Process - Physician - Fraser Health Authority

Chunk the DayStrategies that give people a chance to accomplish something are particularly helpfulfor depression.Sometimes you feel too depressed, unmotivated or exhausted to face the day. Here isa strategy that breaks the day into manageable chunks of time:1 Decide on the smallest amount of time you think you might be able to spend on atask. This might be a morning, an hour, even just 10 minutes. This is your “chunk” ofmanageable time.2 Decide what you will do for the chunk of time. Tell yourself: “I only have to keep goingfor this chunk. Then I can stop if I want.”3 When the chunk is over, you can decide to rest, carry on with what you were doing,or change to something else for the next chunk. You can do a whole day in chunks.Most people who try this report that they actually get more done, and as a bonus,their mood improves.FOR EXAMPLE:Let’s say Mary decides she can handle 30 minutes. In those 30 minutes she decides shecan clear off the kitchen table and do the breakfast dishes. Once she’s completed thistask she can then decide to carry on with another chunk, rest for a while, or decide to doanother chunk later in the day. The key is to choose manageable chunks and activities.Keep it small!CBIS MANUAL | MAY 2009ACTIVATION | 4149