Winter has officially wrapped, and spring is in bloom. For many, with the emergence of a new season, comes a renewed sense of optimism, productivity, and excitement for the future. However, these feelings may also come an urgency to get every single thing accomplished all at once. Cleaning out the closet; revving up your workout plan; trying a new diet; committing to finishing a book each week; connecting with friends more often, and on and on. All these commitments at once can be so daunting and that we don’t get anything done.
Now, you’re probably trying to connect this blog title to just exactly how a to-do list has anything to do with elephants? Well, actually, quite a lot!
When I was a kid, my fourth-grade social studies teacher told me something has remained with me for nearly 20 years. Even as an elementary school student, we had rather vigorous curriculum, with guaranteed homework in every nearly subject each night. Pair this with projects, extracurriculars, at-home obligations, and being just nine or ten years old and, well, it was an intense combo to manage as a kid.
What must have been a visibly overwhelmed fourth grade McKenzie received a comment that would stick with her forever. My teacher pulled me aside and asked, “How do you eat an elephant?”
Puzzled, and certainly not thinking at an abstract level, I was bewildered by his question. After a pretty long pause, my teacher continued, “One bite at a time.”
It finally made sense. The to-do list was represented by an elephant; checking off the list were the bites. To get through my growing assignments, all I had to do was accomplish one thing at a time…take it “bite” by “bite.”
Although I haven’t been in a classroom in some time, I still carry this quote with me. Thinking about eating an elephant and tackling just one task – just one bite – at a time has helped me manage when my to-dos feel never-ending and unmanageable. My concerns about book reports and dioramas have morphed into adult life tasks, but the quote still applies.
When I feel swamped with commitments, whether they are self-imposed or ones presented by life, I try to think about accomplishing one goal at a time. Instead of “eating the whole elephant” at once, I reimagine the list as an elephant which helps remove the stress of serious to-do lists. Sure, some of the tasks may be unpleasant and downright uncomfortable, but once completed, I find the relief of accomplishment is a reward in itself.
What was probably meant as a silly expression to relieve my worried mindset, has become life advice with a profound effect on me. It’s a quote that I still frequently recall and one that I often share with others.
Sure, life throws curveballs, sometimes more than we feel we can handle, but how we tackle it is what matters. Next time you feel like there just aren’t enough hours in a day to get through your list, consider reframing your list as an elephant. You might just surprise yourself with what you can complete and maybe in less time than you thought. By checking off that first item on your list, you’ve already started your work on that elephant. Before you know it, you’ll have that big guy gobbled up and your tasks finished.