How I Increased My Productivity by Doing Something I Hate

Recently, I’ve been experiencing these moments of confinement within my own mind. That sounds a lot more complicated than it is.

What happens is this: I’ll start my day with productivity in mind, whether that’s finishing up some projects at work or doing a load of laundry at home. Sometimes it goes well and I’m able to get into a flow of chores, writing, work, etc. But, more and more often, I find that I hit a wall partway through the morning. My mind won’t take in any information—and won’t allow me to put into action any of the items on my list.

Actual footage of me when my brain has decided to say, “Nah,” and shuts down.

At first, I thought that these mental barriers were due to the fact that my To-Do list was too long. But after revisiting my day-to-day schedule, I realized that this is not the case. I have enough time to get everything done and then some.

That’s not to say that I’m not busy. Between covering my regular workload, trying to pick-up new projects and skills, writing for my personal blog here, editing some videos for my YouTube channel, socializing with my roommates and friends, getting enough exercise, reading more, and trying to cook at least three meals a week, I have a pretty healthy schedule.

But one that could definitely be managed.

So where was this sudden feeling of deadlock coming from?

To find out, I actively examined my To-Do lists. Reading through each item carefully, I took note of the moments when I had trouble concentrating or continuing on.

And this did happen. Even just reading through the lists, I discovered that I would stop and squirm at certain points throughout the process.

I realized that my moments of feeling “stuck” had nothing to do with the amount of items on my plate, but the items themselves.

Here’s what was happening: On every list, there were inevitably items that I did not want to do. Period. Whenever I got to these items, my brain would refuse to move forward. It threw a stubborn little tantrum. It couldn’t get past those tasks that I found displeasurable.

And mind you, these aren’t like terribly horrific chores or anything like that. They’re simply things that I find tedious or overly-time-consuming. Filling out spreadsheets, going to meetings, responding to an email asking a question that I didn’t like the answer to, editing a blog post I’d written a week ago, folding my clothes after they’ve been through the dryer… I cannot tell you how many times I’ve decided to stop my productivity for the day (turning on the TV instead) rather than fold my laundry.

The problem is, these tasks—like all the others—have to get done.

However, unlike the items on my list that I’m happy to do, I allow myself to wallow over these. To actively ruminate in all of the reasons I dislike this task.

Not only that, but I also then get caught up in the process of deciding whether to start on these projects or move onto something I find more enjoyable or just finish the unhappy task or simply avoid everything on my list.

Faced with such decisions, my brain was choosing a third option: nothing.  

Stuck in the confines of my own mind.

This, of course, is the least productive of all my options!

So, I knew I had to do something about this mindset. No more dwelling on how much I didn’t want to do something and no more decision paralysis.

Here’s what I decided to do: I decided that I would tackle the projects that I wanted to do least, first.

This eliminated the need to make a decision. It checked the tough stuff off my list ahead of time. This allowed me to work through the easy (often more fun) stuff at the end of the day when my brain needed something a bit more relaxed.

And it seems to be working (though to be completely honest, I’m still struggling when it comes to starting these undesirable tasks—especially when it’s an email that I deem particularly undeserving of my attention lol).

And this past weekend, I really didn’t want to go grocery shopping. However, I knew that it had to get done either before or after I babysat. So, with my new goal in mind, I decided to go directly to the store. Though it was painful to walk through the crowded aisles (and then barely have time to get ready for babysitting), it was so worth it to not have to go afterwards.

And to tell you the truth, if I had left it to after babysitting, I’m 99% sure that I would not have gone at all. I’d be eating air and breathing sunshine. And, unfortunately, I’m not that Russian Barbie doll lady, so I would be dead. Luckily, I’ve changed my mentality and now have a refrigerator filled with arugula, tofu, and bell peppers. #blessed.

At work, I filled out my requested SEO spreadsheets before tackling new ideas and blog posts that are ready to be edited and published. Though the SEO spreadsheets are pretty darn tedious, getting them out of the way enabled me to rest easy. I’ve done my due diligence to improve overall traffic and can move forward with other projects that are more fun (without those spreadsheets nagging me at the back of my mind). Woo hoo!

I’m not sure how long this new technique for my To-Do lists will last, but if it continues to improve my productivity, maybe I’ll blog about it again.