The Ten-Minute Project
After the last storm, my back floor mats ended up muddy.
Nothing terrible.
Nothing urgent.
Just some dirt and mud that I knew needed attention.
And then...
- I'll get to it later.
- I'll do it this weekend.
- It's not that bad.
- Nobody even sees the back seat anyway.
Two weeks later, the boss and a coworker suggest going to lunch together.
One drives a sports car.
The other drives a pickup.
Suddenly, my vehicle becomes the logical choice.
And there sit those muddy floor mats I've been ignoring.
YIKES!
Now, let's be honest.
Was this really a problem?
Not really.
I could have simply said:
"We can take mine if you don't mind a little dirt on the floor mats. I still haven't cleaned them up from the last storm."
A little embarrassing? Maybe.
A catastrophe? Not even close.
So, What Was the Stressor?
The funny thing is that the stress wasn't caused by the muddy floor mats.
The stress was caused by postponing a ten-minute job for two weeks.
Then come the "What Ifs?"
- What if they notice?
- What if they think I'm careless?
- What if they think less of me?
- What if they talk about it later?
The reality?
Chances are they never gave it another thought.
Lunch was good.
Everyone went back to work.
The end.
Meanwhile, I was the one still thinking about the floor mats.
How Many Ten-Minute Projects Are Waiting?
How many little things do we have sitting around our homes, cars, finances, health, work, or relationships right now?
Not emergencies.
Not crises.
Just small things quietly waiting for our attention.
A drawer that needs organizing.
An appointment that needs scheduling.
A phone call that needs making.
A form that needs filling out.
A conversation that needs having.
Many of the things that create stress in our lives are not difficult.
They have simply been postponed long enough to occupy space in our thoughts.
How much stress could we avoid if we just did what we already knew needed to be done?
What is one "ten-minute project" you've been walking past lately?
I'll bet you would feel better afterward.
— Coach Gary