3 Tips To Focus On Boring Work (From A Serial Procrastinator)
I hate being bored, but a successful business cannot be built without buckling down and knocking out the boring work.
One mental framework that has helped me is knowing that I don't have to do the boring work forever, just until my business is successful enough for me to hire someone else to do it. AI has helped a good bit as well for tasks I have systematized well enough to give good prompts. But some things just have to be done by a person, and in a 1-person business, that means me.
Since the boring work must be done by me and I want to be successful, here are 3 tips that have helped me get it done consistently.
Tip 1: Get Started For 10 Minutes
When you're procrastinating, starting a 4-hour task seems impossible.
Instead of thinking about how long you need to work, switch to trying to work for "just" 10 minutes. Set a timer if you need to, but the goal is just to get started. If the 10 minutes are up and you're not into it, you can try again in 5 minutes till you get in a groove.
It's better to get started for 10 minutes several times a day than to continue putting off the work for days or weeks (or months...).
Tip 2: Listen To Green Noise
I can't stand working in silence, but I also get easily distracted.
I used to think I could be perfectly productive while a movie or show played in the background, but I realized I was watching more than working. Switching to music was an improvement, but I'd still find myself wondering what song was playing, switching to something it made me think of, or trying to come up with the perfect playlist. Green noise seems to be the best way for me to get above silence without adding a new distraction.
What type of noise is less important than having some good noise cancelling headphones in and the noise up to quiet outside distractions or the voices in your head.
Tip 3: Gamify Your Priority
Looking back, I used to play video games for hours without moving, so how could I recreate that flow state for productive purposes?
Since I want to be consistent with things like writing articles, I can up with "level unlocks" for achieving consistency. Websites like Typeshare build this in by displaying your streak for days posted in a row. What's more, I've found that the higher my streak gets, the more likely I am to continue it because resetting from a high number feels more devastating than 5.
Figure out what consistency you want to achieve, then target the number of days accomplished in a row (just make sure it's something you can control like posting, not something you cannot like likes/comments).
