I bought a house last October and let’s just say it needed a little work.
So last weekend I took the kids outside and we went to work cutting back the grass so it looked nice and trim along the sidewalk.
A little sweat and a few water bottles
One of the coolest things I found in my yard was a sprinkler system!
Finally yesterday, I had the guts to just turn the system on to see if I could locate more than just the one sprinkler head I found.
I knew there were more sprinkler heads out there, but I felt like a pirate digging for buried treasure trying to find the dang things.
All of a sudden, there was water draining all over the sidewalk and puddles starting to form in my yard.
My dad was helping, and he started digging out one head while I worked on another.
After about 15 minutes, we had found every sprinkler head (almost 12) in the front yard and my lawn was loving it!
Before I went to bed, I programmed the timer so my sprinklers take care of my lawn automatically every evening so, I have one less thing to worry about this summer.
You might not be as excited about automated water as I am, but there are some not-so-hidden productivity lessons here.
1: Sometimes you have to dig up the crud
Taking something broken or run down and improving it is one of the most fulfilling things you can do as a human.
A little bit of digging and I found something that will free up my time. With a little digging, what can free up your time?
Not only did I improve my property, but I could see the results of my work.
Don’t you just love the feeling of seeing your hard work pay off?
Think for a second, what in your life right now needs to just be dug up and fixed?
2: Take any 15-minute action to move forward
We all have one or two projects we continue to procrastinate on. It’s not that they are particularly difficult projects. They’re just not that exciting or there’s some other tool or research we need to do first.
Take 15 minutes to move forward on the one project that’s has been hovering over you like a cloud.
How could you improve your life and remove some of that burden if you could clarify the next task in that project and take 15 minutes or less to get it done?
Just go do it.
3: Automation is the secret weapon of productivity masters
Remember the George Foreman Grill?
You could “set it and forget it.”
With my sprinklers set, I don’t have to worry about watering my lawn all summer.
Seriously, having one less thing to worry about is an amazing feeling. Wouldn’t you agree?
What tasks are you repeating every day or even every week that you can automate?
- Daily routines?
- Email?
- Chores?
How could you put your reminders on auto-pilot?
- Grocery list?
- Birthday gifts?
- Garbage day?
What can you automate to make your life or work easier?
The point is, we could all use something like an automatic sprinkler system in our lives. Something that works automatically and consistently in the background.
