Hi,
Today's email is about how you can reduce procrastination by reducing your aversion to the things you need to do.
When we expect a task to be unpleasant, we usually become more likely to procrastinate on it, because we want to avoid that unpleasantness for as long as we can. This happens, for example, when we postpone finishing a work assignment that we think will feel tedious.
Fortunately, this means that you can make yourself more likely to take action, by making the things that you need to do feel less unpleasant. There are many ways to achieve this, depending on things like the task you’re facing and why you’re averse to it. The following are some illustrative examples:
Challenge yourself to work in short 5-minute bursts, if that makes the task less monotonous.
Give yourself permission to make mistakes, if that makes the task less intimidating.
Listen to energizing music while you work, if that makes the activity more fun.
Get a friend to help you, if that makes the work less boring.
Ask the person who assigned you the task for clarifications, if that makes the task clearer.
That said, reducing your task aversion sometimes won’t be enough, even if it helps, because some tasks that you need to do will still be somewhat unpleasant. When that happens, you should use additional anti-procrastination techniques, like unpacking overwhelming tasks into manageable steps and addressing your fears.
I hope you'll find this helpful.
Have a great week,
Itamar