Is there a dam task you're avoiding?

No, that's not a typo, although "damn task" would be accurate, too.

What I mean is a task that you are avoiding and that gets in the way of doing other things you need to do.

Here, from my Procrastination Hall of Fame, is how dam tasks work:

1. You avoid a task that is a high priority.
   
   
2. Because you haven't done that task, you can't do tasks that can be done only after it, so you don't do those, either.
   
   
3. Even if the other tasks don't rely on the one you're avoiding, it feels wrong to go on to them since you really should be doing the dam task, so you don't do those, either.
   
   
4. You do things that are easier or more pleasant instead and move the 'dam' task over to the next day's to-do list.
   
   
5. Repeat until either life or someone else forces you to do it, or your level of self-loathing reaches a critical level. This can take a long time.

 

DAM TASKS CAN BE EASY

What makes a task a dam task sometimes has nothing to do with how big or difficult it is. It's all about how you feel about it. For instance, I've had a huge level of resistance to making a phone call that would take a couple of minutes. The problem is on the level of emotion, not logic.

 

THE SOLUTION

You could try to understand why you feel that way about the task you're avoiding--you know, make a list, trace it back to a traumatic incident when you were twelve, etc. That sounds like a GREAT way to continue delaying getting on with the dam task, so let's not go there.

Here are the three steps that work for me:

1. Write down the task on an index card. If it's a big task, break it down into chunks that you can do in 15 minutes. Describe the current chunk on the card and keep that in front of you.
   
   
2. The only thing you are allowed to do until that task is done is sit and stare at that card. No checking email, no going to any sites, no talking to anybody else, not even doodling. Just sitting and staring. Make sure you have an uninterrupted hour free for this. It's a good idea to do it first thing.
   
   
3. When the boredom or shame get too much, do the dam task.

This works, but you have to actually do it. Do you have a dam task? Stop reading blogs and apply my dam method.

ps: For additional unconventional tools for being more productive, get my book, Focus: Use the Power of Targeted Thinking to Get More Done, available from Amazon or your other favorite bookseller. But do your dam task first.