Let’s talk about a term I came across a few years ago, and I love to use it on the regular now:
activation energy.
I consider these two words to be the secret to success – especially in the everyday things we are trying to accomplish! One of the major reasons that things don’t get done is because they take “too much energy” to accomplish! But, what if the amount of energy it took to get it started was low?!
That’s what activation energy is. It’s basically just a gauge on how much energy it takes to get something STARTED. Not necessarily finished. Low activation energy is what makes it easier to get things done!
Here is a personal example:
- Mopping my floors. I’ve always tried to mop the floors weekly because, well, I have a toddler, and before she was a toddler she was a little baby who crawled everywhere. I really wanted to make sure that the floors were cleaned regularly for her sake. But, a lot of the time it didn’t work out that way. I’d go as long as a month without mopping. Wanna know why? Mopping the floors had a HIGH activation energy. We didn’t have an actual mop bucket, we used the tote we used for recycling. So, every time I wanted to mop the floors, I had to FIRST make sure the tote was emptied out, then rinsed, and THEN filled with water to be used for mopping. It was a drag! When we moved to Watertown, we didn’t take the mop with us because we literally ran out of room in our vehicles. So, we got a new mop – one of the swiffer wet jet types, but not an actual swiffer. Wanna know what I have to do now to mop? I literally grab the mop and go. Now I’m doing it every week because it has a LOW activation energy!
Take a look at the things that aren’t getting done in your life. WHY aren’t they getting done? What can you do to LOWER your activation energy to get these things/projects started? It can be as simple as laying out your clothes (or even sleeping in them) the night before you want to work out. Or getting a coffee maker with a timer on it so you can set it the night before and save the hassle of going through a drive thru to get your coffee. There are SO many possibilities! I’m also a big believer in the more work you do up front to prep to save time and stress during the week is so crucial!
What do you think?! Is this something you could do?
Linda is a Boston-based photographer specializing in weddings and creating family legacies. You can see more of her work online at lindabarryphotography.com, on Instagram, or on Facebook. If you want to reach out directly: linda@lindabarryphotography.com. To sign up for the monthly newsletter full of encouragement and real life, click here!
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