These ideas can be implemented individually or combined however you want:
1. Easy steps
Break your task down into the smallest possible steps. Commit to completing three or four of the first steps. This may be enough to get momentum and motivation going.
2. Get competitive
If you are someone who enjoys competition, you can use this to your advantage. For example, can you accomplish this task in less time than it took previously? This is competing against yourself. If it’s a task others you know must also do, can you get it done first?
3. Get a deadline
If you are someone who couldn’t get going on an assignment until mere hours before it was due, deadlines work for you. They create an external pressure. You can create your own deadlines but you have to be committed to them for the deadlines to work. If you need an immediate deadline, you can use a timer. Those of you who like to be competitive can race against the clock.
4. Get accountable
Let someone whose opinion of you matters to you know that you are going to do this task by this particular time and ask them to check with you to see if you did it. Or post it to your Facebook for even more accountability.
5. Put some skin in the game
Write a check and put it in an envelope to a cause that you do not support. If you don’t get your task done by the self-appointed time, you mail your donation. Denying your support to a cause you are really opposed to can be motivating. And if you want to really make it stick, combine this with number 4; give your donation to a friend who will be sure to mail it if you don’t follow through.
If you struggle to get things done and get frustrated with yourself, I invite you to give me a call. Call or text me at (816) 226-4678 to set up a free 30-minute consultation or to make an appointment for a session. I can help you problem solve, strategize, and stay accountable so you can accomplish goals that matter to you.
