When it comes to enjoying your work, there’s a lot to be said for owning a business and being your own boss. In fact, many people say that one of their primary motivations for launching their own company was so they can do something that they actually enjoy, instead of spending their days doing tasks that they hate because someone else told them to.
While that all sounds great in theory, it’s rare that you’ll find an entrepreneur who loves every aspect of running their business. The fact is, even when you are “in charge,” you are going to have to do things that you don’t enjoy. You might even have to do things that you hate. And all too often, you either keep putting off the job until you have no choice but to get it done and more miserable than it should have been, only reinforcing your perception of the work.
It doesn’t have to be this way. You can tackle even the most onerous task with a smile on your face. Okay, so maybe it won’t become your favorite thing to do, and you might even still dread it to some extent, but you will find them much less stressful if you follow these tips.
Step #1: Change Your Mindset
Sometimes, motivating yourself to do something you hate requires nothing more than a change of perspective. Instead of focusing on why you don’t want to do something, focus on the benefits of getting it done. How does completing this task benefit you? Sometimes it’s tangible — if you get the invoices sent out, you get paid faster — and sometimes it’s more of a mental thing, i.e. if you get this call out of the way now, you can enjoy your evening without dreading it first thing tomorrow.
Step #2: Break the Task Into Pieces
Often, we hate doing certain tasks because they are big jobs that take a lot of time and tend to be tedious. If that’s the case, remember the old joke: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Try breaking up your task into stages, and tackle a little bit at a time. Another approach is to set a timer.
If you have to do something boring or repetitive, set a timer for 30 to 60 minutes and work nonstop for that entire period. You might find that you get more accomplished than you expected in that period, and want to just keep going so you can finish. Or, you might only get partially done, but at least you know you have a break coming up, and you can do something else afterwards.
Some time management experts also recommend tackling the least difficult or unpleasant part of the task first. For instance, if you are planning a retreat or conference, immediately work to get one task done, like spend some time looking for event speakers before you get into the nitty gritty details of the event. When you get one task off your plate, you’re more likely to look forward to the event and the rest of the planning won’t feel so tedious.
Step #3: Allow Yourself to Procrastinate
But wait — aren’t we trying to avoiding procrastinating? True, but there is a way to productively procrastinate. Allow yourself some time to do other things — check out social media, shop online, complete other tasks, whatever you want — up until a certain point, and then dive in. For example, if it’s 2:40 p.m., and you have a project that needs attention, allow yourself to waste time until 3 p.m., and then commit to diving in. This approach acknowledges your need to do something besides your work, but also keeps you on track.
Step #4: Treat Yourself
Rewards are a powerful motivator — even if they are something as simple as a piece of chocolate or 15 minutes to read a new novel. When you complete a task, or a long work session, give yourself a treat as a reward.
Step #5: Outsource
Finally, one of the best ways to tackle a job you hate is to give it to someone else. Hiring a freelancer to do something that you can’t or don’t want to do frees up your time so you can focus on the bigger picture and the tasks you enjoy doing. As a bonus, by hiring an expert to do certain jobs, they will get done faster and probably better than you can do them yourself.
Even entrepreneurs have to do things they don’t like to keep the business moving. However, if you keep your mindset positive and find ways to make the jobs less annoying, you can get them off your list and move on to the good stuff.
