Do you have a bunch of nagging tasks that you need to take care of? Even though nagging tasks, like hanging pictures or vacuuming out your car, are easy to put off, they could be keeping you from reaching your big goals.
Nagging tasks are distracting. Even if you put them off, you still expend energy thinking about them. If you have a lot of nagging tasks, that can end up being a lot of thought-space wasted on the non-essential things.
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Experts in time management and goal setting will tell you that you should only focus on the most important things in order to reach your goals. This is true, but I think you can reach your big goals a lot faster if you set aside time to take care of those nagging tasks. Getting them done leaves you feeling accomplished and less distracted.
This week, I was listening to the Happier podcast with Gretchen Rubin, and she talked about the idea of a Power Hour. According to Gretchen, a Power Hour is “a single habit to cover a bunch of non-recurring, highly diverse tasks.” It’s an hour that you schedule to do all of those random things you never get around to doing.
Things You Could Do During a Power Hour
- Change lightbulbs
- Hang pictures
- Throw things away/declutter
- Put photos in an album
- Move furniture you’ve been meaning to move
- Remove a stain
- Clean out a drawer or cabinet
- Fix something
- Adjust curtains or blinds
- Clean dryer vents
- RSVP to events
- Return an email
- Finish paperwork
- Renew your passport
- Make an appointment
- Clean out drains
- Order something you’ve been meaning to order
- Check your cell phone plan to see if you can use rollover minutes more efficiently
- Organize gift cards
- Upload gift card credits
- Organize food storage containers
- Clean out purse or wallet
- Put water bottles in car in case of emergency
- Change windshield wiper blades
- Cancel a subscription
- Make a photo Christmas card (you can do this any time of year!)
- Unpack a box
- Break down boxes to be recycled
I think I have enough random tasks to fill a Power Week, but I decided to do a Power Hour this week to see how it worked out.
I set my timer for one hour, and got to work.
Here are some of the things I did:
- Hung a picture – It had been sitting on the floor for over a year.
- Changed a duvet cover
- Corralled storage containers in one place
- Responded to an email that needed a longer response
Even though I wasn’t looking forward to the Power Hour, after it was over, I felt like I’d really taken a lot of annoying stuff off my plate. It helped me to better focus on more important things.
Depending on your situation, you might have a lot of ideas for things to do during a Power Hour, or you might only be able to think of a few things.
To make your Power Hour as effective as possible, you could track the nagging tasks that distract you over the course of a week. Once you have a good list together, you’ll know what to do for your next Power Hour.
To help you map out your Power Hour tasks, you can download this Power Hour Planning Sheet. Keep it in an easy-to-find place, and add tasks to the list as you think of them. You can sign up to get the free planning sheet at the bottom of this post.
What kinds of non-urgent tasks have you been putting off? Have you ever tried to do a Power Hour?
Plan Out Your Power Hour!
Make the most of your own Power Hour with this handy planning sheet.
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I love this idea! Just this morning I decided to finally rotate my girls’ clothes and make a big pile of clothes that we no longer need. It took more than an hour, but I got most of it finished before lunch! It will be so nice to get that mountain of clothes out of their room!
That’s awesome, Charlee! Thanks for your comments. 🙂
Just stumbled across your site and am enjoying it. Signed up. Love the idea of setting a hour’s time limit, I will get more done knowing I can rest or do something else when my hour is up. I like any help to get those endless lists tamed down!
Thank you
Thank you, Karen! I’m so glad you found the site and signed up. If you like podcasts, Gretchen Rubin’s new one is really good. It’s mostly about being more productive. 🙂
Though I am not a mom, I think a power hour is the best. I always try to schedule it on my calendar so it is like an appointment that is made with myself. (I also do the same for my workouts so they can’t be put off…. most of the time 🙂 )
cheers,
sandy
Hi Sandy! That’s a great idea to schedule the Power Hour. I’m going to have to do that. 🙂
I think I would dread that hour because my list for it would get too full every week and I wouldn’t feel like I was able to accomplish much. I think I do better with my current system where I can tick of a few of these types of things every day so they don’t build up on me. I bet it would work for someone who thinks differently than I do, though!
It works for me because I’ll never prioritize things that I do during the Power Hour. I save the Power Hour for things I probably wouldn’t put on my to-do list because they’re not urgent or aligned with a specific goal.
If you get a routine your house will always be clean! Main thing don’t buy what you don’t need!
This is so awesome! I am so relieved to hear you had a picture sitting for a year – I have a image that needs to be hung above our piano – and it has been laying on the piano for about six months! Ugh. I need to just get it done!!
I am going to set aside a power hour tomorrow, for sure!
Yay!! Thanks, Lindsay!
I like this idea! I think I can incorporate this in my day!
One thing I do, is I use a “power hour” for Saturday Tasks. I used to literally hate Saturdays because there are always so many things to do and it feels scattered and out of routine. Now I use the “power hour” to get a bunch of household tasks done and when I’m done I let the rest go. Then I choose to take time to exercise, do some reading, and maybe meal prep.
I read another tip somewhere else that is simply “finish”. The concept is finish whatever you do before going on to the next and don’t start something you can’t finish. I like the idea of incorporating both the “finish” and “power hour”. Pick all those little things that only take a few minutes to finish and put it all in a power hour!
I like the “finish” idea too. It’s a good feeling to get stuff done!
I love this!! I can think of LOTS of stuff I could put down to do in a power hour!!
Awesome!!