Getting Work Done

by Lisa
(Atco, NJ)

I start my study sessions with a review of notes from lecture. (Prior to lecture I read all assigned material and do all assigned learning activities so that I only need to re-read certain material.)

Once I have looked through my notes from lecture I concentrate most on the material that I don't fully grasp. I do this by making study cards, re-reading material or asking one of my classmates to help me with clarification.

I have found that when I am feeling less than motivated to study, just doing it is the only way to go. Once I am in a groove the rest just flows.

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I picked out a couple of particularly interesting points from this post, Lisa.

You mention that ‘just doing it’ is the only way to get stuff done when you don’t feel like doing it.

This is the million dollar question...

How do we do things when we don’t feel like doing them?
As you rightly point out, the key to getting anything done is to just do it. Regular, focused action is the difference between imagining and achieving

But motivation is inconsistent. It depends on so many variables -- energy levels, awareness of the value of the task/project/assignment, deadlines, consequences, and so on.

The solution?

Don’t fight the system! Working according to how we feel reduces the resistance to getting started (something that has to be done over and over again for projects that consist of several hours’ work or more).

It’s only when we reach the ‘doing’ point that we actually get on with whatever it is we’ve decided to do. And the only ways to do it is to increase the motivation by removing the resistance.

Throughout this site I advocate ‘doing it daily’. Pick a priority project and work on it each day until it is finished.

I’ve found that this habit allows me to work for as long as I want to. Some days I might have the time and inclination to put in a couple of hours. Others, maybe just a few minutes.

As long as the work progresses regularly, there is scope for flexibility in terms of how much is done each day.

The second point from your post that caught my attention was the last thing you mentioned.

It’s true: once you’re in the groove, producing work becomes so much easier.

The power of momentum is something we’re all familiar with. But not so many of us experience it as often as we could because we find ways to resist the work we know we ‘should‘ do.

Bottom line:

Learning how to reduce the resistance to work is surprisingly easy. Once your do, you have access the power of momentum.