It’s funny the mental games we sometimes (read: all the time) need
to play with ourselves in order to sit down and tackle that nasty list
of to-do’s. You’d think being grown ups that we’d be past the stage of
whining about doing our homework, “But I don’t wanna do it RIGHT now!”
Evidently, we’re not.
Especially when faced with the tasks that we find frustrating, difficult or even worse, boring. Because let’s face it — it’s EASY to find a thousand other, more gratifying, easy and fun things to do (hello, Internet and your plethora of cat videos). So what’s a busy mom to do when those to-do’s need to get done?
Use Group Guilt — Organize an accountability group and use the power of peer pressure to your advantage. For some reason, we are less willing to let others down even though we knowingly let ourselves down all the time.
Focus First — Try to start your day tackling the most daunting tasks. It’s easier to get things done, especially the things you are less excited about doing, when you do them first thing in the morning. Make it a habit to tackle whatever tasks are looming over you early in the day so you can enjoy the rest of the day worry-free.
Know Your Habits — Be honest with yourself about your personal productivity habits. If you know that you can’t pop into Facebook for a minute and not get sucked into spending 30 minutes idly browsing through the news feed, just don’t go there at all. Instead, save that as your reward for getting your stuff done.
Create a Routine — Establish a routine of analyzing what needs doing the night before and writing out your task list, and then sitting down with intention the next morning to get it done. Establishing those support habits to ensure you have a productive day is the key to getting more done.
Shift Your Thinking — Stop thinking about your to-do list as a laundry list of anything and everything that you ever kinda, maybe, sorta, one day want to do and instead, think of it as your “Will-Do” or “Must-Do” list for the next day or week. Just that simple mental shift will have you focused on checking things off instead of feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of things you know you will never get to.
Try Bribery — When all else fails, use what we all know works on our children: bribery. Promise yourself a relaxing day at the spa or an uninterrupted soak in the tub with a good book if you get that thing you are desperately avoiding doing done.
Evidently, we’re not.
Especially when faced with the tasks that we find frustrating, difficult or even worse, boring. Because let’s face it — it’s EASY to find a thousand other, more gratifying, easy and fun things to do (hello, Internet and your plethora of cat videos). So what’s a busy mom to do when those to-do’s need to get done?
How to Trick Yourself Into Tackling Those To-Do’s:
Set Deadlines — Start by drawing a line in the sand and promising yourself that you will get such and such done by this date end of story, no excuses allowed. Even if it’s a false deadline, get in the habit of not letting it slide as that leads to all sorts of other bad productivity habits.Use Group Guilt — Organize an accountability group and use the power of peer pressure to your advantage. For some reason, we are less willing to let others down even though we knowingly let ourselves down all the time.
Focus First — Try to start your day tackling the most daunting tasks. It’s easier to get things done, especially the things you are less excited about doing, when you do them first thing in the morning. Make it a habit to tackle whatever tasks are looming over you early in the day so you can enjoy the rest of the day worry-free.
Know Your Habits — Be honest with yourself about your personal productivity habits. If you know that you can’t pop into Facebook for a minute and not get sucked into spending 30 minutes idly browsing through the news feed, just don’t go there at all. Instead, save that as your reward for getting your stuff done.
Create a Routine — Establish a routine of analyzing what needs doing the night before and writing out your task list, and then sitting down with intention the next morning to get it done. Establishing those support habits to ensure you have a productive day is the key to getting more done.
Shift Your Thinking — Stop thinking about your to-do list as a laundry list of anything and everything that you ever kinda, maybe, sorta, one day want to do and instead, think of it as your “Will-Do” or “Must-Do” list for the next day or week. Just that simple mental shift will have you focused on checking things off instead of feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of things you know you will never get to.
Try Bribery — When all else fails, use what we all know works on our children: bribery. Promise yourself a relaxing day at the spa or an uninterrupted soak in the tub with a good book if you get that thing you are desperately avoiding doing done.
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