How to Get Going On Things You Have Been Putting Off

We probably all have ‘things’ in our minds or on our To Do lists that we want or ought to do, and would definitely feel better if we did do.

Anything can fall into this category from clearing out a cupboard, having that potentially difficult conversation, getting your finances organised, taking more exercise, to doing something more interesting in the evening that just watching telly.

The things we don’t get around to doing nag at us, sap energy and often spoil our enjoyment of how we do spend our time.

Here are some quick tips to clearing that backlog which has been bothering you.

Write down all your outstanding tasks. Mark all these tasks in order of importance.  I find the traffic light system works well.  Red for urgent, amber for middling and green for low priority.

• Give yourself a deadline when you are going to clear the backlog of the urgent tasks.
  
• Ask yourself whether any tasks can be delegated or done in a different way.
• Are there any tasks which actually don’t really need doing at all and merely whims.
  
• Schedule in your diary when you are going to carry out each of these tasks.
  Still feel you maybe just going through the motions and may the defer the task yet again. 
  
  Try the following exercise.  Write down the advantages and disadvantages in two separate lists to remind you of the positive and negative consequences of your action or non action and have it on display.
  
  When you have completed the task give yourself a reward.