This may seem trivial, but have you ever cooked a wonderful meal, enjoyed it and then left the dishes to do later? Like the next day (or even longer)? How easy was it to clean those dishes? Did you need a paint scraper, SOS pad or hammer and chisel to clean off the dried-on food? How much more time and effort does it take to get those caked-on dishes clean?
If you develop the do-it-now habit of washing your dishes as soon as you’re finished eating, it will be much easier and faster to wash them.
The most stubborn, baked on food will literally fall off with light scrubbing after you’ve soaked the non-aluminum pans in some baking soda and hot water for a few hours.
Have you ever had to give someone some bad news but instead you put it off because you feared doing it (for whatever reason)? Maybe you had to fire someone or tell a customer/client that you couldn’t deliver on a promise.
If you have, what emotions did you experience until you finally got it done? If you waited until the next day or longer, did it have a negative impact on your sleeping? If it did, why subject yourself to this pain?
Think about how you felt after you finally delivered the bad news. Did you feel relieved? Putting off having to give someone some bad news increases your stress levels and it can adversely affect your ability to get a good night sleep.
Why not develop the do-it-now habit of facing difficult tasks immediately? You will reduce stress levels and sleep better.
Developing the do-it-now habit is as simple as seeing yourself as a doer. Visualize yourself being a doer now. See yourself washing the dishes immediately after eating. See yourself being professional and facing difficult tasks immediately. Focus on the rewards of being a doer: less stress, better sleep, more success, and more time to do the things you want to do.
Great message and reminder on do it now habits.
Thanks for the wake up call going into 2010.
Yu de man!
Marchev