Finding time to outsmart procrastination, especially when a job you hate is what’s waiting for you, can be a real challenge. But the truth is that when you create a logjam for yourself, those dreaded tasks just become even more of a nuisance.
So, here are 5 timely tips that will absolutely help you succeed at getting those tasks-that-you-hate out of the way … and done well … and possibly even enjoyed!
5 Steps to Change the Tasks You Avoid to The Tasks You Complete
1. First, take 5 minutes to list jobs you “never get around to.” Write quickly and be inclusive. Don’t censor yourself.
2. Estimate how long each task typically takes, and write that time next to the task.
3. Select 3 tasks from your list that take roughly the same amount of time to complete.
4. Now set aside a block of time in which you commit to doing just one of the 3 tasks on your list, starting with the one you dislike least.
5. Once you complete that task, be sure to pat yourself on the back. Or maybe you could give yourself a special treat. Validating your effort is very important, especially when you are overcoming avoidance.
Interestingly, as you reflect on this exercise, do you notice how the "least lousy" task started to look pretty good, compared to the jobs you disliked even more?
That’s because our minds often work through comparisons. Anything weighed against something far worse achieves the relative glamour of top billing. After all, the job you just finished helped you to avoid the other two, even more onerous, tasks!
In fact, you might even end up enjoying your first task, because in your mind, you may be thinking, "This sure beats doing the other 2 jobs!" Ultimately, you work more effectively and efficiently when your mindset is positive.
Now that you know how you can put procrastination to work for you, try using this same process to do your second most distasteful task. You can harness the enthusiasm you feel for doing anything except your most unappealing project as a way to get another task completed.
This technique will work for you, if you work. Success builds on itself, and as you experience the results, you’ll find yourself using this simple formula again and again. Soon you will be ready to tackle the tasks that you hate the most, as your positive momentum carries you forward and procrastination recedes behind you!
This is powerful. You have mobilized yourself by converting your aversion into constructive activity. In essence, you have taken the energy of your resistance and used it to catapult yourself into efficiency, effectiveness, and empowerment.
Remember to congratulate yourself for what you have accomplished – both the completed task(s) and the transformation of procrastination into productivity!
So, what is your next step to double your productivity and use your time effectively?
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Paula Eder, PhD, the SelfGrowth.com Official Guide to Time Management, is an internationally-known coach and published author who mentors spirit-driven solopreneurs and small business owners to align their core values and energy with their time choices and behaviors so that they can make more money, create more freedom, and find more time.
Living on a working farm in rural New Hampshire, Paula's connection with time is as organic, spiritual, and down-to-earth practical as the vitality and resiliency of the seasons. From her base in New Hampshire she has maintained a thriving coaching practice for the past 35 years; is a Certified Coach in Kendall Summerhawk's Money Breakthrough Method™ Program; and is a certified graduate of the Vanguard class of the Authentic Happiness Coaching Program conducted by Martin E. P. Seligman, PhD and Ben Dean, PhD.
Her Heart-Based Time Management System helps busy people just like you develop the skills to make authentic time choices that lead to work success, personal growth, vibrant health, and an ever-deepening relationship with yourself and those you love.
To learn more about Paula's unique, Heart-Based Time Management System and begin your transformational journey, sign up for her Finding Time Success Kit. Discover how you can find time for what matters most.
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