The holiday season is upon us! As beautiful as it is, it can feel like a non-stop race with endless things to do. There are gifts to buy, meals to prepare, guests to entertain, and everything else on our “holiday to-do lists.” For many, the holidays feel like holding down two jobs: one is actually doing the tasks, and the other is just keeping track of what still needs doing! A long mental to-do list adds to your stress. That’s where a little saying I’ve carried for years comes in: "Every Job You Do Does Two." Because when you complete a task, you’re also taking care of the invisible task of reminding yourself to do them.
The idea behind “Every Job You Do Does Two” is that when you finish a task, you’ve achieved two things: the action itself and the mental reminder to do it. When I first started using this motto I was a serious procrastinator. I would think about doing something, plan it in my head, even write it down on a list—and then find myself delaying and putting things off. I was lugging around the irritant of having to remember everything I hadn’t done yet. I wanted to unload that weight. This simple slogan prompted me to do the task now because it was two for one.
Let’s look at how this can play out in a busy holiday season. Say you’ve got family coming over and you need to clean the guest room. You mentally remind yourself: “I need to vacuum, change the sheets, and put out fresh towels.” Then you remind yourself again the next day. And maybe even again two days later! All that reminding can become a kind of background noise, creating extra tension and self-judgement in your mind.
But if you just do it, not only have you cleaned the room, but you’ve also removed the mental chatter of “don’t forget to clean the room.”
Or consider the holiday grocery shopping. You’ve been running through lists: the main meal, sides, desserts, drinks. Even thinking about it can start to feel exhausting. Instead, take it one item at a time. “Every Job You Do Does Two” becomes a little mental high-five for every task you complete, knowing you’ve lightened both your load and your mind.
At Reflective Mediation, we believe that small shifts in mindset can make a big difference to wellbeing. So, as you move through the holiday season, remember, you don’t have to do everything at once—just one thing at a time. And go easy on yourself. Don’t let holiday stress steal your peace. Instead, let “Every Job Does Two” be a friendly reminder to keep the season calm, productive, and joyful.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike MacConnell, founder of Reflective Mediation, is an accredited family mediator, conflict coach, educator and author. He is the highest-ranked mediator on Google in the greater Toronto area, with over 180 5-star reviews. To book your free consultation click here.
