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It really helps to take a break when switching gears. Put the lists away completely, go get a cup of coffee, take a walk around the block or something, then come back. Or try to get the little things done the night before so that I can start first thing on the big stuff.

If I try to switch mid-stream though it can really be a challenge. It’s so easy and satisfying to do the smaller chores that you can check off clearly, when the important stuff is going to take longer and still might not feel quite so “checked off” at the end of the day. That emotional draw can be hard to fight once you’ve had a “hit” of it.

I wonder if doing these things in different locations wouldn’t be helpful. Location can be a huge trigger for the activities that are appropriate, and I wonder if getting away from my desk and even my computer wouldn’t be a helpful cue that “things will be different now.”

Rebecca

Do you have trouble switching gears into the big blocks when you’ve been doing little things before? For some reason, that gives me trouble. To use terminology from an earlier post, my productivity “grooves” run deep.

- Cal