What cleaning a driveway taught me about goal setting

Picture this. We have a 70 m (230 ft) driveway, with over 400 sq m (4300 sq ft) of concrete, including paths. We also have a 40 m (130 ft) sandstone retaining wall. The Gold Coast has had 35 days of rain in the last 3 months, 78 days for the year (more where we are). Living on the western side of a valley, with little sun on the south side and lots of trees everything was black and badly in need of a clean.
 
To clean these surfaces, I use high pressure washer. The wand tip needs to be close to the surface to remove the grime. This makes the width of the water jet about 15mm (1/2 inch). To clean the driveway, paths and rock wall requires approximately 120,000 strokes with the water jet wand. 120,000! It takes about 9 hours so is very taxing on the hands, shoulders and lower back.
 
So, how do you do that without giving up? How do you stay motivated? How do you push through the pain? How do you fight the tedium?
 
You use the same techniques as for setting and achieving any goal.

1. Break the goal into chunks
2. Keep each chunk within your capacity, or maybe a little stretch
3. Keep an eye on the goal, but focus on the chunks
4. Celebrate the successes

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This image shows the chunking. I simply divided the area roughly into squares, each one the length of a stroke of the wand (pictured) that was comfortable for me (within my capacity)
 
There were several psychological benefits to this:

•   I could work quickly within my capacity (within the lines) without having to think about the boundaries
•   It showed me clearly what was completed and what was yet to be done
•   It allowed me to focus on the little square I was cleaning. Looking at the whole 400 sqm to clean was a bit daunting (especially when my back ached).
•   Each completed square was a little win and a tiny mental celebration, a little neuro-boost (hit me with that dopamine 😊)
• The divide and conquer approach appealed to me 😊

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The rock wall was self-chunking – each rock was a chunk!

This image shows how grimy the rock wall was. The word “clean” is cut through the grime on the rock. I call the font, HPH (high pressure hose) 😊.

​No matter what your goal, try using those four steps to keep you in the game:

1. Break the goal into chunks
2. Keep each chunk within your capacity, or maybe a little stretch
3. Keep an eye on the goal, but focus on the chunks
4. Celebrate the successes

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