Design your Life: The power hour

The power hour technique: a simple productivity trick to ensure you have your life in order

I’ve recently read Gretchen Rubin’s book on habit building called Better Than Before. It’s a good read for anyone who’s interested in how to build good habits, and I particularly liked one idea she introduced: The power hour.

The power hour is about scheduling one hour per week to do all the small, nagging, annoying little tasks that we keep putting off.

You know – the ones that never disappear from the to-do lists, because we carry them over day to day, week to week. Or the ones that never even make it to the to-do list, because we’re only reminded of them when we open a drawer or pass a pile.

The small, seemingly harmless little tasks that we know we should do at one time, it’s just that time never comes. As Gretchen says: “ something that can be done at any time is often done at no time.”

And even though they may not seem that important, those tiny bastards can cause a lot of stress as they demand mental energy or pile up to the point when dealing with them becomes urgent and so much more difficult.

The power hour is for dealing with those tasks once and for all.

As I said, the idea seemed intriguing so I began to schedule power hours a couple of weeks ago. And so far, this seems to be a habit that actually has a staying power, as it makes a lot of sense.

One hour per week is really not that painful, but it’s still plenty of time (especially compared to zero) to get things done. Scheduling it and thus treating it as a proper task will help to take it seriously and makes it harder to continue postponing them. And, to be honest, it’s a great feeling when you are suddenly able to cross off items that have been haunting you forever.

So, what type of tasks qualifies for the power hour? Gretchen suggests that it should be used for simply those one-time tasks that you keep postponing. The tasks with no deadline, accountability, immediate pressure. It’s not for recurring tasks (like bill paying) or for your bucket list or the things you’ve always wanted to do, but never had the time (like learning French). Schedule a separate time for those.

I’ve started with putting together my master power hour list. Even though I’m a true to-do list fanatic and I have approximately 5 different ones (from seasonal to weekly and daily), somehow these types of tasks only lived in my brain and we know that’s not a place to store to-do lists. They were typically:

+ Household chores I kept putting off

+ Organizing stuff

+ Low-priority work and blog stuff

I schedule my power hour for a time that I know my energy is generally low and thus it’s perfect for things that do not require a huge focus and concentration. For me (as I work from home and my schedule is flexible), it’s typically Friday after lunch, but you can pick whatever time suits you.

In the last couple of weeks, I made a big progress in my list. I took the clothes that have been piled up at the back of my wardrobe for months to the donation center. I researched the places that welcome old books that I meant to donate forever. I decluttered my computer trash bin. I organized my emails. I researched how to change my SSL certificate. I made a backup of my files. I sorted through the last couple of months of photos on my phone. I filed my business paperwork. I cleaned my fridge.

And yes, these tasks may seem mundane, boring even. They do not change the world, they are not the steps that will lead to the earth-shattering big goals in life.

But you know what?

Finally finishing them does make me feel a lot better – more organized, more in control. You should never underestimate the power of small successes like that – the momentum can carry you over to tackle even bigger things.