First, I try to understand why I don't want to do them. Am I balking because of laziness, or something more? For instance, the past month I've been unmotivatd to do anything. I've been angry and mean with pretty much everyone and everything. In reality, I'm in pain, both physical and more importantly emotional, from some bad health news relating to my father and unresolved "issues" there. Identifying that helps identify *why* I don't want to do something.
Frequently, my avoidance of one task will be completely unrelated to the trigger for avoiding it. For instance, I used to get panic attacks when just thinking about a particular job I was working on. No reason for it-- it was stressful, but not overly so. I avoided it, didn't call people back, etc. My cousin's wedding was just aroudn the corner. One day, my aunt called to tell me that my other aunt, who I no longer speak to, had decided not to come "because of Stephie" (me). I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief, laughed a bit, and was from then on able to work-- even on 9/11, a few weeks later.
If it's not an emotional thing holding me back, or even if it is, if I can break it down into a smaller piece, like "15 minutes of decluttering" or "1 load of laundry today," then it's manageable, and I'm able to get through it.
When it's something like a massive deadline, I often end up doing Everything But That Deadline. This, I have learned, is either deadline-avoidance or massive creativity just building itself up. I can't figure out which, though. I do know that, in many cases, if I do not actually do the busy work to avoid the other work, then I can't get the other work done, either. Doing the busy work clears my head and gets me back on track. Eventually. |
