One Weed Per Day
I hate weeds. Or as I affectionately refer to them in my midwestern, southern drawl, “stankin’ weeds.”
Maybe hate is a strong word, but pulling weeds is one of my least enjoyable activities as a homeowner. Each spring and fall, I find myself on hands and knees for hours painstakingly pulling a never-ending supply of green things from various places around my yard. For years, I’ve thought, there has to be a better way than this!
During the summer months, my area of Southwestern Ohio can go long stretches without rain. In these dry times, I use the moisture gathered from my dehumidifier to water the plants around my yard while I let the dog out for his morning routine. During one such watering, I started thinking about the weeds - stankin’ weeds.
Instead of pulling all the weeds in one hours-long session twice per year, could I pull more often? That's when the concept of one weed per day was born. I could take a task that takes hours and break it into a few minutes each day. After all, I would already be outside with the plants and the dog. I could take 5 minutes to pull a weed. Even adjusting for inclement weather and schedule changes, I’d still have the opportunity to pull over 300 weeds in a year. Most days, I could get two or three. Now we’re talking big numbers!
As with any new process, I needed a good baseline. So, I had a contractor remove many of the existing weeds and treat the flower beds. This eliminated my big spring weeding and gave me a positive place to start. From there, I added a task to my morning routine to pull one weed as I was out in the yard.
With time, I’ve continued to refine the process. Early on, one challenge was morning dew from the grass seeping through my shoes and getting my socks wet. I corrected this by putting some old work boots near my door. I eventually added gloves too so my hands don't get dirty. I’m 4 months into the process, and I can see the improvement.
If you are looking to tackle a big task - especially one that is time consuming and possibly less than enjoyable - use these steps to get you started down the path:
Give yourself a good baseline - do what you can to wrap your head around the entire task at hand. If possible, utilize any additional resources you may have to give yourself some positive momentum. If you have to work alone, dedicate some time to make a big initial step in progress.
Break the task into a manageable daily load - after using the initial momentum to move your task forward, look for areas in your schedule where you can be consistent about continuing the work on your task. Sometimes, all it takes is 5 minutes to make daily progress.
Make changes to your process as you go - as you continue working through the task, you will find ways to do it better. Make those learnings permanent by updating your standard work - the best way you know how to perform the task..
Do you find yourself challenged to get started on large tasks? Is one giving you trouble right now? Reach out to me at notavgjomo@gmail.com or use our contact form. I’d be happy to help you make progress.
Have a great day. Learn a lot. And be YOUR best.
