D have to get done and while I might be able to do A what’s the point because I certainly can’t do D. So then you think, why even start in on A? For me this is often the logic that also defeats me when I am trying to workout regularly. When my alarm goes off an hour earlier so I can go to the gym, I talk myself out of going by thinking, “Even if I get myself to workout today I will never get up tomorrow so why even bother? And furthermore, as I am not going to work out, I might as well have a piece of chocolate cake or three for breakfast. So there.”

Now, I have discovered a new way of doing things that is really quite effective. Well, maybe I spoke too soon when I said “I have discovered a new way.” When actually I suspect it is something other people have been doing and been telling me do for years. (and frankly if it is not already one of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, I propose we petition for an eighth.) So perhaps it will not be new to you, and when I say this it is akin to Columbus sailing up on the Santa Maria and exclaiming to the Natives that had been living there for generations. “Can you believe this great new world I found?!?”

In fact, now that I think of it I have heard it explained a few different ways before. If I was more eloquent I might quote Confucius and say “ A journey of a thousand miles begins with a step.” But I prefer Johnny Cash’s take on things which is a little bit country. Do you know his song, One Piece at a Time? It is about a guy works on a Detroit “semmbly” line who manages to steal an entire Caddy by the time he retires by sneaking it out “one piece at a time” over 20 years. Like the Man in Black, I too have come to realize the efficacy of getting the whole done by tackling its parts. Now when my mind starts racing and extrapolating all the reasons why something isn’t going to happen, I try to get myself to do the first thing on my list and not be distracted by the 987 other things I need to do. I essentially say to myself sternly “Stop worrying about all other things, you fool, and ANWER THIS EMAIL NOW.” And really once I answer one email it seems easier to answer another. We live in an age when multitasking is a staple of every job description and as a result, every resume. But, I have always thought multitasking to be a bit of a misnomer, as it is really the ability to focus on one thing and get it done well without being distracted by all the other things that are trying to pull you away. This also works when I go running. I don’t think of my workouts in terms of total distance or time, I just concentrate on the minute, mile, or song I am on and think that I just have to get to the end of that one and then I can stop. But, then one song turns into two and I end up pushing myself farther than I used to think I would ever be able to run.

Another good example is one of my best friends who recently took a trip to Peru. She signed up for a four day trek up to Machu Picchu, not really knowing what she was in for. She told me that because of the elevation and the air, she could only take a few steep steps at a time and she would be gasping for breath. She also said that looking at the top of the mountains on the first day she couldn’t imagine she would ever be able to make it up that high (so really hers' was more a case of “one peak at a time.” Don’t groan, you know you were thinking it too.) But sure enough on the fourth day, she reached the ancient Incan city. And now, she feels like she can do almost anything by chipping away at it bit by bit.

BUYER BEWARE: As with anything when taken to the extreme this practice can be dangerous. Getting things done can be addictive. Heed my cautionary tale my children! For weeks I have known that I needed to go through the closets and drawers in my bedroom and do a major overhaul and get rid of things I don’t wear anymore and start making room for cold weather clothes. But it seemed like such a big task I didn’t want to waste a weekend doing it. So the other night I had the brilliant idea to apply my new mantra and tackle one drawer a night. Well I did one drawer and I was so encouraged and proud of myself I got a burst of energy and moved on to the next one. But soon I realized that I should take all the drawers out at once and put them on my bed and that really I needed to take things from my closet and transfer them to my bureau. Then I was trying old clothes on to see if they still fit and eventually the entire contents of my room was on my bed. The next thing I knew I woke up at 3:30 in the morning buried under a pile of hangers with my head in my sock drawer, wearing the eye patch that was the pièce de résistance of my Scourge of the Seven Seas pirate costume from Halloween two years ago. The moral of this story? Moderation my friends. Everything in moderation.