Getting things done when you don't feel like it
Even if you jump out of bed every morning to do what you love, there are things you despise, but you have to do them anyway.
Maybe you love to pump iron 🏋️♀️ but hate cardio. Perhaps you enjoy running but can't get yourself to do strength training. You might love developing innovative ideas for improving your product but hate creating project plans. Maybe you look forward to your writing/coding/designing work but hate marketing and selling.
No matter how ✌️sorted✌️ you are, there are things you have to do to survive. No matter how pally you are with your boss, she won’t fill your OKRs.
If you know me or have been reading this newsletter for some time, you'll know I love running. What I don't love is washing my running clothes after the run. Why not throw in the laundry? you ask. Well, throwing in sweaty clothes with other ones doesn’t feel right. 🙅🏻♀️ And don't even get me started on running an entire washing cycle and wasting gallons of water for a few clothes. 🙄 So yeah, I'm left with hand-washing my running gear. There's no getting around it.
We all have shares of "enjoyable runs" and "dirty laundries". What are yours?
Before we continue, make a mental note of 3 things lurking on your to-do list that you secretly despise, but have to do anyway.
Let’s move on to 3 different strategies to motivate yourself to get things done:
Re-design the task
Break apart the task and analyze the pieces. Pick the interesting ones. Delegate what you dislike.
Let's say you have an annual report to present to your bosses. Focus on aspects you enjoy like creating the narrative and delegate the less exciting parts like data collection or slide formatting.
Things aren’t always that simple. Are they?
Sometimes, all the pieces are boring. 🤪 When things get dull, crank things up a notch by adding an unexpected twist!
e.g., I have turned my laundry time into listening to music. This hasn’t just removed the “boring” aspect out of the way, I now look forward to humming my favorite tunes after every run.
Redesigning the task involves either removing the boring element (and delegating it) or adding an interesting element that makes it enjoyable.
Rewards and curiosity
Sometimes, it works to entice yourself:
If I finish this task, I'll reward myself with an episode of my favorite Netflix series.
It's probably the least effective strategy for getting things done.
Why?
Extrinsic motivation can take us so far.
If you want to do something well and enjoy doing it, you need intrinsic motivation.
One way to drive intrinsic motivation is to dial up your curiosity lever.
Psychologist Adam Grant wanted to encourage his kid to study history. He asked his kid, "You know what happened to King Tut?". The next thing he knew his kid was googling to find answers and in the process, learning about ancient Egypt.
Curiosity excites our brains. Discover what you find intriguing about the task at hand. What is it that you “really want to know” about it.
The cure to boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.
— Dorothy Parker
Things we say to ourselves and others
Don't undermine speaking to yourself:
📈 It's empowering if your words are encouraging.
📉 It's daunting if you speak down to yourself.
If you keep saying out loud that you hate doing Math, you will hate doing Math. Instead, if you keep telling yourself, "Math is not so bad. I'm getting better at it. It's starting to become fun.", it will change how you perceive Math.
Instead of saying, "I hate working out" if you start saying out loud, "I enjoy long walks", you'll feel like going for walks.
Instead of saying "Dessert is my big weakness" 🍰🧁 if you start saying "Sugar gives me a headache" (it does to me, honestly! 😀) you are more likely to get over your cravings.
You can also use this strategy at work. Instead of saying, "I hate filling timesheets", you can go with, "I now spend 5 mins at the end of every workday so I don't have to fill it for the entire week on Fridays".
You can even club this with rewards — “Cold emailing, however boring, lands us new clients.”
Can you use this strategy in relationships? Probably not a good idea. 🚫
Faking affection for a distant aunt you see rarely is one thing. But convincing yourself you like someone close to you, someone you truly can't stand? That's a whole other level.
Lying to yourself is not the same as motivating yourself.
Think of these strategies as tools in your toolbox. The right tool for the job depends on the situation.
Now go take care of the dirty dishes lying in the sink. Don’t forget to crank up the music while you do. 😉🎧🎶💃🏻