How To Keep Yourself Motivated Enough To Finish A Daunting Task

Life is a wonderful thing, and while there is much to celebrate and much to be grateful for, there are times when you are faced with a task (or two!) that you really wish you didn’t have to do.

Unfortunately, life cannot always be about doing what we like doing, and there will always be a time when you have to toughen up and roll up your sleeves to get down to the bottom of something you can’t be bothered to face. Things you don’t want to do can take many forms, and everyone is different. Fortunately, there is a way of dealing with any situation such as this one, no matter who you are and what you need to get done!

Become Familiar With The Task

A task you aren’t keen on doing can seem daunting before knowing what it’s all about. Getting a feeling about exactly what needs to get done will help you feel better about tackling the task. Break down a daunting task into manageable steps or milestones, which will help you do a little at a time and make progress while feeling a sense of accomplishment every time you tick a step off your list.

Identify the Root of Your Issue

If you don’t like the idea of doing something, there’s probably an unidentified reason why! Getting to the bottom of it can help you change the way you feel about the task at hand, or perhaps even help you work your way through it or any others in the future.

Understanding your dislike of something might actually make you realize that you have been looking at the task through the wrong perspective or perhaps simply in the wrong light. By changing the way you look at it, you can change how you feel about it and, perhaps at best, actually begin enjoying it!

Prepare Well

Being properly prepared for any task will encourage you to face it head-on because you have already planned out the process you intend to follow, and you have already mentally decided on how you will approach the task.

Preparation is key because of several factors. It is best to place your plans on paper and return to the drawing board regularly to update your progress and continue adding new information or further breaking down steps as necessary. Brainstorm the task you need to complete and make the steps as enjoyable as possible, and space it out so that you don’t actually dread having to do any steps.

Fool Yourself

Just because you know you don’t particularly enjoy something doesn’t mean you have to harp on about how terrible or boring it is. Speaking about the things you have to do in a positive light rather than negatively can fool our brains into thinking that the task isn’t as bad as it seems.

You will be surprised at how much easier it is to do something when you stop complaining about it so much! Pat yourself on the back whenever you make progress, and make sure you talk about how far you’ve gone rather than how much there is left to do. In no time, you will see that your mindset will have changed, and the task seems a whole lot more manageable!

Visualization

A very effective tool that can help motivate you to keep going with your task to the end is to imagine yourself at the finish line and imagine the sense of satisfaction you will experience when you have completed it. Striving for the finish line will give you the energy and the determination to tackle your tasks full-steam ahead! Don’t be too hard on yourself when things don’t work out, as long as you learn along the way and it brings you a little closer to the goal. Look at the bigger picture and take little steps at a time!

Above all that has been said, never forget to reward yourself for work well done! Don’t seek reward from others. Treat yourself to something you enjoy or consider a luxury — for example, a nice meal at your favorite restaurant or a day at the spa. Rewards are strong points of motivation!