Solve the Trivial Matters in Life as Soon as Possible

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Those are the moments in life that make you frown slightly: old clothes crammed in the wardrobe, unread messages piling up on your phone, sticky oil stains in the corner of the kitchen. The trivial matters left unresolved in life seem insignificant, but they are like small stones in your shoes—if not dealt with, they will eventually grind your feet. The true wisdom of life actually lies in the attitude toward these trivialities: resolving them in the moment is clearing obstacles for your future self.

Procrastination in trivial matters consumes a lot of time and energy

Many people always think that trivial matters are not worth spending time on and that it is not too late to deal with them when they have free time. But the reality is that these "wait a while" trivialities often snowball, thus growing larger and consuming your time and energy little by little.

There is a term in psychology called the "Zeigarnik effect," which means that people have a deeper memory of uncompleted tasks, and psychologically, they will continue to be attracted to uncompleted items, generating a "desire to complete" that prompts the brain to remain focused until the task is finished. Therefore, for trivial matters that are constantly delayed, the brain will continue to pay attention to the uncompleted tasks, which consumes cognitive resources.

You may think that unresolved trivial matters are just set aside and do not affect life. But in reality, they keep spinning in your mind, occasionally reminding you: "There's still something undone." This underlying anxiety makes it impossible for you to fully engage in other tasks. When you want to read a book peacefully, but your mind is preoccupied with unreplied work messages, the efficiency and experience of reading will be greatly reduced. Additionally, in the field of time management, there is Parkinson's Law, which states that the time taken to complete a task increases with the time allocated to it.

The trivial matters that are procrastinated do not disappear automatically; instead, they give rise to more problems over time. For example, a slightly leaking water pipe at home might initially only require replacing a sealing ring, but if left delayed for half a month, the floor could be damaged, and the repair cost would directly multiply several times. If a weekly work report is submitted one day late, the leader might just remind you, but if delayed until the end-of-month summary, you not only have to complete all the data but may also be criticized for delaying the team's progress. What could have been done in 10 minutes ends up taking hours or more to clean up the mess.

What's terrifying is that procrastination in trivial matters forms a vicious cycle. When you tell yourself "I'll do it tomorrow" again and again, you gradually develop a habit of procrastination. Once this habit is formed, when you face slightly more complex tasks, you will instinctively delay them. Over time, life and work will fall into chaos, and you will become increasingly exhausted.

All it takes is one small win

Have you ever wondered why a task that takes only 1 minute to complete can be delayed for a month? To sum up: either there is a misunderstanding about the matter itself, or there is a misunderstanding about oneself.

• Misunderstanding the matter: People tend to overestimate the time and energy a task requires, leading to generalized decision fatigue. The exhaustion from major decisions is mistakenly projected onto trivial tasks—take simple chores like doing laundry or paying utility bills for example: after a day of intense work, even these tasks seem to require careful planning.
• Misunderstanding oneself: People believe that they lack problem-solving ability, or that solving problems requires more energy than maintaining the status quo, thus forcing themselves to endure passively an unsatisfactory situation.

These two misunderstandings trap people in a state of extreme emotional burnout, leading to persistent low energy. Accumulated trivial tasks can cause prolonged fatigue and anxiety. However, learning to achieve small wins through completing one minor task after another can enhance self-efficacy. These "small wins" generate unexpected positive impacts:

• Boosting self-confidence: When you wash a pile of dirty clothes, tidy up a messy room, or finish a simple work task on time, a sense of achievement arises. This feeling makes you think, "I can get things done," which gives you more confidence to face bigger challenges.
• Enhancing a sense of order: When you develop the habit of handling trivial matters promptly, the orderliness of life strengthens. For example, waking up 10 minutes earlier each day to make your bed can make you feel more energized throughout the day and more organized in your actions. Gradually, you may find yourself becoming more efficient at work and more willing to communicate proactively in relationships. Because you have tasted the benefits of "doing things well," you unconsciously extend this positive state to all aspects of life.
• Solving trivial matters makes both you and those around you more comfortable: Replying to friends' messages promptly avoids unnecessary misunderstandings; taking the initiative to clean public areas greatly increases colleagues' favorability toward you. These seemingly insignificant actions improve your social environment and make life more harmonious.

Solutions always outnumber problems

The only difference between the weak and the strong is that the former only see problems' existence, while the latter always believe in solutions.

The essence of many people's procrastination in trivial matters is the fear of "trouble", namely, the anxiety about failing to find solutions or encountering accidents during the process. In reality, however, 90% of trivial matters have simple solutions, and the key lies in whether you are willing to pursue proactively them. As long as you shift your mindset and believe that solutions always outnumber problems, you will find that these trivialities are not terrifying at all.

How can we change this state of procrastinating over trivial matters?

• Identify and challenge irrational cognitions: Many trivial tasks are hard to start because we irrationally estimate the time and energy they consume. In such cases, try challenging these irrational thoughts through self-talk, then replace them with more realistic ones. Through this awareness and questioning, you can clear the psychological barriers before execution.
• Set clear deadlines for trivial matters: With a specific time limit, you will feel a sense of urgency, which reduces the likelihood of procrastination.
• Start with the simplest trivial matters: Don’t set overambitious tasks for yourself from the beginning; instead, start with tasks that take only a few minutes to complete. When you finish these small things, a positive mindset will emerge, pushing you to tackle more complex tasks.

The quality of life does not lie in how many major issues you solve, but in how you treat the seemingly trivial matters. Delayed trivial matters are like unquenched sparks: if mishandled, they may ignite a blaze of anxiety; if promptly extinguished, they can bring inner peace and a refreshing order to life.

Start now: reply to that long-awaited message, clear out piled-up clutter, and resolve the trivial matters that make you uncomfortable. When you form the habit of "never leaving tasks for tomorrow," you will find that time becomes more abundant, efficiency improves, and even your mood brightens. The height of life often depends on how quickly you solve trivial matters, while your attitude toward them has already quietly determined the shape of your life.