Clean the fish tank first

Feeling overwhelmed by a never-ending to do list ?

Buried under a mountain of “Undone Things”? No idea where to begin?

When in doubt, clean the fish tank. Seriously.

Time management experts and lifehackers have their own systems and advice on how to get things done, and I have mine. Here are five compelling reasons to try my Clean the Fish Tank First™ method.

1. The task has a clear beginning and end. When you’re done, you’re done. Revel in it! Avoid starting with a task that can spiral into an endless project such as cleaning your closet, or catching up on correspondence.
2. The task does not need to be repeated daily or weekly. This will enhance and prolong your sense of accomplishment tremendously. Unlike your inbox, which will need to be attended to again immediately after you finish.
3. It is a matter of life or death. With so many competing priorities, life or death trumps all. I recently “swore” I’d clean the aquarium for days weeks when one morning I looked at our perky fish in their murky mess and knew their days were numbered. Time to bust a move!
   
4. There are no clickable links or other distractions to sabotage your progress. It is not something you can easily walk away from. Once you have started by removing the water or displacing the poor little fish from their cozy home into a bucket, there is no turning back; luckily.

We recently inherited these fish and are just surprised that we’ve been able to keep them healthy and happy for 4 months, 2 weeks, 3 days and counting. Obviously fish do not require a huge amount of work, but it is one more task to squeeze in.

If you don’t have a fish tank, you can always come over and take a sponge to mine. Otherwise look for the task amongst  your “undone things” that meets the criteria above to kick start your productivity momentum.

If you’ve got a killer system to tackle your to do list, please do share here!

Tagged as: Adult ADHD, Lifehacking, time management, to-do list, undone things