kaizen

One of two magazines subscriptions Gray and I receive is to Health magazine.  I love the recipes and the exercises, although I'm not great at consistently trying either of them. However, I recently read the answer to a question sent in by a reader.

The reader stated: "I get so freaked out when I think of all the work I have to do that I end up doing nothing at all, and then I feel even worse."  She wanted to know how to stop this vicious cycle. Her concerns resonated with me and if it resonates with me it must resonate with other people out there.

The response given by M. J. Ryan, a life coach and author, revolves around the Japanese technique kaizen.  Based on this approach she recommends asking yourself "What's one thing I can do right now?" and just getting it done.  She also recommends that "the mores tressed you feel, the smaller the [task] should be." (I love quoting . . . and especially using brackets in quotes, it was one of my favorite things to do when I was writing papers in college.)  While Ryan's advice isn't earth shattering it definitely helped me just get something done in the house.  It also helped me realize that I'm not alone.  I'm not the only one overwhelmed with work both at work and at home.  So if you're like me I hope you find some relief from Ryan's suggestions and from knowing you're in good company.