When your motivation is low, it’s hard to get started on your work. And nothing can sap your motivation quite like feeling you’re out of control of your work. To counter that feeling, give yourself ways to feel in control.
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As advice site Barking Up the Wrong Tree explains, feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of task gives you the sense that you’re not in control. That helplessness makes it difficult to feel the motivation to figure out how to start. If you’re struggling with how to get started, begin by looking for a way to control the chaos.
Astronauts, Special Forces soldiers and even Samurai agree: a feeling of calm control can reduce how much you stress about a task. But what’s an easy way to get that control flowing through your veins?
David Allen, the guy behind the popular Getting Things Done productivity system, says we often feel stressed because projects seem too big and scary. So break intimidating tasks down into tiny steps that you can easily manage.
There are plenty of ways to adjust how you do a task to feel more in control. You can break a big, overwhelming project into smaller, manageable steps. You can move your work to a workspace where you feel more comfortable (though ideally not where you also relax). Even tweaking the way you get a task done just so it feels more “yours” can give you the sense of control to feel like you can handle getting down to work.
This Is How To Be Productive Without Being Miserable: 8 Proven Secrets [Barking Up the Wrong Tree]
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