It’s no secret, I’m a reluctant gardener! My wife on the other hand loves pottering in the green and brown stuff.

Whenever I do any gardening it’s because my wife can’t do it. So, if there’s any strenuous digging or heavy lifting involved, then I’m the obvious and best candidate for the job. I still don’t like it! And while I’m doing it, I have one primary thought in mind – “get finished as soon as I can!”

But there’s a weird twist here. Once I’m done and see what I’ve contributed, I have a strangely warm sense of satisfaction. Firstly, I’ve helped my wife avoid killing herself (she’s pretty clumsy at the best of times), secondly the garden always looks nicer and to which I’ve contributed. But there’s still the point of me being an unwilling participant and working through the task with gritted teeth most of the time.

I’d like to relate this to someone else – YOU!

Ever been asked to do something and the first thing that comes to mind is:
“Noooo!”
Or
“What’s my motivation to do this crappy job?”
Or
“Arghhh… I need inspiration to get started!”

Sound familiar?

There are times when we’re tasked with something we might not like or care for. And if you identify then I have a golden rule I adopt that takes the sting out of performing the more unpleasant tasks in life.

It’s quite simple… block out the time

Calculate realistically how much time you’ll need to complete the task. Commit that time to your head. If it’s three hours then accept that for the next three hours, this is all that you will be doing. Then begin.

Understanding the duration of a task somehow eases its burden. It seems to make it easier to work through – digging holes included. And when I’ve applied this approach, I’ve often been pleasantly surprised when checking the clock to see that I was already more than halfway through. I’ve also tended to work more efficiently, many times finishing earlier than my allocated end time. This is because when you start something grudgingly, your mindset isn’t clear and it really is double punishment. Your focus isn’t on the ball and your performance automatically suffers. This applies to anything!

So be kind to yourself. Accept the task, accept the time it’s going to take, get going and you’ll be done sooner than you think.

I still don’t like gardening!

Photo: Lukas – pexels.com

Georg Voros is a Performance Consultant with 45+ years of top-level experience and author of two books on performance. He delivers high-impact workshops on productivity and flow, and offers tailored mentoring packages to support personal growth and achievement. Learn more at www.vorosperformance.co.uk