How to force yourself to do what you don't want to do

Perhaps this problem is relevant for many of us. And yet imagine how much better it would be to get rid of the useless habit of putting off until tomorrow what can be done today.

However, not everything is so bad. People – creatures capable of self-improvement and working on their mistakes. You just need to choose the right strategy. And for this you need to find a reason why you put off an unpleasant task.

Reason: You are afraid of screwing up

Solution: focus properly

Ask yourself why you are doing the assigned task. There are two possible answers to this question:

1. You complete a task in order to achieve something more than what you have now, for example: “If I successfully complete this project, my boss will praise me” or “If I go on a diet, I will look better”, You focus on the future achievement.

It would seem that this approach looks rather optimistic – a person wants to achieve something more and confidently goes to his goal. However, if you are tormented by doubts and you are afraid of not coping with the task, this motivation is not suitable for you.

How to focus correctly? Consider the second option.

2. You do the work so as not to lose what you already have (favorite job, stable income, trust of the authorities, respect of colleagues, etc.). Thus, you will be driven by the fear of losing what you have. And you will be able to direct all your efforts to eliminate potential threats. The more danger you feel, the more you can concentrate on finding a way out of the situation.

Reason: You put off work because you just don't feel like doing it

Solution: Ignore – they only hinder you

In his book The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking, Oliver Berkman explains that most of the time when we say things like "I can't get up early in the morning", actually we can do it, we just don't want to. And this reluctance "ties" you to bed every morning. Physically, nothing prevents you from getting up – it's all about psychology. However, is it worth waiting until you feel like doing it?

For some reason, we believe that the desire to do something is very important for motivation and efficiency. In fact, you don't have to want to. Of course, love your job – it's good, but wanting to work all the time – it's just impossible! We want to get the job done, but we don't always feel like doing it. Can you feel the difference?

Inspiration – for the weak. Real productivity depends on work, not mood or insight. Feelings and bad mood should not stop you on the way to achieving the desired result.

Reason: You put off work because it's boring, difficult, etc.

Solution: Plan if/when-then

Often we say to ourselves: "Next time I will force myself to start work earlier." Of course, if we all had the willpower to do so, it would be great – we wouldn't have to put off work at all. Research shows that people tend to overestimate their ability to control themselves.

Try to accept the fact that your willpower is not infinite after all. And it does not always help to take on complex, tedious or even mind-blowing things. In these cases, try using if/when-then planning.

What is it all about? In fact, everything is simple and logical: decide where and when you will start the implementation of the planned. For example:

"At 2 o'clock I'll stop doing my own thing and start working on the report."

"If my boss doesn't bring up my bonus in the meeting, I'll remind him of this for the rest of the meeting."

You see, it is very important to decide in advance WHAT exactly you are going to do, as well as WHEN and HOW you are going to do it. Thus, when the time comes to accomplish your plan, you will not doubt whether it is worth doing it right now. If you have already set yourself up to do something, you seem to spur on your willpower, since the decision was made long before the critical moment.

The effectiveness of this approach is confirmed by the results of more than 200 studies, which showed that thanks to such planning, people were able to increase productivity by an average of 200 – 300%.

So next time try to think about the consequences of doing nothing, push your feelings into the background and plan your actions carefully. It is these three steps that will help you force yourself to do what you do not like.

Source estet-portal.com