MOTIVATION

Looking Forward To Hard Work?

The power of perception

Photo by Alex Woods on Unsplash

We all have our good days, and our bad ones. Whether it’s because you’re exhausted, worried about something (work or non-work related) or just not in the mood, an unproductive day is a setback we all have to contend with once in a while.

It’s how we percieve it that matters.

A Mistaken Belief

Being in the mood to do something works wonders.

You’re more productive because you’re having fun, right?

Unless you provide yourself with the ideal conditions to work in, ‘the mood’ will rarely come to you on its own. That’s why it’s important not to burn yourself out and rest every once in a while.

A break won’t get you in the mood to write that awkward, uncomfortable email , but tackling it when you’re refreshed helps.

A common misconception is that if you arrive at work feeling excited, eager and focused, you’ll get everything done quickly. Your work will be easy, engaging and fun.

Wakeup call incoming.

Regardless of how good a mood you turn up to work in, you’ll still find the same calibre of challenges awaiting you at your desk. Trying to preserve the ‘good mood’ feeling will tend to result in abandoning hard or overwhelming tasks, leading to deadlines being missed.

Disclaimer: I’m not saying a day’s work isn’t done unless you feel like you’ve been hit by train, but it’s important to acknowledge the fact that not all your tasks will always be rewarding.

Somedays The Trash Has To Be Taken Out.

Doing unpleasant work often feels uncomfortable or difficult. It’s like you’re forcing yourself to do something you really don’t want to do, which can feel coercive.

No wonder you avoid it! Who wants to feel coerced?

It’s important to take a step back at this point and take a wider (psychological) perspective of things.

If we only focused on doing the fun stuff, that would imply we’d never do anything hard. It’s this mind-frame that has to change.

What if we could reverse engineer this thought, to help us tackle harder tasks, or even (dare I say it) look forward to them?

The Trick To Approaching Hard Tasks Without ‘The Mood’

Perception is everything.

Working out at 5 am can either be seen as a drag, or a chance to beat a record.

That uncomfortable email you have to send by tonight can either be seen as a problem, or an attempt at being diplomatic.

Writing this article can either be seen as a chore (I’m not particularly in the mood to write) or as a chance to share my views about something I believe in.

It’s all about the way you perceive things.

Acknowledging the fact that a workday isn’t just made up of easy or fun tasks is the key.

Once you place yourself in that mindset, you’ll be able to change your perception of any task, no matter how hard it may feel. Purposefully seeing difficult tasks in a different light will make them seem less daunting.

Look forward to challenging times — they’re opportunities to practice being positive.

Being Grateful

This might sound like a cliché, but it’s also important to be grateful what you've achieved. Sometimes a particularly daunting task can be enough to make you want to quit.

That’s fine, but don’t quit.

Looking back at what you’ve achieved is important, no matter how little it may be in comparison to others.

I’m coming up on 500 total reads on Medium. Sure, some writers make that off a single article, but I can’t let that get me down.

My reasoning should be; 500 reads over a few weeks is still progress compared to the day I started.

Think of your challenging task as building a house. Whether you’ve only finished the foundations, or you’re laying the last row of tiles on the roof, there's still progress that can be measured (and used to spur you on).

Difficult Is Meaningful

You probably don’t remember the first time you rode in a car, but I’m sure you remember your first time driving.

Difficult experiences tend to be more meaningful because more effort went into them. They’re the reason to keep going, even when the future is uncertain.

Having a few meaningful (difficult, uncomfortable or downright hard) episodes under your belt will help fortify you for whatever comes next. You’re not afraid of what you've conquered, so why should you shy away from a challenge, even if you’re not sure how to tackle it?

The Morals Of The Story

1. Don’t wait for ‘the mood’ to find you. Create the ideal conditions to ‘get the job done’ yourself.
2. Stop yourself shying away from hard work. Through your perception, a difficult task can turn into a challenging opportunity.
3. Be grateful for all your past achievements. Don’t rate them according to other people’s standards.
4. Be open to the idea that a harder task will mean a more meaningful experience that will make you stronger.

Mastering the ability to tackle challenges regardless of your mood is a challenge in itself. You should be poud of yourself when you manage to conquer it, no matter how long it takes. Good Luck, I’m counting on you!