Errand paralysis is the new term coined for millennials who find themselves unable to do the mundane tasks ranging from tidying up the home to posting an official letter. In a viral and very detailed article by Anne Helen Preston for Buzzfeed News, the agony of the millennials has been described in detail. This takes us to the diagnosis of our habit of delaying the tasks for tomorrow and that tomorrow clearly fails to come any sooner. Millennials are the people born between 1980 and 2000. This tendency to delay tasks is very common among the millennials and here are the reasons why and how to deal with them.
Table of Contents
How do I know if I am having Errand Paralysis?
If you can relate to even a few of these points, that means you are among the EP (errand paralysis) anonymous!
- I delay the house tidying up errands for tomorrow
- I pay even my online bills on the last dates or after that
- The pile of books that I intend to read is rising up
- I don’t know where my time goes
- I don’t have time for myself or to do something that I Love
- People expect a lot more from me
- I try my level best but still do not have the output that I want to have
- I feel overwhelmed and sometimes overburdened with work
- I have a feeling of urgency every time.
- I sleep less and feel more fatigued.
- Buying groceries and going to the supermarket seems like the biggest task
- I can’t live without my coffee and many more such things!
What Do I Need to Do to get rid of Errand Paralysis?
Like Meadhbh McGrath from Independent says “Errand Paralysis is a real thing for millennials like me…why can’t I get the stuff is done”, that is the story of most the Millenials. They have their own reasons behind it, be it the pressure to have it all or the love for the heights in your career.
Here are a few ways to help you get out of this Errand Paralysis and be more productive as well as stay sane in the future!
1. If it takes about 5 minutes, do it right away
Got your broadband bill? It takes less than 5 minutes to pay it so do it right away. Don’t let such menial tasks enter your brain and sit on your head thus adding to the stress. Such small tasks keep piling up and keep adding to our stress levels thus leading to the ultimate Errand Paralysis. Utilizing just 5 minutes can make your life a lot easy!
2. Take a break after every one or two hours and perform one mundane task
If you are a freelance worker then it is necessary for you. As the studies say that brain gets tired and loses focus after every 60-70 minutes. Why not utilize these out-of-focus minutes and stretch a bit and fold one pile of clothes lying on that sofa.
You will have a more neat home when you get up from your chair in the evening.
3. Try to stay minimalistic & Organized
Staying minimalistic is the new way of millennial living. Remove all the excess you have, and give it to someone you love or to someone in need. Either way, everyone will be benefited. You will be having less stuff to take care of and will be free to focus on what is really necessary. To get more information on Minimalism, refer to this article and the whole website dedicated to Minimalism. For easy DIY tips on organizing your house, refer to this article about organizing your home like a pro.
Recommended Read – Marie Kondo Method of Organizing – What I learned from her two books
4. Include those everyday home tasks in your to-do list
If you aren’t maintaining a to-do list then this is something that you must do in order to remain sane and on the top of your game. A to-do list can be a simple daily task list with the check-boxes in front of it or you can do it digitally as well on Google keep. Remember to include those household tasks on your daily to-do list and not just your work-related tasks.
5. Everything must have a place
It’s an old Japanese saying that “There should be a place for everything and Everything must be in its place”. This must be followed to get a very organized home and workplace. Marie Kondo’s books are legendary in the field of organization and tidying up. If you want to get rid of the mess of excess, then get started with this book Life-changing Magic of Tidying up(You can click on the image to buy from Amazon so that I can make some money to support this blog 🙂 without any extra cost to you)
6. Don’t waste your time and Be More Productive
Being More productive is the need of the hour. If you are wasting less time then you will perform more tasks in a considerably smaller period of time. To get more productive some of the key factors are staying focused, taking a 10-minute break after every 90 minutes, and making every second count. If you are commuting, this will be the best time for an audiobook, and let’s set out to run the bank and grocery errands while doing so. Also don’t go to the market in peak hours, shop when nobody does, you will save a lot of time.
7. Wake up Early!!
The best deal is to wake up at 5 am!! Ya, that’s hard. Especially when you sleep at 2 am in the morning. In order to wake up early, you need to sleep early as well. Maintaining sleep hygiene is very important for better health and to become a more active version of yourself. If you manage to wake up this early then you will be amazed at the amount of time you will have to run your daily errands and read your heart out while being on the top of your work productivity.
To sum up,
“The greed to have it all must be given up, the priorities must be set. It’s our choice, whether we want to burn like a candle or a bonfire. Peace or Ashes! “
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