Urban Dictionary defines running errands as ” the word errand is most commonly used in the sense of a short journey taken to perform some necessary duty.” Some descriptions from Old English defined it as a message, a mission. Since this term originated way before there were cars, people who were running errands were most likely running.
“Once begun a task is easy: half the work is done.” Horace
All of these tasks had been hanging over me. Completing them would mean they were done, at least for the day. Grocery store, gas in car, pharmacy and a few things more had been poking at me to get them done. I decided Saturday after rising and shining I would run the errands. As I checked things off my list, purchasing items like food, putting gas in the car, going to the post office, a sense of satisfaction came over me. The more I completed these errands, the better I felt. My energy and attitude improved, all from the running of errands.
“It’s always impossible until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela
An article in mentalhealth.net states “Incompletion – leaving an activity or relationship unfinished-can be a severe hindrance to living fully in the present.” A Verywell Mind article talks about the Zeigarnik effect. The article says “Have you ever found yourself interrupted by intrusive thoughts about unfinished work? Perhaps they were about a partially finished work project keeping you up at night or the plot of a half-read novel that keeps circling your thoughts. There is a reason why it’s so hard to stop thinking about uncompleted and interrupted tasks this as the Psychologists refer to this as the Zeigarnik effect, or the tendency to better remember unfinished tasks than completed ones.”
When Nelson Mandela said “it’s always impossible until it’s done” I doubt he was talking about running errands and completing tasks, yet anything can seem impossible until it’s done. Returning home and feeling accomplished fueled my internal energy to work on some tasks that had waiting for me. I jumped into a few of them. Once again when they were completed I felt good. They no longer hung over my head bugging me. Thinking about needing to do these errands and tasks had been taking up my mental energy. Completing them helped my brain and my mood. I felt satisfaction. Facilethings.com states “The reason is that whenever you recognize a task or project as completed, your brain releases a load of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is responsible for generating feelings of accomplishment, satisfaction and happiness. This release of dopamine not only makes you feel good but also motivates you to continue completing tasks and extend that pleasant feeling.”
“Today is the perfect day to get EPIC things done.” Unknown
This experience reminded me of a few things I know to be true. If there is an errand, a task, or some other item that needs to be completed, part of my mental energy will be spend on the “I need to do this.” This mental energy will continue, draining my energy, until I complete whatever it is that needs completing. The other part is I experience an improvement in my mood and my energy when I get the job done. That load of dopamine that gets released when I do the dishes or put gas in my car feels nice. Moving forward I am going to work on having less Zeigarnik effect and more satisfaction. Instead of residing in the dread I will just get it done . From personal experience most incredible person when you choose to “get it done” instead of “put it off” your brain will also thank you in all sorts of positive ways.
May your running and completing of errands be with you💜
Photo by Thomas Bormans on Unsplash
