Portrait of a Power Putterer

You've heard of the Power Nap? Power Yoga? I believe you can also use the Power Putter to good effect.

To putter, we walk around, working in an apparently haphazard or idle way. Sometimes a putter is considered a half hearted working mode. Dabbling ineffectively or mindlessly.

To Power Putter, walk around, look at a problem slowly and easily, without guilt, getting stuck, stopping, or losing faith that you'll be able to do it. Your energy is present in a quietly productive, effective and mindful way.

Many "dreaded" projects can be accomplished using the Power Putter. The kind of project where it is easy to be intimidated by the scope of what needs to be done. Where you think the project is beyond what you can even make a dent in within the time you have to do it. Your task may even feel like it is on the wrong side of "The Tipping Point" and has submerged into overwhelm and confusion.

The magic of the Power Putter is that we are almost always wrong about that! If we start, we nearly always can have a positive impact on our target project. We can just as easily tip it back into the manageable realm.

If you are cleaning out a closet, a Power Putter might start by picking up a shoe and thinking about whether that shoe is where it belongs. If you are gardening, it might begin by pulling one blade of grass out. If you are doing your paperwork, it might begin by tossing a paper into the recycling bin, or opening an envelope.

The point is to start with a task so minor that it is almost trivially easy, and then continue as though you were unraveling a sweater by pulling on a thread. One task leads to another in a quiet and even relaxing way.

As you get into it, the tasks get a little bigger. You'll find that you are standing on a step stool to put away a box on the upper shelf. Or that you've trotted off to find some storage bags and some labels.

With a Power Putter, we tinker with what we are doing. Push the idea around... gently, until the pieces start to make sense.

This weekend I used the Power Putter to tackle cleaning up my studio room, which had become a big mess over the course of the winter. There were boxes on the floor. The surface of the table had been lost. The sailing gear was out loose roaming around the room. The fiberglassing kit was more or less contained in a Rubber bin but nothing was organized or handy. The dog stuff was everywhere. Looking at the room made me feel like the room was a large disheveled closet, rather than art space, or a guest room.

So began the Power Putter. The very first thing I did was tuck the life jackets and sailing gear into their tote bags. This was a jolly thing to do, because this means we will be sailing soon. I know what should go into those bags, and there was no stress about doing that. A Power Putter always begins with a Ridiculously Easy Task. Notice that I did not go into the Studio thinking I have to clear out this whole mess today. I did not go into the Studio with a ten point plan for what was needed. I just started with the Ridiculously Easy Task, and I didn't stop.

Next, I cleared boxes off the guest bed and stuck the linens in the wash. Then I came back, and had a notion that we might need the fiberglassing kit soon. Might be good to straighten that stuff out. So I sat on the floor and looked at what I had. Stuart's respirator, gloves and safety glasses were not stowed well. With a few labels, and shuffling, the kit was ready for spring maintenance.

Now it was time to swap the linens to the dryer. Okay, I needed to get up and move around anyway. Stretch. Somewhere around then, I took a little break for some music and a snack. Then I went back in and noticed that the string for knot tying needed to be put away. That was easy. And that task made it possible to see that the rest of table had audio equipment and art that needed to be put away too. Some new dog gear had also started to accumulate on the table, and it really didn't belong there. Before I knew it, the table was clear. Now I was seeing the whole structure of the project differently.

At that point, the linens were dry, and the guest bed could be made. Then, I shifted some books around to make room for the remaining photo boxes. Every so often I called Stuart in just to give a hand with something that I might struggle with alone. The key point there was that for a good putter, none of the tasks should become too frustrating. You set yourself up to keep going for as long as you like, and plan to stop before you get too tired or worn out. By that time the room was vastly improved and positively inhabitable! Also note that the room was not pristine, perfect, or prissy. It was just better and clearly more functional than it was when I started. I may need to work on it again soon, maybe next weekend.

None of it was that difficult to do. It was pleasant, cheerful, and I could think in a quiet and peaceful way about whatever I liked. The dreaded chore, rather than offering just work, also offered relaxation, calm and respite from the stresses of the week.

Next time you have a dreaded household project you think you are too tired to tackle, or that looks like a big mess, try the Power Putter approach and see if you can relax while taking positive action towards its completion. You might be surprised not only by how much you can get done by puttering, but also how refreshing it can be.

Copyright @ 2009, Catherine E. White, permission is granted for this article to be redistributed and shared with others in its entirety as long as links and attribution are maintained.
Catherine E. White is president of Llamagraphics, Inc., developer of Life Balance™ software for Mac OS X, Windows, Palm OS and iPhone. Life Balance provides a structure for your goals, projects and tasks that is priority driven, so you can to make better decisions about how to use your discretionary time. To learn more, please visit http://www.llamagraphics.com/