A while ago, I asked you to submit your best tips for getting tasks done. I picked out my favorites, plus added my own. The result? Ten awesome ideas for getting boring, annoying, or overwhelming tasks done around your house:
Prepare
Schedule weekly (home) office hours for yourself in order to get mail sorted, paperwork done, kids’ schoolwork organized, phone calls and emails sent out, and the to-do list and family calendar updated. Make sure you pick a time when you know you can ALWAYS be home for your office hours (e.g. Monday nights from 7-8 p.m.) Be super strict with yourself about never cancelling your office hours.
If your schedule varies greatly, meaning you cannot count on having a weekly set office hour time, schedule a back-up day for your home office hours.
Adjust your environment
During your home office hours, work where it is free of distractions that become excuses for not getting things done.
Put on some mood-lifting, upbeat music if that helps you. Some people need it absolutely quiet, so wear noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs if you need silence.
Treat yourself, if need be. For example, maybe your office hours are the one time a week you buy yourself a super fancy coffee drink to slurp while you power through those papers.
Reward yourself, if need be. Maybe you buy yourself the super fancy coffee drink AFTER you have completed your tasks.
Get to work!
Start with the short, easy tasks first so you can start feeling the high that comes from crossing things off your To Do list!
Break big tasks down into small chunks. Write out each chunk. Then do one chunk at a time.
Try my trick for getting through a hated task: Set a timer on your smartphone for 10 minutes. Work for 10 minutes, then break for 5 minutes. Set the timer for another 10 minutes. Then work another 10 minutes and break for 5 minutes. Keep resetting the timer until your hated task is done.
Studies show that people think more clearly when they stand up, so prop your laptop on the counter and hammer out those emails or pay bills standing up.
Would any of these tips work for you? Any other tips you think should be added to the list? Please feel free to submit them in the comments below.