Years ago, my living space was filled with too many belongings. My closets, cupboards, bookshelves and storage spaces were crammed with stuff, to the point I felt claustrophobic in my apartment. I wanted to clear it out but couldn’t raise the energy necessary for such a daunting task.
Finally I couldn’t take it any longer, and putting it off was just making it loom even larger. So I gave myself permission to go slow and to take it one room at a time. I made a deal with myself that I would work on it each day. This was non-negotiable. No matter how tired or busy I was when I got home from work, I had to do something on my decluttering project. But, it could be small. It could be one drawer, one shelf, one box, it just had to be something.
So I began with one of the drawers in the bathroom – the smallest and least intimidating unit of space I could think of. And I decluttered that. It went fairly well and didn’t take long, so I moved on and did a second drawer in the bathroom. The next day I tackled two cupboards of towels, and the bathroom was complete. One room done. The next day I moved to the kitchen and began with one of the shelves in the pantry. And so it continued, at least one space a day.
Then an odd thing happened. After a week, it didn’t feel like such a daunting task any more. More often than not, I would get wrapped up in my project and continue on after my requirement for the day was met. The progress was exciting, and I carried on with enthusiasm.
By the time I finished a month later, I enjoyed my living space again. It had become a place of peace and sanctuary. And as I looked back on the project, it had not taken nearly as long or been nearly as overwhelming as I had imagined it.
Taking it step by step and focusing on just the one next thing helped smooth the way forward. The positive momentum fueled my energy and kept me going until the whole project was done.
There are many places where doing the one next thing can help us. Certainly with any large multi-step project or goal. It can also aid in overcoming an addiction or recovering from a serious illness. Taking it one day at a time keeps us from being overwhelmed, and can also help when learning a new skill or establishing a new habit, such as daily meditation or exercise.
We can even use this tool on our spiritual journey. When the way forward seems insurmountable, we can find comfort by focusing on just the one next thing on our path. Rather than seeing the enormity of the entire journey ahead, it helps to keep our head down and focus on taking the one next step. Then the next, and then the next. The individual steps add up, and several months later when we look back, we’re surprised at the progress we’ve made. In the words of one of my spiritual teachers, “Slow is fast. Little is big. Less is more.”
Where can you use the technique of doing the one next thing in your life?