Free Emotional Freedom Technique Newsletter

9 Tips to Motivate Yourself to Do the Things You Don’t Like Doing

Repetitive everyday chores can be very boring. If they were enjoyable they wouldn’t be called “chores”! We would call them fun activities.

These kind of jobs give no satisfaction or a lasting sense of accomplishments because we need to start all over again each time: Paying the bills, filing away papers, cleaning and doing the dishes are examples of such chores.

Taking your mind off of what you are doing and distracting yourself with something else is the key to get these types of jobs done with less pain!

Here are 9 tips to distract and motivate you to perform those tasks. These tips could be used in doing many different chores.

Listen to music and dance:

This works with household chores; such as cleaning, doing the dishes, putting the laundry away. Start working on whatever you are supposed to work on and put on the type of music which makes you want to sing and dance right after. (If you first turn the music on, you might just want to dance instead of working!)

Do it with someone you love:

If you hate going food shopping or washing your car, do it with your spouse, child or partner. This will give you two more time to spend together and you will not even realize that you are working on something that you don’t like doing.

Watch TV while doing it:

Ironing, doing the dishes, cooking, sorting some things are examples of chores that you can do while watching TV. Even small pieces of reading can be covered during commercials. Reconciling the receipts with credit card and bank statements and paying bills are other examples of chores that most people procrastinate about and they can be done while sitting in front of the TV. All you need is your checkbook and the bills. Stamps and address labels can be placed later at your desk.

Talk on the phone:

Sorting papers, filing papers away, organizing your desk drawer for the office, cooking, dusting, putting dishes away for the home are examples of chores which can be accomplished while on the phone.

Change the appearance, redesign

If you hate filing, it is mostly because you don’t have a working filing system. Did you know that many times it is also because the files you are working with are so old, dirty, stained, musty, tattered, torn, and boring? A new set of folders in your favorite color is not going to cost you more than eating out once or twice. And you use them everyday! Change your folders and see the difference.

Have a buddy/body

Having someone just sitting there and chatting with you takes your mind away from whatever chore you are doing. Ironing, sewing, sorting, categorizing are types of chores. Don’t let this person talk to you if you are working on something, which needs deep concentration. This person should be present just to be present, not to help you or tell you how to do things, or judge you on what you are doing. You could be talking on other things if your chore doesn’t require focusing.

Write it down

Until you write it down, a project is very unlikely to happen even if it is a small one. Writing it down makes it more concrete and gives you an opportunity to really think about what it involves, what tools you will need and how much time it will actually take.

Put it on your calendar

Calculate the time and merge it in your schedule realistically. If the project requires more than one step, you might like to assign different dates and time slots on your calendar for each step.

Don’t do it

Ask yourself if something that you have been dreading to do is really necessary to do. Maybe NOT! Then take it off of your mind and your list. Relax!

Figen Genco, BA.
Organizing/Feng Shui/EFT
215 354 0275
www.lovethewayyoulive.com

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