Spring Cleaning Your Job: How To Ditch Old Responsibilities
Photo by Matthew Dockery on Unsplash
Now that we have warm weather where I live, it finally feels like spring is here! One of my favorite traditions is doing spring cleaning. I don't limit spring cleaning to just my apartment or physical spaces though. I like to use this time as an opportunity to clean up things like my computer (are there bookmarks or files that I don't need anymore?), my book and video game backlog (are there books I can put back on the shelf or donate?), and my job. The main way I keep track of tasks for my job is through a to-do list, which means I have a convenient way to clean up my tasks.
Whenever I come up with an idea that I want to pursue further or have a project I need to complete I put it on my to-do list. Over time this means that my to-do list becomes clogged and full of many tasks. My favorite tactic for cleaning up my to-do list is the "Do/Delegate/Defer/Ditch" method.
If a task takes less than 5 minutes, Do it right away.
If a task needs to be completed but I don't want to do it, Delegate it to someone else.
If a task needs to be completed but doesn't need to be completed now, Defer it to next week.
If a task doesn't really need to be completed anymore, Ditch it.
I have a deep aversion to ditching anything - whether its old clothes or a random project that I thought might be cool. The book that helped me get over this habit was "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo (who you may also know through her show on Netflix). The core idea behind her philosophy is to only keep things in your life that "spark joy". If it doesn't spark joy, you're probably better off without it in your life. The proper way to get rid of something is to hold it, thank it, and then put it away gently.
I thought this was corny at first but I found thanking things to be a really effective way of getting closure. That blog post I started two months ago but have no desire to finish? Starting the article sparked joy but now that spark is gone. I thanked the post for that initial spark and then deleted it. By ditching that article, I can focus on new posts that I actually am excited to finish. That good idea I wrote down five months ago? I thank the idea for providing excitement at the time and being part of my brainstorming process. Even if it never progressed beyond an idea it was still exciting to think about at the time. Now it's time to clear that idea off my list and let other ideas flourish.
Have you ever sat down and listed all of the tasks you do at work? This can be a useful exercise if you're frequently feeling overwhelmed at work. Once you have a complete list it'll be easier to look at the big picture and see how many of your tasks still spark joy. Are there are any tasks you can use the "Do/Delegate/Defer/Ditch" method to handle? Send me an email to let me know what you think!