We need to do some things in life that we don’t want to do, like house chores, cooking, laundry, and cleaning. Some may not like doing exercises or even sweaty stuff, but most of these tasks are a necessity in life. Some of these things are part of your long-term goals. In this world full of procrastination, we need the willpower to do these dreadful activities in your life.
Mindset is important in this type of life. When you focus to get things done, you can get started on something that will develop the ability to do anything. Although this will take more time nowadays because we are dragged down by this dopamine-rich scene called the “Internet,” which devours our time and distracts our focus. The internet today, along with social media, is making it harder to get things done for the day.
We have all been there. Trying to get a few tasks done for the day, but for some reason you just can’t get started. Say the task is setting up a website, coding, or design. But you can’t help the fact that you keep putting it off. Maybe it’s a smaller task like writing an email that should have been sent out hours ago or a simple phone call. Whatever it is, you just can’t get started.
Surely you can relate to putting off some tasks. Simply because you just didn’t feel like doing them. We are all guilty of it. If you are looking for some solutions or guidance to help you be more motivated and stay on task. You are in the right place.
In this article, let’s discuss the 10 points to help you do that thing that you don’t want to:
1. Face Your Fear: A Solution For Growth
Not all the things you have to do comes with fear (think baking, laundry). But many of them can. Let’s say you have to give a big presentation but you’d rather poke your eye out than talk before a big group of people. Many of the things you have to do can result in self-growth. Facing your fears head-on will make you a much better person. And don’t forget, the more you do something, the better it gets. Quit putting that task off and just get it done. You will feel much better once you’re done.
2. Recognize Its Effect In The Long Term.
Suppose you realize you have to eat better along with exercising (don’t we all?). Procrastination here is hurting you. The longer you hold out, the faster your body will deteriorate. It is not difficult to get stuck in your comfort zone, but most of the time, your comfort zone has adverse consequences for your future. The trick is thinking long-term. Consider precisely how things and actions (or maybe inaction) today could impact tomorrow, or maybe 5 to 10 years from now.
3. Discover How It Might Affect Other People.
Perhaps, for example, your loved one asks you to clean up your huge pile of junk in your house. The reason the junk heap is there is because you are ignoring that piece of paper, mail, or other random stuff that’s collected in that area. Putting off of cleaning it up is most likely generating resentment toward you from your spouse. Not only will your inaction impact him/her, but could definitely impact the general quality of your relationship. You just need to do what you have to do – in case not for you, subsequently for someone you enjoy.
4. Break down tasks into smaller steps.
Sometimes the tasks you have to do seem so daunting and too much to handle you do not know exactly where to start. So what happens? You do nothing. And achieve nothing. Before I began my Ph.D. application, the notion of creating a dissertation that was a few 100 pages long seemed like an impossibility. But the moment I reframed it and thought of it as several smaller “papers” developed, subsequently, it did not look awful. Breaking it down into little tasks helps immensely.
5. Don’t do it all at once.
Should you have to wash that pile of dirty dishes, do not feel like it all has to be completed in a single visit to the kitchen. Any attempt toward the end goal of yours is progress. Even if you are pursuing a degree or even doing the taxes of yours, a small effort counts. And in case you are like me, it helps you to not have the pressure to do it all at the same time. Thus, give yourself permission to take some time to obtain the finished job. Don’t overlook this task though. You cannot leave it until the last second because then you will have no option but to do it all at once and that will sound too daunting, so then it won’t get done at all.
6. Prioritize steps.
When you have all your tasks mapped out, rank them on what’s most crucial. Begin with that. What’s probably the most immediate need? What’s the very least? Perhaps you have been putting off paying bills of yours (that’s a risky one). However, if that seems like you, ensure you initially pay the people due soon. As apparent as it sounds, many people do not prioritize that way. Even if it is cleaning the house you’re procrastinating, begin with the room you believe is the dirtiest.
7. Set the steps on a calendar.
I’m addicted to this calendar of mine. Without it, I wouldn’t accomplish anything. However, I do know people who do not keep a calendar. If that is you, I recommend that you get a calendar. Heck, most smartphones nowadays have calendars on there for you. Utilize it. Put your tasks down on specific days. When you wake up in the morning and look at what you need to get done that day, you will see your tasks and be much more likely to do them since it is on your daily to-do list.
8. Look at the end result.
Some goals do not show results quickly. Those’re the toughest ones, to begin with. Should you have to drop fifty pounds (or maybe more), you are most likely not gonna see the scale move quickly for the very first week or perhaps two. Because of this, it is not hard to become discouraged when you do not know the end result of your efforts. But stay with it. Remember how wonderful it is going to feel once you accomplish the goal of yours.
9. Discover an appreciation for what you have to do.
When you are grumbling about cleaning your house, doing your laundry, paying your bills, or maybe baking, remember how lucky you are to have a home, food, clothes, and cash to cover it all. Not every activity you should do is fun, though you can constantly find some appreciation in anything you have to do.
10. Reward yourself.
Grab a warm fudge treat or sundae and treat yourself to a long, hot bath and some wine when you are done! It is alright to spoil yourself. So when you choose to reward yourself after you’ve achieved something hard, it will serve as much more of an incentive to accomplish it!
This same application is the thought behind the Pomodoro Technique that requires working hard for twenty-five minutes and then shooting a five-minute break. The five-minute break is a reward to get through the 25-minute work session.
Several Practices for Doing Things that are Tough
First of all, offer plenty of feelings and thought on the circumstances.
Do not deny or stay away from it. This provides you with an opportunity to think about the circumstance from all sides and perhaps find a solution or maybe a different perspective. Additionally, it helps you begin coming to conditions with it psychologically, difficult as that might be. Journal, take some very long walks, whatever it is that enables you to think clearly and calmly. This is not meant to be a substitute for measures but to allow you to move forward with clarity.
Admit that this is the situation, and there is simply no getting around it,
Whether it is a decision that you have to make, an activity to take, or maybe a procedure to proceed through. Naturally, things are a lot easier said than done. Acceptance sometimes comes just after a process involving a great deal of anger, fear, and grief. But there is no substitute for starting those feelings and also letting them run the course of theirs. In case you suppress them, they can cause anxiety, depression, rage, and natural disorders. Attempting to stay away from these feelings by staying in denial about the scenario is a choice that may ruin lives. Acceptance creates the ability as well as willingness to act.
Talk to a trusted friend
If relevant, or go over the situation with authority. Occasionally we do not see things clearly, or maybe we lack important information or context. Other people can give fresh practical and psychological perspectives. They could also suggest alternative ways to go forward. They may give you a hand. Someone else can give you motivation.
Separate the sense of your self-worth from the circumstances.
Usually, a lot of the discomfort in a difficult situation is to focus on our worth. However, everybody has crises at times. All of us make a mess or mistakes. And frequently, there are causes and elements involved we do not see, making the situation even more difficult. Like when I left my husband and then moved to Phoenix and could not look for a job. At the time, I blamed myself for not being ready to find work. I felt as if I was not trying hard enough or that something has to be that you do not like about me. Later, I realized I’d moved during a challenging economy in which many people have been losing jobs. I had also been under a great deal of anxiety from the separation, and I was becoming much tougher on myself than I deserved. Going through a crisis is not something to become ashamed of. It is sometimes just part of life.
But do make sure you understand the way your actions and choices did or didn’t help the crisis occurring.
Not at all to punish yourself, but so you can stay away from starting it once again, if possible.
Continue to observe and process through your feelings.
Self-reflect internally, whether through some meditation, art, journaling, or maybe whatever works for you. Do not attempt to stay away from or suppress the emotions coming up due to the situation. Instead, lean into them. Take inventory of them, which includes the anxieties plus beliefs that come up. Be as exact, specific, and correct as you can. Cry almost as if you have to; release your anger in non-destructive ways, and in case you feel helpless and fear, allow it to wash over you.
When you can, get it all written out as entirely as you can on-screen or even on paper, particularly if you can begin releasing some of the psychological load, the problem will not feel overwhelming. This can enable you to identify the actual scope of what you are going through, which means you could provide yourself the compassion you should have. It is genuinely well worth doing in my experience, even if you are tired or even pressed for time.
Based on the circumstance, by busting it down, you might discover that some elements are, in fact, exciting (positive changes which will occur as a result, or maybe difficulties you can enjoy). However, they would have been lost in the misunderstandings before. It is a chance to reflect on the upsides or benefits of going through the circumstances versus standing still.
If it’s a specific step you need to take, give yourself a deadline.
Set an intention to do it on a particular day or in a specific period. Please do not allow yourself to continue putting it off. If a perfect chance arises on its own, bring it – but do not rely on that happening.
Keep reminding yourself it is alright to have issues, make mistakes, and also be imperfect.
We are all learning. People that seem as if they have it all figured out, do not. It is alright to be human. It is also more than alright to change, develop, and also have the need to go on.
Try letting people help.
There is a big deal of pressure to be self-reliant. But interdependence builds community and relationships. God did not create us to become islands but to instead be interested in receiving and giving. It is alright to always be on the receiving end at times. Do not permit shame or maybe independence prevents you from reaching out.
Know this also shall pass.
Even if there is no resolution to be seen at this time, things become better later or sooner. You will make it through this and be a more confident, more assertive, and much more caring individual in the end.
