“Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.”
Spanish Proverb
“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task”
William James
Not all tasks of the day are inspiring, fun or exciting. Some just feel dull or boring. But you still have to wash those dishes and take care of those monotone, routine tasks at work or in school.
So what can you do to not get lost in procrastination? How can you get going with those tasks you don’t feel much like doing and get to done?
In this article I’ll share how I do it, how I get some motivation and find more pleasure in what may seem to be a boring task.
- Think of why you are doing the task and how good it will feel when it is done. Instead of focusing your mind on how boring a task may feel focus your thoughts on why you are doing this and how good it will feel when you are done with it. If needed, sit down for a few minutes, close your eyes and see in your mind and feel how good it will be when you are there, when you are done with the task. Then go to work with that motivation and those positive feelings in your body.
- Do it mindfully. When you sort papers, do the laundry or do the dishes be fully there. Focus 100% on just the fork with all your senses – how it feels, looks and smells – as you are scrubbing it and nothing else. Don’t get lost in daydreams. If you are just there I have found that even such a simple and mundane task becomes more enjoyable and something that can bring inner calm rather than distress.
- Don’t think too much. Get going instead. The more you think about the boring task the more boring it seems in your mind. And so it becomes harder and harder to get started and to get to done. So try to think very little about it. Just make a decision to start doing the task, get up and go do it right away.
- Make a deal with yourself and set a timer for 10 minutes. It is often in easier to do tasks like these in small bursts. So make a deal with yourself to make a dent in this task. Make a deal to just spend 10 minutes on your inbox, mundane reading or cleaning the house. Set a kitchen timer and say to yourself that you only have to do this work for 10 minutes. When the timer rings you can continue doing it if you feel like it (this often happens to me because getting started is the hard part). Or you can stop and go do something more interesting instead.
- Create a pleasurable distraction. If possible, try to listen to the radio, your favorite songs, an audio book or watch a movie or TV-episode while doing your boring task. You don’t always have to do just one thing at a time in silence. I often listen to music or watch an episode of the Simpsons while doing the dishes or other routine work at home.
- Reward yourself. When you are done with your task then reward yourself. Take a walk in the sun, move on to a more fun or creative task at work or in school or have a tasty treat. This habit can make it easier to get started and to keep going each day. Because you know that you can look forward to not just being done and the long-term payoff from that but also your immediate reward right after you are finished.
What is your tip for getting the boring tasks done?
Henrik Edberg is the creator of the Positivity Blog and has written weekly articles here since 2006. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Gothenburg and has been featured on Lifehacker, HuffPost and Paulo Coelho’s blog.
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Two more techniques I’ve used and found useful :
1. Make a game out of my boring tasks, where possible.
2. Outsource/ delegate it.
Excellent article Henrik. I like the approach of doing things in small chunks, like setting the timer for 10 minutes. I do find, though, that I have a problem coming back to the task after taking the break from it. I find that visualizing the task completed (and the reward of being able to move on to something you enjoy) helps in getting back to work again.
Tony
Now this is good advice! Thanks Henrik, I’ve got a few of those tasks right now, that just keep getting left behind. I’m going to share this link/good advice too, thank you so much. YOur blog is wonderful!
http://www.takeahappybreak.com
Setting a timer for yourself is great advice. Timeboxing has always helped me complete my most mundane tasks.
I love these tips! Especially the one about creating a pleasurable distraction—that’s probably the one tip I use the most. One of the things I do is create when I’m most creative and work within my “limits”. It really helps for us ADHD types. A few other things I’ve done are detailed further here: http://aishaquinece.com/2011/06/being-productive-in-an-adhd-world/
I suffer quite a bit from procastination but one thing thats always helped me is putting something on in the background whether its an audio tape or a movie. Multi tasking works well for me!
Its intersting and each one of us need this while doing boring job
… or you could find someone else to do them :)
Hi Henrik
Thank you. I use a timer sometiems. And yes the hardest things is sttaring. Some boring things i am good at doing, like I do teh dishes immediately after having the meal. Even if I am running late to get somewhere.
When I was young and still living with my parents I used to love doing boring things like cleaning kitchen cupboards because I used that time to daydream about my life, not knowing I was actually creating it.
Thak you for the article
A couple of other things that work for me are:
1. Tell myself “I want to do it because…” For instance, I want to do the dishes so I’ll have a clean kitchen.
2. I will also take a mini-break, such as taking a short walk and come back to it.
3. If nothing else works, I’ll sit still for 10 minutes with no distractions. Then I’ll be bored and motivated to do something.
Great advice! The first suggestion along with the William James quote are my big motivators. I always create a list so that I can cross things off as they are completed. The act of crossing things off my list feel so good, weight off my shoulders.
Thanks for your tips, actually I am tired after a long time working 12 hours a day. I thought I am very strong but now I know my limits. Thanks again
I like the idea of not thinking and just doing. Time elapses in a more pleasant way for us than when we are focused on not fun things.
I like to just get it done or “Just Do It” as the old Nike slogan goes. I have a couple of home renovations projects that need completion and I know how much of a relief it will be to have those done.
There is, to my mind, a constantly updateable resource for getting through boring tasks. Everything from running to working out to doing the dishes and the ironing: the iPod. I can only assume that in the dark pre-iPod days when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, things were substantially more difficult but today, I can rev up the brain-numbing moments in my life with The Foo Fighters or The Pretty Reckless or even Adele. And you can play it as loud as you like and nobody else has to know. Boring tasks? Solitary Rock Concert opportunities.