By Jim Hagarty
2012
There is no such thing as a big job. There are only small jobs. Every “big job” is just a series of small jobs.
We are all capable of completing small jobs but we put off big jobs because they look too daunting. My grandfather used to say that as soon as you start any job, it is half done, referring to the mental block many of us bring to the doing of what appears to be a large task.
Thirteen years ago, I self-published a 400-page, hardcover book of family history. Today I was asked by a relative how I managed to accomplish such a big undertaking. I told her I made one phone call a day to some relative somewhere in the world and recorded the information I was given. A call and the subsequent entering of the information into my computer might take minutes or it might take an hour. And even though I might be enthusiastic and tempted to make a second call, I resisted and waited till the next day to make it. In that way, I didn’t overdo anything and lose interest in the project as a result. And I did better work.
Eventually, it all came together.
I have to keep reminding myself of this almost every day. My backyard has been a mess this summer and I get discouraged whenever I try to create order out of the chaos, which was created entirely by yours truly. Finally, I remembered a clutter-clearing tip I read about for creating order in a room. Start at one corner, and move slowly around the room, never leaving a spot till it is perfectly cleaned and in order.
So, on Monday, I went out the back door of my garage, turned right, and started there to tidy. Five days later, I’ve gone about 15 feet but everything in that distance is in order now and I am no longer in despair at the size of the project. In fact, with the radio going, it’s actually kind of a pleasant undertaking.
The flip side of having a wonderfully ordered environment is to not let it get upside down in the first place but that is a whole different skill set having to do with never placing anything anywhere “temporarily.” That skill set eludes me yet, unfortunately, but I am working on it. It has something to do with keeping the mind laser-focused on the present moment and I’ve never been great at that.
Shepherding my thoughts sometimes is akin to the job of herding cats.
I have tried herding cats. Years ago, I went to the trouble of going to the pet store to buy a leash for my cat. I put the leash on him and went outside to take him proudly down the sidewalk for a walk. He went for a walk, proudly or not I couldn’t tell. I was left there holding a leash with an empty collar piece where his neck had so recently been.
Corralling my kaleidoscope thoughts is often just as successful.
