How to Find Meaning in Everyday Tasks
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Claire: welcome to the small town entrepreneur podcast. I'm your host, Claire Bouvier. And today we have an episode that. All of us can relate and something that I have struggled with for so long is those everyday tasks that just feel crippling for it being mundane, for more boring, or just straight up frustrating.
And this episode is how to find meaning in everyday tasks. And by the end of this episode, I hope you can take away one or two things that you [00:01:00] can see how these small moments can unlock new incredible perspectives and creative moments in your day. So whether it's washing the dishes, answering emails, sending out Invoices are rocking that little toddler to sleep for more than an hour.
These tasks may seem very repetitive. I've come to learn in a tough way that these small mundane tasks have more power, hold more power than we give it credit for. So for many of us, These small everyday tasks make up a lot of our day and they might seem like they're just time fillers or obligations.
But the truth is that when we learn to approach, and I still struggle with this, but when I do it, it is magical. When I go in with a different mindset and I sit down and tackle emails, I'm like, okay. How am I helping people on the other end of this [00:02:00] email? How could this one email make their day? Or if I know that I have to do these invoices, I have to remind myself that I'm providing for my family and sending out these invoices allows me to have some financial stability.
Even though I don't like it, I can give it value and put purpose to those small tasks. And. For someone, and I will talk a lot about it, but having a woman with ADHD, it's very hard for me just to sit still and not rush the tasks or not skip steps or dismiss something.
Even though it is very valuable and it's important, but it feels repetitive. It feels mundane. And it's so important that. We look at how these small, small moments that could be really repetitive and this is for the people that can really feel the frustration of, it's naturally feel the dread of about tackling something that we don't want to, but changing the way we tackle it and how we think about it.
It is all the difference in [00:03:00] your day and some of the most quietest, boring, mundane moments is where I have always found the greatest sense of inspiration or these moments of realization or these epiphanies that have taken me on a different path. Only though, when I relax myself enough to recognize that this is an opportunity just to be present.
And so, these lessons that I've had to learn, especially with my ADHD and my natural tendency to be always on the move has been very difficult. But I will never forget that one of the most powerful examples for me has been over the last couple of years is, Rocking my toller to sleep every night. I remember, you know, in the beginning, it was like so lovely and wonderful, but as time went on that repetitiveness, someone like me who struggles as it's still for 30 minutes, it starts to feel like a battle.
And I was. just [00:04:00] so frustrated because you know, the importance of what you're doing, but at the same time, just to relax and lean into the stillness of that moment was really, really hard. But it was in those moments that I started to reframe why I was doing it, how, if I could lean into thinking about what are the things that I was grateful for that day, Or allowing myself to be still, and these are where really awesome ideas and perspectives in my business and in my home life really came to fruition, or at least came to this idea where when I physically slow down and.
It's very hard to force myself to even just sit on the couch, but having those routines built in rocking my toddler to bed, allowed myself to slow down room to breathe and to acknowledge the stillness. And that's the first challenge is maybe just finding the [00:05:00] stillness. So if you're someone that can relate to that, just having those moments, forcing yourself in those Monday tasks, the emails or the invoicing or.
Cleaning up the laundry for the hundredth time or putting things around the house back is that whether it's those, you know, very mundane tasks. Instead of just thinking like, oh, it's checked off. I'm done. Thank you. Gosh, is to take them and infuse them with a little bit more meaning and. I'm still learning this, but it helps so much when I do this.
And I've been testing it over and over, and I think, why don't I do this more? But it takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of energy to say, okay, I'm going to change my tune. Whether you're tired or you've just had a bad day, it's really hard to lean into those moments. But let's say you're washing the dishes and, you know, instead you're thinking, okay, once I wash them, once I'm done, what do I have to do next?
And you kind of just keep going like this, all the things you have to do. But instead, I'll never forget. 1 of my best friends, she [00:06:00] was way wiser um, than any of us. And she did a speech on the simplicity and the power of simplistic, Tasks like washing the dishes and, you know, really leaning to tell this is a mental break for us.
It's a form of meditation. We're not on our phones. We're not bombarded by social media. And this is a moment that these small tasks can contribute to the bigger picture where we can ask ourself, what. Is the meaning of my life? Where is there space for creativity? And you're like, Oh my gosh, Claire, let's be real.
I just want to get the things cleaned up and go to bed. And I get it. And there's those moments. You just got to get the tasks done and move on. But if you can at your job, if you spend a lot of your day doing these different tasks that are really important, but they do feel repetitive. It's so important.
To not just cast them off as meaningless tasks, but ask yourself in those moments, is this the time for me to have a mental break? Is this a reason for me to slow down and think about something in the moment? Be present for once in our day when it's so hard to [00:07:00] be. And another important shift when we're doing these tasks is this is the time and I'm going to talk a lot about in these first couple of weeks is like leaning into our purposes You know, when you're working and you're really immersed in something, it's hard to step away and start thinking about your purpose but there is a beauty in the mundane tasks and the simple things that it gives you. That moment to have a mental reset,
and.
It gives you confidence to keep going. And that's why these small tasks are so important to do them with intention, even though I can honestly say I don't a lot of the time because it is a struggle. But when I do, it gives you that sense of confidence to keep tackling bigger tasks and to feel more confident.
So next time you feel stuck in that moment, That this task feels tedious or overwhelming. Ask yourself, is this connecting to something bigger? And when you start to see the connections, you'll start [00:08:00] recognize these things and it sounds so supernatural or it's not tangible, but you'll notice when you start.
Being more self aware of your thoughts in these small tasks , you'll start to see the connection and your tasks will start to transform into something else. And I promise you, you just have to trust yourself to lean into the discomfort of thinking about these mundane tasks differently.
So to end this episode, I want you to see if you can do one task this week that is mundane and to lean into the quiet, try and be present, find the mental space that will connect you to maybe your purpose, connect you to something else, allow you to be creative in that moment. And so, you know, I challenge you. And I'm going to be there with you one task that you usually rush. And it could be anything from commuting to cleaning to emailing. And [00:09:00] instead of just getting it done, slow down.
Be present and allow yourself to see what ideas or reflections come to just in that space. I'd love to hear from you share your thoughts. If you can leave a review, it helps to reach other listeners like you. To be present in the moment is the greatest gift you can give yourself.
Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review and we'll see you soon.
