It can be difficult to stay focused on a task. If you are like me, I oftentimes find my mind wandering to far away places. It is also hard not to procrastinate, and to start a task when you are supposed to start it. With the technology and social media that is readily available to us, we can get easily distracted.
If you are finding it hard to get motivated to start working on a task, think of these tips to help get you started:
1.) Think beyond the task to the outcome.
To get started on a task, you should have in mind why you need to finish that task. Here is an example. To book your summer trip, you need to start saving now and continue to do so in the next few months so that you can buy tickets during winter season when fares are lower. It can save you a lot of money that you can use as a down payment to buy a car!
If you have an end goal in mind, the greater the chance that you will start and stick to the task. If a goal is not in sight for a task, create one. Such an example is in cleaning the house. You need to start cleaning the whole house now because your dog walks around the house and then sleeps on the bed with you. The dirtier the floors are, the more dirt your dog will bring to your bed. Your goal is to not to have your dog bring dirt to your bed.
2.) If you finish it, it’s done and you can move on to another task.
The faster that you get a task done, the sooner that you can work on other things. Prioritizing and doing what needs to be done first is something that a mature adult should do. When the task is done, you do not have to worry about it anymore. If you keep a task waiting or if you take a lot of time completing it, you are not getting out of doing it. Taking a long time to finish a task only prevents you from doing other things that you would rather be doing. Also, when you stay on a task, there will be a smooth flow of energy, effort, and creativity.
3.) Look at it as a challenge.
Think of how good it will feel once you have accomplished a task through your own personal efforts. Won’t that make you feel more confident and strengthen your faith in yourself? If the great challenge of finishing a task is too daunting for you, make up a simple challenge for the task. Make a list of tasks that you need to do, then check off each task as you finish it. Let the crossing out of each completed task on your list be the challenge that you need to get it done.
4.) Know that if others can do it so can you.
You probably have not started a task because you are scared. What you should do is to think of all the other people in the world that have finished the task successfully. Every day, we are faced with some challenging tasks and while some people can do them, some do not. Be one of those that do their tasks. Think about a little child who can hike up and down that steep trail. If he can do it, so can you.
Face the fear and know that you are not the only person that is needing to finish a task in front of you. In the end, it all starts by getting ourselves motivated, and that motivation comes from how we perceive the task ahead of us.
