How to Get Things Done in Business - Even if You Absolutely Hate Those Things

[bkastner]

Are you stressed out right now about doing something you hate to do?
Does your life feel off balance?
Are you using procrastination as a defense mechanism?

A former professor of mine told me that if you have something unpleasant to do, don't put it off - it will only get worse. Many of us have "to do" lists that we create for ourselves on any particular day. It is not uncommon for this list to consist of ten or more items.

Some of us even prioritize the list either in their order of importance, or in the logistical order in which they would get checked off most efficiently. Rarely are we brave enough to put the unpleasant tasks first.

Upon further reflection, why should anyone begin one's day with something unpleasant? Why not first do something you like, and then do the dirty work? This way you already have something positive under your belt for the day.

The First Way to Ward Off the Things You Hate to Do

The concept of first doing something nice is well-documented. Some refer to it as a "spiritual reservoir". This means that every day you build up your spiritual bank account with "feel-good" types of things like giving charity, volunteering, going out of your way to do a favor for a stranger, getting your endorphin levels up by exercising or by just enjoying a good book.

Each time you do anything that either promotes a good feeling inside you or builds up your confidence in some way, it gets added to your account. As these kinds of points build up on the positive side of the ledger, over time it can accumulate to quite an impressive number.

Now imagine you are having a bad day, or better yet, you know in advance that you will be facing a tougher day than usual. As long as you know you have a positive balance in your "well-being" account, you simply withdraw a certain point value that you ascribe to the challenge you will be facing, and at the end of the day you still remain with a positive balance on your ledger.

For example, let's say you did 25 acts of kindness in the last week and you determined that you now have 100 points in your bank account. You have a crucial presentation to make in a couple of days and you are getting very nervous. It is taking something out of you, but it is hard to quantify. Tell yourself that the presentation is not the end of the world, and that this nervous energy is worth 30 points. In your overall perspective, it will cost you 30, but you still have 70 left in the bank.

Initial feelings of despair and disproportion suddenly fall away. When you see your account getting low, then you know you need to build it up once again. You can understand that if you allow the "state" of your account to go into overdraft, you are starting out from a point of distress and any additional challenges that come along your way will only add to that minus. Think about this reservoir as a protective seal that coats you with a thick layer of positive energy whenever you need it. The account is open 24 hours a day and deposits and withdrawals can be made accordingly.

Another Way to Reduce Stress and Keep Your Life in Balance by Getting the Things You Hate to Do Finished

Another tool that is effective in warding off the things you hate to do is called the "sandwich technique". For example: You are a boss and have to tell one of your employees that he hasn't been doing a good job lately.

Step 1: Start out with a compliment. The employee walks into your office and you ask him to sit down. Saying something nice will allow the employee to relax and be more open to the message you really want to deliver.

Step 2: Gently say what you have to say without destroying the person's self-worth.

Step 3: Close the sandwich by giving him another compliment or a word of encouragement. The two compliments will go to the positive side of the employee's ledger, which will then hopefully help him cope better with the criticism he just had to absorb.

Deposits containing faith, hope, courage, healing, inspiration and vitality can be made into your own account and likewise into other people's accounts. Proper maintenance of your spiritual bank account with all its checks and balances is highly recommended. You will get the things you hate to do done - and you will do it with less stress.

Dr. Bernie Kastner is a psychotherapist who helps entrepreneurs, small business owners and individuals (including college students) take charge of their life so they can achieve more of their goals. Now, you can get a free 4 minute audio that will inspire you to make the most of everything that comes your way. Get it now at: drbkastner.com

[wemakeiteasy]

Don't try to learn everything, and get everything done yourself. You'll burn out easily, and you'll need more than 24 hours in a day.

If you don't want to do it, and you have extra money, then find someone (preferably an expert) to do it for you.

This way, it will get done better, faster, and with little or no effort on your part.

[epvirtualassistants]

thank you fro sharing. i really learned from your post. thanks for you professor too

[sinc0123]

how do you start a thread on here

[Enrico]

This is good advice, especially the sandwich technique. Thanks for sharing.

[SteveG]

Some good advice above. It cannot be overstressed how important it is to stay on top of things and not get behind. I went through a horrible stage in my business where I was too busy. To many commitments and still saying yes to more. None of them were getting done and having a drink was the only thing that would make it go away.
For me the answer was simple, work as long as I had to work to finish what I started and learn how to say no. Always return phone calls with good or bad news and be 100% honest even if that is not what they want to hear. Once I got myself back on track I was actually surprised at how there never really was as much facing me as I had perceived. I learned what tasks tended to put me in paralasis and decided to farm those out if neccesary but make sure they were done. In my case filling out forms was daunting, it turned out my receptionist was more than capable of handling that for me and doing whatever little research was needed to complete them properly. Steve

[beeezo]

People are, generally, less impressed with what you say and more impressed with what you do or have accomplished.

With that in mind, remember that action is the key.... beat that into yourself...action now! Great information!

VBS Insight "48 Laws of Power – Small Business Rules Pt. 4"

[KMDAS]

All good tips!

Thank you for this.

[RKMVirtualAssistant]

There are some great tips here. I have found that it is important to outsource tasks (especially dreaded tasks) that can be outsourced to a qualified professional. This way, you are free to focus on the business building tasks that only you can take care of successfully. At the same time, your not so favorite tasks are being taken care of by someone who enjoys them more than you do, which means they are done more effectively and efficiently.

[Scar Tissue]

To get things done in business is like a team sport ,it would be much easier you have people that are cheering you on,encouraging your success. When people think think they can do anything, often they end up doing nothing.

[Diko17]

Thank you for all those good thoughts!! Good ways to remain positive and do what you need to do to succeed in life.

[guidemesingapore]

The sandwich technique is excellent. Can be used for everything related to the office.

[stellamary]

People are constantly on the search for information online for various personal as well as business purposes. You may open an interactive website and pull a lot of visitors in, to sell your product.I want to know more about the technique,...am from online outsourcing process...keep sharing.

[JayZSoho]

"For me the answer was simple, work as long as I had to work to finish what I started and learn how to say no. Always return phone calls with good or bad news and be 100% honest even if that is not what they want to hear. Once I got myself back on track I was actually surprised at how there never really was as much facing me as I had perceived. I learned what tasks tended to put me in paralasis and decided to farm those out if neccesary but make sure they were done."

-Steve G

Steve, I particularly agree with you here. I find that the prospect of completing certain tasks will paralyze me--afterwards, I feel so overwhelmed with everything I have to do that nothing seems to get finished. But once I take a proactive approach, and even complete the "unpleasant" tasks, I feel like a heavy burden has been lifted and I am free to feel at ease, happy, and very productive. It kind of reminds me of a roller coaster at six flags.

-Jay

[soloads]

GREAT tips. I outsource a lot of my work because there obviously aren't more than 24 hrs a day for me to do everything. And in my outsourcing I have a team of about 5 regular employees. I actually use the sandwich effect A LOT. Except that my sandwiches tend to be three layers thick, LOL!!! Anyway, I am the type that always tries to find a positive side to things. It is something I also implement at home with my kids and my wife. Especially my wife. After she launched her writing blog she tends to complicate herself way too much. She is an excellent writer and her clients have told her so, but she is just too much of a perfectionist. I have to often remind her that it is ok not to know everything (like certain subjects she has to write about) and it is ok to miss a comma or two, that is why their is REVISION. She is just to hard on herself. BUT one thing she has learned is that she should write the articles that are a bit more challenging first. This makes the easy ones seem like a piece of cake!