Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?
If you are like most people you probably have hundreds of things to do. Some are quick easy tasks, others are more difficult and may require money, focused concentration, or dealing with confrontation to complete.
Why just one thing? Because most days we are likely to focus on avoiding the more difficult tasks, electing to complete the easy tasks and taking that in as a successful day. At the end of the day we don’t feel satisfied because we know there are still the more difficult tasks still sitting out there. We avoided them, hoping that they would go away or magically become completed.
Here’s a plan to accomplish this:
1. Pick a task that has been hanging over your head for days, weeks, months, or even years. It might be to get your finances in order, completing performance reviews on employees that are way overdue, writing thank you notes from your wedding or graduation, cleaning out the garage or attic, putting old photos in a scrapbook, or helping a friend move a sleeper sofa from the basement to the garage.
2. Write down the state of done. In order words, how will you know when you have completed this item? This way you will know what you goal is and be less likely to quit before you finish.
3. Pick a day. You may decide to do this on a Saturday, take a day off of work to do, or do it during a work day if it includes work tasks.
4. Write down your plan for that day. This includes when you will get up, what each task is, when you start working on each task, how you will know when each task is finished, and what you will do if you get stuck and cannot finish a task. This way you will identify possible roadblocks in advance, and be less likely to have the entire day jeopardized before you need a part and the hardware store is closed.
5. When the day comes start it with a bang. Hit the ground running and keep the momentum going. If you end up finishing the task in two hours and you had planned for the entire day you now have almost a full today to enjoy. Plan breaks but also get back to the task at hand. No TV breaks as it is way too easy to go from a five minute quick peek at the shows on the tube to wasting most of the day procrastinating in front of the TV.
6. Be prepared for setbacks. You may not have a part you need, your Internet connection may go dead, or you not be in the mood. Don’t stop. Don’t give up. Persistence now will pay off later.
7. If the task grows in size narrow down your focus on what you will still accomplish today, and write down those items you will accomplish later that you cannot complete today. Do not let yourself create excuses.
8. When you feel like giving up take a short break or walk and come right back to it. A walk away from the task will give your mind a break, and you will be able to think of several different approaches if you are stuck.
9 Commitment and persistence. Persist until completed.
10. Cross if off your list. It might have taken you only part of the day or the entire day, but once you complete the task you will feel completely energized. Enjoy your success and the rest of the day.
And as a final step, repeat with the next task on your list.
When you look back at the day you spent completing this one task you will not remember the pains it took to accomplish the task, but only the fast that it is complete, no longer on your list, and now you can focus on other things. Like the next thing on your list.
The author of this article, Shawn Lovett, runs the motivation tricks, tips, and techniques web site at http://www.motivationtricks.com
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