There they all were–715 photos–staring at me from an oversize shoebox. I sighed each time I looked at them, realizing the time-consuming project that awaited me in returning them to our family history albums. Before I continue with my theme, however, I need to digress a minute and explain why the photos were out of the albums and in the box.
My husband, Hank, and I had been writing our life stories and had therefore sorted through thousands of photos and slides, carefully selecting just the ones we wanted scanned into our autobiographies. We were also working simultaneously on a fifty-year family history to be put on a DVD. The DVD turned out to be seventy-two minutes long; hence we were dealing with 715 photos for the combined projects.
The photo selection project was fun and creative, but putting the photos back seemed tedious and terribly time-consuming. Then I thought back to the old tried and true concept, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!” I could take a ‘bite’ of the photos every day until they were all “eaten” and probably would hardly notice the time it took. Besides, this “game” added some fun to the task, providing motivation and interest.
I’ve tried this method successfully many times in my life when I wanted to complete big projects but had little time. Once I was confronted with a box filled with papers that needed filing, but I was so busy with young children and a baby that I just didn’t have the hours to devote to the project. I eventually realized that even though available hours were scarce, I could find a few free minutes each day. I challenged myself to manage to file three papers a day, with Christmas being my deadline for getting the job done. The months passed and by the time Christmas came around that year, the box was empty—the task was completed. I felt like celebrating, so I did. Just for fun I wrapped the box up, added ribbon and a bow and put it under the tree with a tag reading from me to me.
It took me five years to write my first book, The Art of Homemaking. Sometimes it was days or even weeks before I could find the time, as a busy mother, to sort through thoughts I had hastily jotted down in order to develop an idea or put a paragraph together. I felt compelled to write the book, however, so pages slowly turned into chapters and chapters finally became a book.
Actually, eating the proverbial elephant has been the story of my life. Project after project has been completed, just a little at a time.
So, if there’s something you want to accomplish that isn’t getting done due to the press of time, consider it an elephant and start taking bites. Think of my 715 photos and know that this approach will work for you, too.
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Daryl is answering questions from readers who contact her at as*@th****************.com. Her response will be sent directly to the reader. Some responses may also be incorporated into her “At Home” column that appears every four weeks on Mondays on Meridian. This information will also be available on her personal website at www.theartofhomemaking.com