In this episode, I share 3 things you can do about those tasks you always procrastinate on.
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Part 1: Presenting the Problem
- A lot of the things on our "task list" don't get done. We consistently push them off
- Each day we push it to the next day, and the next day, and the next day
- Eventually the task sits there, the reminder gets ignored, and we avoid that task completely
- We aren't exactly procrastinating, we still do other things, but we just can't get ourselves to do this one important thing.
- Something we can all do to take better action each day is to pay close attention to the areas that we often fail and do something about it. Let's take a look at it.
Part 2: Diving Deeper
That something can be in the form of:
- Outsourcing (Can you pay someone else to do it? Would this be worth while?)
- Improving Systems (Can you make it easier to do?)
- Question Its Value (Is it really that important?)
Part 3: The Solution
- Outsourcing:
If something is important and needs to get done but you often fail to do it or drop the ball then look into the reality of paying someone else to do it. We often push back against the idea of "spending money" but the truth is that sometimes you can spend money "profitably". The clearest example is this, if you know that sending out cold emails will get more sales, but you never do it, paying someone else to do it will result in an overall increase in revenue. Here's a less clear example, if you often find yourself neglecting various household tasks or organizing your life but you recognize it's value to reduce overwhelm or anxiety, paying someone else to do it will cost you dollars but save you on your mental health.
- Improving Systems:
If something is important and needs to get done, you find yourself never doing it, and you can't justify the expense of paying someone else to do it (or it's something that only YOU can do) then your next step is to look at the systems. Your systems around a task are all of the things you do to accomplish that task. For example, going out for a run might require you to pick out running clothes, put on your shoes, grab your keys, find your headphones, get in the car, drive to the trail, and then go for a run. That's your "system". One thing that can make action easier is to improve the system itself. So perhaps, in the example above, you start leaving your shoes by the door. Perhaps you choose your running clothes the night before. Perhaps you leave your car keys and headphones by your shoes. Doing this would reduce the amount of searching and thought that needs to go into getting out for the run.
- Question Its Value:
The final thing you can do is look at whether or not that task should even be done. Sure it feels important but if you always fail to do it and things are still fine then is it actually important? This obviously isn't going to be applicable to most things but sometimes we trick ourselves into doing things because it "feels important" without ever questioning if it truly is. By eliminating these tasks you can free up the mental space and focus your efforts on what's truly important. Just a few ideas. This will be rolling out as an episode on my podcast Tiny Leaps, Big Changes this week. Hope it helps!
Part 4: Daily Challenge
- What have you been putting off?
- Can it be outsourced?
- What do your systems look like?
- Is it really important?
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