Start a New 30-Minute Habit: Eating the Elephant, One Bite at a Time

I just want to be more consistent. I want to do my one load of laundry a day so I don’t end up doing six loads on Saturday while also resenting the entire concept of clothing.

Most nights, we try to spend 10 minutes after dinner doing quick chores to stay afloat. We even have popsicle sticks labeled with all the possible chores so no one has to think too hard, and the kids can just pick a stick and get moving. But some nights, (okay, a lot of nights), it gets late, and no one wants to move. Even though I know those 10 minutes make a difference, they still don’t always happen.

So the dog hair piles up until we could craft a third dog out of the fluff hiding in the corners. I see it. I know it’s there. And I still ignore it until the mental weight of avoidance outweighs the task itself. Then I spend an hour cleaning the living room instead of five minutes a day.

Sound familiar?

This. Is. Not. Sustainable.
It’s mentally, emotionally, and sometimes physically exhausting. It leaves me feeling like I’m always behind, never on top of things, and low-key panicking if someone drops by unannounced.

Reframing What Counts as Accomplishment

Here’s the thing: consistency doesn’t come from hustle culture. It doesn’t come from running yourself into the ground or trying to match someone else’s idea of productivity. If you’ve been carrying decades of pressure to do it all, perfectly, and on time, no wonder you’re burnt out.

Instead of trying to delete that broken record of shame and unrealistic standards from your brain, what if you created a new way of trusting yourself? One that honors how your brain actually works?

That trust builds by showing up for your future you, with low-pressure wins and bite-sized victories.

The Power of Breaking It Down

We’re actually great at breaking tasks down—we just don’t notice we’re doing it. Think about it: if you’ve ever explained a process to someone (especially a kid), you’ve probably realized just how many micro-steps go into a “simple” task.

Remember that viral video where the kid tells his dad how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? The kid says “put the knife in the peanut butter,” and the dad literally drops the knife in the jar. It’s a hilarious reminder that even simple things have a lot of steps.

When we don’t break tasks down intentionally, we miss the fact that we’re making progress. We think we’ve done nothing, when in reality we’ve already done four mini-things. That’s discouraging, and false.

So let’s call them what they are: buttons.

Each part of a task is a button. And pressing a button gives you a dopamine hit. (Your ADHD brain loves a good button.)

For example: if your task is vacuuming the living room:

• Taking the vacuum out? Button.
  

• Plugging it in? Button.
  

• Vacuuming one area? Button.
  

• Emptying the canister? Big ol’ button.
  
  

Each action counts. You’re not lazy. You’re not behind. You just need a button map.

What Feels Too Big?

Think about the tasks that only feel complete when every single step is done, like meal planning or cleaning the kitchen. You might not even start because the finish line feels too far away.

Let’s take cleaning the kitchen, for example. That one “task” might actually include:

• Clearing clutter off the counters
  

• Wiping counters
  

• Cleaning cabinets
  

• Scrubbing the stove
  

• Wiping appliances
  

• Dusting shelves
  

• Cleaning the fridge
  

• Degreasing the vent hood
  

• Washing the sink
  

• Replacing towels
  
  

No wonder it feels overwhelming. That’s not a task, it’s a series.

So what if you set a timer for 10, 20, or 30 minutes and just knocked out what you can? One or two steps still counts. Just because you can’t finish everything doesn’t mean you can’t feel accomplished.

Your Turn: Break It Down

So here’s your challenge:

1. Pick a task that feels too big to start.
   

2. Break it down into as many micro-steps as you can.
   

3. Choose 1–2 of those steps to do today.
   
   

That’s it. You’re not trying to conquer the task, you’re building trust with yourself. You’re practicing showing up. You’re choosing consistency over chaos.

If you’re using the Organize Your Hats planner, you can do this exercise right on your Monthly Planner page. Write the big task at the top, break it into bites below, and knock out a few at a time.

Progress is progress, even when it’s covered in dog hair.