We don’t always have motivation to do things. Energy fluctuates, interest levels fluctuate, time and availability fluctuates. I have spent my life being a champion procrastinator. But lately I’ve been able to make small inroads on that front.

I’ve found myself with more energy than usual lately – I don’t know if it’s vitamins or a better sleep routine or what, but for some reason the planets are in alignment and I have energy to spare. I find myself doing things I’ve been putting off forever.

The mantra that’s been running through my head is who knows how long this wave will last, let’s use it before we lose it. I have a running list of things I want to get to around my house. I have been eating away at that list in the last week and relieving myself of the stress that comes from knowing you have projects to do and postponing them.

When you have a bit of time – even just a few minutes, take those moments to see what you can do to eat away at your “have to” list. I have started vacuuming while my air fryer cooks dinner. It’s only like 12 minutes, but I can usually vacuum most of our common area in that time without a whole lot of fuss. It doesn’t have to be the best I’ve ever done and it doesn’t have to be super thorough.

By focusing on doing something I’m feeling accomplished and moving forward and keeping the momentum, moving. I’m not trying to do everything and I’m not even focused on high quality. I’m taking ten minutes while I’m waiting for something else to make a small dent in the list of things I need to get to.

I have a hard time finding momentum for household chores because they are merely kicking the can down the road. I’ll always have to do that chore again. Mentally that can be daunting. I love having a tidy house, but the repetition of having to do the same chores all the time is super frustrating for me. But if I’m just puttering around while I’m waiting for my food to be ready, that makes it a lot easier. I’m not setting aside particular time to CLEAN THE HOUSE, I’m just folding a few blankets and whipping out the vacuum real quick while I’m waiting. That mental shift makes the job a lot easier to find time for in my world.

Finding the motivation or system that works for you is really the important thing here. I try not to sit until I’m “in for the night” so to speak. I like to putter around with an audiobook in for an hour or so before or after dinner. That gives me the chance to do the smaller chores or projects that I’ve had on my “really need to get to” list for awhile. Take an hour, take ten minutes while dinner is cooking, take five minutes while your morning coffee is brewing. Take advantage of the waiting time to help keep things moving and feel the momentum that comes from small successes. That rolls into bigger ones.