The dread over doing a task often takes more energy than it would to complete the actual task.
We waste so much mental energy avoiding our to-do list — or at least those couple items that we want to avoid. We labor over the effort and annoyance of the tasks. We procrastinate and find excuses. And sometimes we are just plain lazy. But how long does it really take to do the task?
Usually, it doesn’t take as long as we think, and when it’s completed we wish we would have completed it sooner.
A woman I’ve worked with for years recently timed herself doing her weekly tasks — vacuuming, general cleaning, bills, filing, etc. She found it only took her 90 seconds to clean the toilet and 7 minutes to vacuum the main living space. That’s it! It takes her more time and energy to procrastinate than to just get those 8.5 minutes completed.
Another gal I coach, recently left the workforce and is now home with kids. She was baffled that she was so productive in the workforce, yet at home she’s stuck. To give her competitive side a boost, instead of timing herself, she decided to race the timer. She raced the clock and had it count down rather than up. This approach that played to her strengths was motivating and eye-opening! She likes a challenge and the clock ticking was the extra boost she needed.
Do you know how long tasks take you?
Time yourself! Really. It might seem like a waste of time (ironically), but it will create incredible awareness. Use your cell phone or a timer and see what you discover about yourself and your list.
This exercise will help you discover a few things:
- How long it takes to-do daily/weekly tasks.
- How much time you need to allow when you plan your day.
- When you are dreading the task, a pep talk in light of the timeframe will be motivating.
- Encourage you to actually do the tasks completely this week in-order to time yourself.
- What else can you learn from this exercise? When you dread doing the items on your list, remind yourself it will be over in X# minutes if you just get started!
Need More?
Need accountability or motivation on where to start? Contact Michelle, Productivity Coach, and learn how to start getting more done in a way that works best for you!
