How to Focus on Dreaded Tasks

How to focus on dreaded tasks

There are many things we have to do that we don’t enjoy, are uncomfortable doing, or even dread it with every bone in our body - and yet, we must get it done.?

As an athlete, there may be training sessions that we enjoy and those that suck - whether it’s a long, monotonous 3,000m pool swim, a 90km bike ride followed by a 5km ‘brick’ run in the hot sun, or even mobility and flexibility stretching sessions. Or household chores that we keep putting off like cleaning up the store room or garage. As an entrepreneur or business leader, it could delivering tough feedback, scrutinising monthly management accounts, or worse, implementing a cost-cutting exercise.

When we reflect back, we realise that the tough stuff is worth it, but when we’re in the middle of it, it can be really difficult to find the motivation to focus on what needs to get done. Why do we hit these walls? Why does our enthusiasm fade as the months and years pass by?

Our brain is wired to prefer things that are stable, predictable and familiar. It’s our survival instinct.? The brain’s entire responsibility is to control bodily activities, such as sleep cycles, temperature, food digestion, etc. It controls these systems in an attempt to keep the body steady and balanced - homeostasis.?

When we are faced with a challenging task that is out of our comfort zone, the brain has a lot of adjustments to make. It subconsciously is nudging you to delay or avoid that dreaded task that it views as a threat to your survival. But personal and professional growth does not happen in our comfort zone.

So, how do we nudge the brain to focus on these dreaded tasks and motivate ourselves to get them done?

In an earlier post in this #Focus2023 series, I talked about the Science of Focus and the role of our dopamine hormone as one of the three enablers of focus. Dopamine isn’t just about pleasure and reward, it is also about fueling the drive and motivation to get us to accomplish our goals.

?? One way to get started on those dreaded tasks is to break it down into small micro-goals. While many people think about breaking big projects into small steps, few write down these micro-level goals on paper, to get a quick dopamine shot when you cross it off the list. If I’m preparing? for a tough presentation, one micro-goal is to get the cover page and table-of-contents page done first.?

?? Next, I apply visualisation techniques to specifically guide the brain to think of the desired end-outcome of doing the dreaded task. Otherwise, our brain naturally keeps reminding us of the reasons why we dread the task, which can lead to procrastination. There’s a specific methodology for visualisation I use involving three steps - visual cues, auditory sounds, and kinesthetic movements - all vividly painting the success scenario in my mind, even before I start the challenging task.

?? Another dopamine-boosting technique I use to prep myself to take on dreaded tasks is to listen to a specific playlist of very familiar adrenaline-pumping mood-boosting songs (Eminem, Linkin Park, AC/DC) I avoid listening to new songs that I’m not familiar with even if they may still be upbeat. I don’t listen to this playlist at any other time - only when I really need to summon my motivational energy to take on difficult tasks.?

?? ?? ??Finally, whether it's with athletic training or running a business, I rope in other people - whether a coach or colleague - to tackle the challenge together. Shared commitment builds mutual accountability, helps unblock procrastination, and fuels motivation. For a recent massively daunting task we had to execute, my team at work held twice-daily stand-up meetings: first-thing in the morning to align priorities, and an evening ‘check-out’ to identify issues, regroup and support each other. Without them, I would not have been able to summon the focus to carry it out by myself.

How did you summon the drive and motivation to focus on executing a dreaded task or project recently?

P/S: I’m posting every Monday on LinkedIn about FOCUS & exploring the different habits and techniques we can use to sharpen our ability to concentrate.?

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