Discussion Forum > How to STOP yourself working on one thing!
This situation sounds like it calls for scheduling or timeboxing more than a list system. Your personal tasks like cleaning up should usually take the same amount of time whenever you do them, so you can set aside that amount of time to get the cleaning done, and the rest of the time you can continue with your compelling work projects.
July 2, 2025 at 16:11 |
Voluntas
Voluntas
Yeah you're probably right - I was just wondering if there might be a list approach that I could use to avoid having too rigid a schedule. Something like using times in the list items like 'spend 2 hours on main job'. And then re-write it at the end once done. Just a way to force me confront the list at least every 2 hours. But I do see what you're saying about time blocking and repeated slots for houshold stuff - much of it could/should be simply repeatable every day and I do see the appeal of setting that up as a time based thing.
July 2, 2025 at 23:08 |
Ben Vallack
Ben Vallack
I'd probably write the tasks as "Work on X - 90m" and then "Break for 30m". Set a timer on my watch for 90m (90 minutes is a goodly amount of time to focus on something), then when it's time for a break set my timer for 30m. And then maybe during that break, you could work on the other necessary tasks.
Or, you could just ride the wave and spend as much time on the X project as you want, knowing that those other things are waiting for you. Your intuition is already telling you something -- not so much you're spending too much time on X, as that you need to spend at least a l-i-t-t-l-e time on everything else. When that little voice whispers in your ear, maybe respect it, put X away, and work on the other stuff.
Leaving a project in a state where you WANT to come back to it is a great place to be; ensures you have gas in the tank ready to start at the next work session. You don't want to exhaust that energy too quickly.
Hope you find something helpful.
Or, you could just ride the wave and spend as much time on the X project as you want, knowing that those other things are waiting for you. Your intuition is already telling you something -- not so much you're spending too much time on X, as that you need to spend at least a l-i-t-t-l-e time on everything else. When that little voice whispers in your ear, maybe respect it, put X away, and work on the other stuff.
Leaving a project in a state where you WANT to come back to it is a great place to be; ensures you have gas in the tank ready to start at the next work session. You don't want to exhaust that energy too quickly.
Hope you find something helpful.
July 3, 2025 at 13:11 |
Mke Brown
Mke Brown
I agree with the suggestions above. I might suggest two other approaches.
One, you may consider setting a very large time bank to get your work project done, such as morning until Lunch or the like. If you have so much interest in your work that you're skipping lunch, then maybe you could set an alarm for yourself. Then, you quit by that time, and don't allow yourself to get back to it until the next day or until you've done some amount of work on your other daily list of chores and the like.
Another option is to do an "Eat the Frog" method where you work a chore list for some amount of time first thing in the morning and then let yourself feel guilt free about working the rest of the day on the thing you really want.
One, you may consider setting a very large time bank to get your work project done, such as morning until Lunch or the like. If you have so much interest in your work that you're skipping lunch, then maybe you could set an alarm for yourself. Then, you quit by that time, and don't allow yourself to get back to it until the next day or until you've done some amount of work on your other daily list of chores and the like.
Another option is to do an "Eat the Frog" method where you work a chore list for some amount of time first thing in the morning and then let yourself feel guilt free about working the rest of the day on the thing you really want.
July 4, 2025 at 4:23 |
Aaron Hsu
Aaron Hsu
Some great insight and ideas there - thanks all! I will test out a few things.
July 4, 2025 at 8:17 |
Ben Vallack
Ben Vallack
In a recent appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast, film director and screenwriter Robert Rodriguez said about getting stuff done, "commit to a body of work".
I've found that simple advice to be a very powerful shift in thinking. Instead of getting hung up on tasks, or obsessing over time spent on a thing, we know what we want to get done in the moment. Commit to a body of work, which moves that along to some suitable place, and do that work. Rinse and repeat.
He also said, "embrace the chaos". Stop trying to control or capture every aspect of a situation. Let it be messy and deal with the part which is relevant to your body of work.
I've found that simple advice to be a very powerful shift in thinking. Instead of getting hung up on tasks, or obsessing over time spent on a thing, we know what we want to get done in the moment. Commit to a body of work, which moves that along to some suitable place, and do that work. Rinse and repeat.
He also said, "embrace the chaos". Stop trying to control or capture every aspect of a situation. Let it be messy and deal with the part which is relevant to your body of work.
July 5, 2025 at 23:29 |
Chris
Chris
Chris, “commit to a body of work” needs to be defined. I read it to mean “commit to getting a certain result out of your big project”, but that reading doesn’t answer the original question of how to take care of everything else. Unless Robert’s answer is “let that be chaotic” and don’t worry about it. Did he really mean to deny Ben’s situation as being a problem or do I misunderstand? If I understand rightly, I have a notion there’s some amount of truth to the sentiment, but there must be a limit nevertheless to that direction.
July 15, 2025 at 15:29 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
The problem I have now though is I'm spending far longer on this than I intend to and am not having any time left for things like cleaning or other house chores.
For the first time I feel like I need to combine my personal chores with my 'work-work' so I can actually balance them together.
The question is, how should I deal with my work commitments - these can't easily be broken down into chunks so much as they used to so I need to way to limit my time spent in any one session and a system to help me get onto the other, personal, stuff.
How do others deal with this?
Thanks!
Ben