“Just Do A Little Bit”

April 16, 2011

Today’s Bit of Advice….

“Just Do A Little Bit”

I started this blog post over a week ago.  But life has been so, so busy that I couldn’t find time to get the thoughts in order.  It’s just been one of those weeks where my schedule and responsibilities have held me underwater and refused to let me up for air.  I can hold my breath a long time but I’m ready to get some oxygen now!  Perfect time for a week of school vacation. 

So, with all this craziness, I thought “How am I ever going to get that blog post finished?”  And then, ironically, I looked back at the title I had already selected a week ago.  “Just Do A Little Bit”.  DUH!  I could just start a few paragraphs and get the rest finished later.  And I know from experience what happens when you “just do a little bit”.

I’m a perfectionist.  I am also a procrastinator.  It took me many years to realize that the main reason I procrastinate is because of the perfectionist desires.  If I can’t do it perfectly, I don’t start doing it at all.  And this has been a problem for me for a long time in many aspects of my life.  Housework, organizing, music practicing, making vacation plans, etc.  Since I figured out the perfection/procrastination connection, however, I’ve been able to try to circumvent it with the “just do a little bit” principle.

For example, our dishwasher stopped working about two years ago.  It wasn’t an old dishwasher (we’d only had it about three years when it failed to execute its assigned duties) and it never really washed all that well to start with.  To say we were disgusted with the situation is an understatement.  Rather than get it repaired or replaced, we decided to do the dishes by hand.  And we are still doing them by hand.  (Well, “we” is usually more “he”, but I do assist now and then).   When times get busy, the dishes start to collect on the counter waiting for their turn in the suds.  The crazy schedules here caused quite a big buildup of dishes recently and I felt I needed to make a dent in the collection.  I waited for a block of time when I could attack the pile but I could never get more than 10 or 15 minutes at a stretch.  Finally, I decided that I could just wash the silverware so I started the process.  But here is where the “do a little bit” principle kicks in.  Once I got the silverware washed I realized that I had a few more minutes and could probably wash the plates.  And, with those done, I realized I could still get the glasses and bowls washed.  Before long, I had the entire pile of dirty dishes washed and drying.

Same thing happened with my music practice.  I’ve been doing some piano accompanying for a local NYSSMA solo festival.  I had five rather difficult accompaniments to learn and couldn’t seem to find the hour or two necessary for practice.  I procrastinated about it for a while (quite a while) then had the bad feeling in my gut when I realized the rehearsal with the students was just a few days away and I had yet to begin my part.  “Just do a little bit” came into my mind and I sat down to play only one piece.  I did another one a few hours later.  Took two more to school with me and practiced during my lunch period.  In the end, all five pieces were ready to go without the long concentrated practice I usually endure.

As for housework, I try to apply the “just do a little bit” there too.  I’ve mentioned www.flylady.net before – FLyLady’s the one who helped me realize that my house didn’t get this way in one day and I can’t expect to fix it in one day either.  But I can do a little bit every day.  And, by doing a little bit all the time, I don’t have to spend my whole Saturday cleaning house.  I can keep the house from getting dirty instead of playing catch up later.  I really wish I had learned that concept 15 years ago!

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go for a nice country drive with my mother and sister (I’ve mentioned how much I enjoy my Sunday drives before too).  We used a driving tour book that covers highlights of the entire town.  The entire tour would take several hours and we just didn’t have that much time.  My mother suggested that we “just do a little bit” each weekend.  I love that!  Means I get to go on several Sunday drives instead of just one.  It’s a winner for me!  (And the drive that we took included a really neat old cemetery that I hadn’t known existed and I’d like to visit again).

But I know you are waiting to find out the real reason I chose this bit of advice.  Yes, I found areas in my life where the principle was applied in the last few weeks, but where did I first learn about this principle?  It came to me as my children were being potty trained and I still use it regularly with my youngest daughter to this day.  When you are ready to get in the car, and won’t have time for bathroom breaks, it is important that little ones use the potty first.  But what do you do when your child says “I don’t have to go!”?  You sit them on the potty and say “Just do a little bit”.  Have you ever tried to do just a little bit and stop there?  Haha – it’s a great parenting technique.

Hope you enjoyed the read.