Blobs!

[TLDR: A “blob” is a task or a space, like a cluttered table. It can be any undifferentiated collection of things that’s complex enough that your brain just bounces off of it. For a physical blob, you need to find a way to break it down into smaller parts, like separating the items into categories. For a virtual blob, you need to break it down into steps, then even smaller steps.]

I don’t know when I started calling them “blobs” (and someone’s probably come up with a better term) but at some point, I started thinking about problem piles and difficult projects as “blobs” because that’s how my brain treated them before skittering off: big, undifferentiated THINGS.

When I was a kid and expressed feeling overwhelmed by something, well-meaning folks would tell me that I just had to “break it down into smaller tasks” but they never could explain exactly how the hell you do that.

For instance, here’s a short one: get a haircut. This is a conceptual blob (i.e., it’s not physical) which sounds simple but actually requires multiple steps: 1. Pick a place to go. 2. Find their phone number or website. 3. Open your calendar. 4. Use a phone call or web interface to make an appointment. 5. Add the appointment to your calendar. 6. Make notes about cost and tips (e.g., tips must be in cash).

Depending on your executive functioning, you might need to break down the first step, “Pick a place to go” into even smaller steps. Maybe you want recommendations from friends or maybe you want to read reviews online. Just know that behind the “get a haircut” on your to do list is a bunch of steps, and that may be why you’re avoiding it.

Breaking things down means separating them into each actionable step. The level of detail is up to you and how well you function. For a pile of mail, you might need to collect your tools first (a pen for annotating envelopes; a letter opener/kitchen knife; your phone or computer for contacting places; some sticky notes; and if you’re tackling a big pile, maybe a paper bag or bin for recycling).

Next, separate the mail into piles. Common categories include bills, charity solicitations, advertisements, catalogs, medical notices, insurance notices, and bank statements.

Once you have your categories of mail, there’s different directions you can go. You could write due dates on the outside envelopes of all the bills or pay them while you’re thinking about it. You could pay just one bill.

You could use a tool like PaperKarma (which I use and which costs me about $20/year) to take a picture of the “from” area of the charity solicitations, advertisements, and catalogs and use the app to remove yourself from their mailing lists. Over time, this will dramatically reduce the amount of junk mail coming into your mailbox.

If you don’t want to recycle a catalog until you’ve flipped through it, you can put a sticky note on it with today’s date. That’ll help you toss it if you find it again in three months.

Now look at your to do list. Are there things that your brain just slides off? Is it because you don’t want to do it or because there’s a whole bunch of steps in there that need to be separated out so you can actually get it done? You might have yourself a blob!