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This power pack was created by Kick Kick as a way to organize the tasks needed to move in to their new apartment. It's a good example of how SuperBetter can be used to break down large tasks in to more manageable ones, and used as a tool to motivate us enough to get them done!

This power pack can be copied to SuperBetter in full (by pasting each power-up, bad guy and quest to the relevant area of SuperBetter) or you can pick and choose from the ideas below.

To break the tasks down further, you may want to consider applying them to one room at a time. Although using them for the whole apartment at once will also work.

Power-ups[]

Strongarm cleaning
All in a hard days work

Did a tough job today that required some elbow grease? We're talking moving boxes, heavy duty cleaning, setting up furniture, yard work, dragging in a giant fish tank and hauling the buckets in. You grunted, you sweated, and it is done! Consider this power up your catch all for all the miscellaneous hard effort you put to good use. Brag about what you did on your activity wall, wipe the sweat from your brow, and reward yourself with a shower.

Builds physical resilience

Stopwatch
The swift clean

The swift clean is just that. Cleaning with enough gusto to get your heart rate up. As a bonus, everything gets done faster too!

This could be combined with "turn up the music" for an extra boost.

Builds physical resilience

Bin
De-clutter demolitionist.

You got rid of something that you no longer need! Gave it away, threw it out, donated, How you did it doesn't matter. You did it! This power up isn't just for physical clutter, you can use it for electronic clutter too.

Builds mental/emotional resilience

Music
Turn up the music!

Music makes everything better. Even cleaning the house. Especially cleaning the house.

Builds emotional resilience

Bad Guys[]

Goblin
The garbage goblin.

The garbage goblin sneaks extra garbage into your home by convincing you that it is "sentimental" despite the fact you hate it or that you "might be able to use this one day". No matter how the goblin guilts you, do not be swayed! If you haven't used the item in the last two years, your likely hood of ever getting any use out of it is zilch. Donate it to a thrift store TODAY and send the goblin with it!

Type: Trap

Junk
The closet squatter.

The closet squatter is a close cousin of the garbage goblin. Only the closet squatter is obsessed with clothing and she begs you to keep anything that is "still good". However, to the closet squatter, "still good" means anything without major rips and holes! Faded and stretched? Painful to wear? Still good. Horribly UNflattering? Still good. None of that matters to the closet squatter, because she is a hoarder. And if you let her go too far, she will push further still to clothing which can't even be worn in public by convincing you that you could "fix it" once you found the time, or turn it into a Halloween costume, or worst yet, become deserving of her trash by changing your body for it! Her sole goal is to create a full closet of nothing to wear. I think she nests in it.

Type: Mental Blocker

Unfinished
Unfinished business.

Don't leave half finished projects strewn about! They have a tendency to store unnecessary guilt and emotional baggage. Beat them back by wrapping up all the loose ends, making progress, or just simply cutting back what you no longer have a priority to finish.

Type: Trap

Quests[]

Cleaning
Let in the light.

Natural light is good for the body and soul. Even sick patients will heal faster in hospital rooms with windows than without. (Please don't ask me for the study. I was just told that when I interviewed at a med school who was particularly proud of their new hospital and its windows.) Even the first principal of feng shui is to have a clean home where light and air move freely.

Your mission today is to wash the windows. If you are lucky enough to live on a bottom floor, wash them inside and out. If you have some real crap on your windows that isn't going to come off after with the normal spray, use lighter fluid. Like the kind for the grill. It will get off anything, leaving a completely streak free shine after it evaporates. Then open the windows to let in fresh air and light. Soak in the mood boost and get ready to for the next step.

Timescale: One time only

Builds emotional/physical resilience

Daisy
Just go with the (air) flow

When was the last time you changed your air filter? Is it full of dust? Do you wake up in the mornings congested and you really don't know why? I'm not saying that a clean air filter is going to fix all of your problems, but it can't hurt to clear out a major source of allergens in your house. A well ventilated house is healthier to live in, and more calming for your guests who do have allergies. Your mission is to check your air filter and change it if it needs changing. For extra credit, dust up all the dust bunnies that have collected on the old unit.

Timescale: One time only

Builds physical resilience.

Garbage
The first sweep.

You've got the windows done. You've got the air filter done. Your apartment may be feeling better all ready. These are steps to get you towards "base zero". The goal of base zero is a no frills, clean apartment where everything has a place and everything is in that place. This means don't worry about decorations, don't worry about additional projects, don't worry about layouts. Just worry about cleaning and putting things in their place. That's it.

However, depending on how cluttered your home is, this may be a hefty task. Today you will start throwing away garbage. The obvious garbage. There's no reason to keep holding on to old stuff, especially if it hides the stuff that you like! This is a long time process that will continue through multiple quests. For this quest, make your first sweep of the home, picking up everything that you know is absolutely 100% you do NOT need, and NO one needs. Toss it.

Timescale: One time only

Builds emotional resilience.

Archeology
The archaeologist I: Excavating the site.

With all the crumpled bits of paper, and flecks of garbage gone, now you can actually get a look at your stuff. Chances are, there is still a lot to get rid of. Plenty of unfinished projects, things "someone could get use out of" and stuff that is "still good". Your goal today is to be the archaeologist of your own home. Dig through every box and pile. Pull out each thing and put it to the Keep it, toss it, or give it away test. The test involves 2 boxes and a trash bag. Label your boxes "Keep it" and "Give it". You know what goes in the trash bag. Sort things accordingly.

But you must be brutally honest with yourself. If you haven't used this thing in over a year or two, chances are you don't really need it. If you don't really need it, you should be very selective about what goes in that keep box. Remember we're trying to get to base zero, where everything is clean and in its place. Usually the reason why that cannot happen is if you have too many things or not enough places. Best to pare down the things now.

Timescale: One time only

Builds mental resilience.

Unlocked by completing "The first sweep".

Placeholder
The archaeologist II: The keep it pile's unfinished business.

The keep it pile is the most complicated and is thus the best to tackle first. Likely there is a bit of "unfinished business" or half finished projects in your keep it pile. Often we get ourselves caught in taking on too many things, because human beings just have a natural tendency to overestimate how much they're going to get done in the future regardless of how successful they've been in the past.

Your mission: take out a piece of paper and label it "unfinished business". Below that, write down a conservative estimate of how much time per week you can dedicate to extra tasks. Now write down all of your projects. Finally, write down a time estimate of how long each of these tasks will take you. A discrepancy between what you have and what you have promised? Take months to finish at your going rate? Completely overwhelm your schedule? For each task that can be done within 15 minutes, do it now. For any task that is no longer worth it, get it out of the keep it pile. For the rest of the unfinished business, choose an expiration date and post it on your activity wall. Plan to finish the project by that time. If it doesn't happen, get rid of it without guilt. It was never meant to be.

Timescale: One time only

Builds mental resilience.

Unlocked by completing "The archaeologist I: Excavating the site".

Give
The archaeologist III: The Give It Pile

Go to your Give It pile. In big ol letters, write down an expiration date on the side. Write the expiration date on your activity wall too! Give yourself 1-2 weeks. That is the amount of time you have to find a new home for the stuff. Then it expires. It doesn't matter how you get rid of it, sell or donate, it must go. If you still have left overs by your expiration date, it all goes in the the trash. Be merciless. No dragging it back to the keep it pile! When the whole pile is gone, your quest is complete.

Timescale: One time only

Builds mental/emotional/social resilience.

Unlocked by completing "The archaeologist II: The keep it pile's unfinished business".

Placeholder
The archaeologist IV: The meat of the keep it pile.

Now the keep it pile is free of unfinished business, examine each of your items individually. If they've been trash masquerading as treasure, get them out of the keep it pile! (Pretty much anything you haven't used in over 2 years is fair game for scrutinizing.) All the wonderful, useful stuff that is left deserves a good home. With each piece, put it back in its place. Sadly, there's probably going to be a lot of stuff left without places, especially if you're trying to make your apartment look like it came out of a magazine spread. Write down all of your homeless treasures and where they would be ideally put if you had the supplies. i.e. hung on the wall, on a shelf, in a drawer, in a box, in a photo album, etc. Be creative. There is no reason you can't put a dresser/chest in your kitchen if you need more drawers. So think outside of the box.

Timescale: One time only

Builds mental resilience.

Unlocked by completing "The archaeologist III: The Give It Pile.

Boxes
Operation Organization Wrap

You cut down on the number of things, now it's time to increase the number of places to put them! Since you have a list of everything that needs a spot, and exactly what kind of spot it needs to go in, there is no reason to haphazardly buy storage units that you don't need. Your job is to go out and get those things and then put up all your stuff. Note: If you don't think you have space for more storage, you probably need to get rid of more stuff.

Timescale: One time only

Builds emotional/physical resilience

Unlocked by completing "The archaeologist III: The Give It Pile.

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