When the going gets tough, and sometimes it gets to going very tough, then just about the only thing you can do is put one foot in front of the other, and keep on moving. This week has been one of those weeks for me. My dad died last Saturday, while I was out of the country. I could have just curled up, and pulled my head back into my shell, but I didn’t. I had a job to do, a very large job.
I started a spreadsheet, and have been splitting the chores with my dad’s caregivers, my husband, and others. As of today-Thursday-, the memorial service is planned, and dad’s apartment is cleaned out. We have sorted and gone through most of Dad’s stuff, and made piles. The stuff that can easily be gotten rid of, is going away on Saturday, in a yard sale, that is already organized. There is still a ton of work to do, but we are making steady progress on the things that absolutely have to happen.
Each day, I’ve been up early, and have steadily worked on that list of activities that need to happen. I just put one foot in front of the other. I know that soon enough, I’ll reach the end of the tasks, and that I can take a break at that point.
That is how I approach most situations in life. I have come to learn that discipline, focus, and drive all help. Chipping away at a project piece by piece is how it gets done. It is how the tortoise won the race. I know what the end goal is, and I begin with the end in mind, but I keep my head down, and keep plodding.
How do you handle large, difficult projects?
