How to Help Yourself Work More Efficiently
Do you ever use psychology on yourself to help you work more efficiently? I do all the time.
For instance, yesterday I worked really hard and got a lot done. That was easily proved by looking at my to-do list and taking note of all the things that had been checked off. But at the end of the day I was discouraged. I felt like the house was a mess and I got nothing done.
This morning I knew I had to think through what it was that was discouraging me and come up with a remedy for it. If I'm discouraged I do not work well. I feel like my house is a hopeless case and wonder why I should even bother trying to clean it up.
In reality, it's never as bad as it feels like it is.
I have to use psychology on myself to encourage myself not to give up. If I give up things really will get bad and it will be an absolute nightmare to catch up.
I have two choices when I'm starting to feel discouraged about the housework.
1. Start with the easiest things first (like I do on Mondays.) When I do the quick and easy things first (like putting things where they belong as opposed to deep cleaning the bathroom), I can see immediate results and I realize things really weren't as bad as they looked. I am then encouraged enough to finish up the rest of the housework.
-OR-
2. Get the hardest thing over with right away. This was what needed to happen today. I really needed to clean out the refrigerator, to be exact. I thought about the reason I was discouraged at the end of the day yesterday and realized that although I had gotten a lot of cleaning done, I hadn't accomplished the one thing that was really bothering me. Knowing how icky the inside of my refrigerator was was messing with my head. It was making me feel like everything was dirty. So I broke my rule about getting the dishes done first and started in on the fridge first thing this morning.
As soon as it was done I immediately felt better. My mind became clear enough to see that the rest of the cleaning could easily be finished up.
Don't worry about the weird container in the back. The fridge leaks water and we have to keep a container in there to catch it.
What is holding you back from being more productive? Do you need to do something that will help you see some quick results? Or do you need to dig in and work on something that's been hanging over your head and discouraging you?
Our emotions affect our productivity more than we realize. There are no rules that says a house must be cleaned in a certain order. If you are struggling and feel like you are never going to get it all done, try to figure out what will help you feel better. (Sorry, chocolate doesn't count!) Take the time to identify what is dragging you down emotionally and work with yourself, not against yourself.
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