We all have those days of not wanting to do a darn thing. And some days that’s okay! However most days, we do need to get things done. In this post I have a few ways for how to simply get things done.
Before you get to getting things done, you have to know why you’re not in the mood the do anything.
Reasons why:
- You don’t know where to begin.
- You’re overwhelmed and/or tired.
- You’re going through/dealing with something mental or emotional.
- It doesn’t feel important right now.
When you know why you’re not in the mood to get things done, you’ll be able to work through those things and get to work.
Make the Choice
First, you have to make the choice.
What choice is that?
Well that choice is the decision that it’s time to get things done. No matter what it is you need to get done (work, cooking, cleaning, ect.).
You are in control. Handle your distractions that are stopping you. Things like the TV or your phone. My husband can easily waste hours a day on his phone and then wonder why he hasn’t gotten anything done.
I was once told, “There’s nothing to it, but to just do it.” Most of the time we spend more time grumbling about doing the thing, than the amount of time it actually takes to just do it.
Even when you don’t feel like getting to it, you have to make the choice to do it anyway. You can’t get into the groove or whatever you want to call it, if you never get to it.
Make a List
Write down either on paper or in your phone what you’re needing to do. Get it out of your brain and down on paper.
When your get everything written down, it’s easier to focus on what you need to do without trying to remember everything else you want to get done too.
I know not everyone is a listicle person, so whatever your equivalent to a list is, do that.
I like to write my list in the morning. When you write out what you’re wanting to get done right away in the morning, you can plan your day, and prioritize your tasks. We’ll talk more about that in a bit.
Know your day
I’m the type of person that if I have appointments or errands to run, it can throw off my whole day. Planning my day with these things in mind has helped me to still get a ton of things done.
Make sure you have written down wherever you need it to be, any plans, events or appointments so you know what time you have for your day.
I don’t know about you, but I hate being interrupted when I’m in the middle of doing something. Sometimes we can’t control that, but when if you’re able to plan around things it’s nicer than having to come back.
Multitasking- to do or not?
I think there’s a debate on whether multitasking is productive or not. But I think it also depends on your definition of multitasking.
Multitasking is when you start multiple tasks and go back and forth between working on all of them.
I can see have that could slow someone down, even if they feel like they’re getting so much done!
But maybe your “multitasking” is more of task batching. I’m going to use cleaning a bathroom as an example of task batching.
You go to clean the bathroom and you bring all the cleaning supplies you need. While in the bathroom, you clean everything you planned to do. Wiped all the mirrors, dusted/cleaned surfaces, cleaned the toilet, sinks, and shower, swept and mopped the floor. You haven’t done any other tasks outside of the bathroom.
So instead of looking at your list of multiple things to do, you can try task batching them together especially if they pertain to the same thing or room (like in the cleaning example).
Prioritize
When you’re overwhelmed and/or don’t know where to begin and the list feels huge, prioritizing 3-5 tasks can help you get more done.
Well why only a few tasks when the list has so many more?
Simple. Getting a few things done is better than getting nothing done.
When you prioritize, you pick the most important things that you know you’d like to get done that day. And if you get to the other things, great! If not, that’s okay too.
Yes, we want to get things done. Don’t we all. But we can’t always do it all in one day.
So how to simply get things done? Just do it. Do it when you can. Can you trade the scrolling for a task or two?
Write the list, make the choice, and get things done. You got this!
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