We had a surprise snowstorm here in Virginia last Monday. Eight inches! No road treatment was done since only a tenth of an inch was expected so most of us stayed home until there was some afternoon melting.

During the storm I received an email from a client who had decided to use the time stuck at home to catch up on billing her clients. The only problem was, she just couldn’t make herself sit down and do it. She kept finding all sorts of other things to fiddle with, so she asked if I had any words of wisdom to help her.

Procrastinating, especially for those tasks that don’t rank high on your list of passions, can be a challenge! I gave her a couple of quick tips that I thought I’d pass long here.

1. I asked her to get in touch with how she was thinking about the billing task. Where was the resistance? Perhaps–It’s tedious, boring, hard–or all of the above? Then I asked her to think how she could shift her thinking into the positives of this task to soften her resistance. For example: “Isn’t it great that I have clients to bill?”
“Once I get the billing done I can look forward to the flow of money coming to me!” Picture the task done, get into the feeling of accomplishment or whatever feeling you expect to have upon completion. Imagine a nice full bank account!

2. Think of ways to make the task more enjoyable, such as putting on beautiful background music, and settling in with a nice cup of tea, coffee, or hot cocoa. Perhaps set up a reward for when the task is completed, such as a good movie.

3. The Five Minute Method: This is a great technique for when you just can’t seem to shift out of resistance to a task. Tell yourself you will commit to doing it for only five minutes. Set a timer. At that time, you get to take a break for ten minutes. Then commit to another five minutes. Most of us can do anything for just five minutes. Knowing you don’t have to force yourself through hours of tedious work will lessen the resistance and allow you focus in. At the five minute mark, assess how you feel. Do you want the break, or are you now on a roll? Either choice is fine. I usually find, however, that the most resistance is at the beginning, and once I’m into a task I like to keep going. It is still important to stop and assess how you feel at regular intervals, however. When you overwork at a task and don’t give your body the movement, hydration, or other break it needs, this reinforces the feeling of the task being monumental and difficult. Stop before you are mentally exhausted, even if it’s not all completed. Celebrate your progress!

I don’t think we’ll find ourselves stuck inside during snowstorms too often at this point in the year, but hopefully this will help with those necessary yet unpleasant tasks that you just can’t seem to settle down to do. Ready for joyful tax preparation, anyone?