How to Cope with Boring Work
The problem with a lot of jobs is that they are boring. It's okay, say it with me: the job is boring. Admit it. As they say: "that's why they pay you to do it."
Ideally we'd all have stimulating work that just pushes our specific joy buttons all day long, and that's what you should be striving TOWARDS, but today you gotta just fill out that expense report.
Boooooooooooooriiiiiiiiiiiing
You gotta get it done, somehow, and get yourself through the day or you won't have ANY job, boring or otherwise. How can you get yourself through this?
Reframe it: "Boring" = "Easy"
I'm not going to tell you to "trick yourself into thinking it's FUN 
" because I've tried that and it doesn't usually work. What does work, sometimes, is reframing the situation. The work isn't boring, it's easy (and often this is true). You procrastinate because you know that finishing the work holds little intrinsic satisfaction.
If you're lucky enough to be able to enjoy music at work, tell yourself that you're NOT filing out this boring expense report, you're ENJOYING MUSIC. The expense report is just there to keep your fingers busy. It's easy.
Fill out this form? EASY.
Call Accounting? EASY.
Force yourself to smile and enjoy other things about your day, and your mood will lift. The work will sink to the background.
Set up a Carrot
Boring work is usually easy and it's also, usually, kind of pointless. You're just doing it because it's a thing that people at your company do. It's not really accomplishing anything.
You need to set up an external carrot, such as ten guilt-free minutes of web time. Time spent talking with your coworkers. A snack break.
Set the bar a bit lower than your normally would. If you can't focus for your regular hour, focus for 20 mintues. 5 minutes. Just this one thing. Whatever it takes to keep you moving forward.
Make it a contest
Set up a count-up timer and see how FAST you can do it - the faster you can not-have-to-do-it-anymore!
Who are you helping?
Ask yourself: who am I helping by doing this boring work?
Whose life am I making easier? Is your boss going to be able to do a better job if the reports are properly filed? Will the admin have an easier time meeting her deadlines if she has the proper form filled out in time? Will these letters get to their destinations faster and more efficiently once they are sorted - connecting a happy sender to a happy recipient?
Try to imagine the exact person you are helping. If you don't know them, just invent them in your mind. Imagine their smiling face when they see the results of your completed task.
Even if they don't usually recognize or appreciate it, imagine that they will and focus as that as you chunk away at the task.
Okay, good luck and have a happy rainy Friday 
Weekly Goal Review – part 3 of 3
In previous posts, I taught you what a List Binder is and how to make one, and a strategy for scheduling your Work Days. But what do you do when you go home?
Weekly List Review – part 2 of 3
How to Schedule Your Work Week.
Last week, I told you about a strategy to organize all the different projects and responsibilities you have going on in your life. Now that you have all the "next steps" that you need to do written down for every project, it's STILL paralyzing. There's so much to do, and you will still be stuck trying to decide what the most important thing you should be working on is.
This week, I'm going to help you break that giant binder full of lists into ONE LIST of actions that you are going to tackle this week.
** Note, this strategy is best for your WORK DAY, when you have eight full hours to dedicate to the tasks. I use a different strategy to plan my PERSONAL LIFE and PERSONAL GOALS, which I'll go over in part 3. If your work is more flexible (if you are self-employed for example and are free to mix up personal chores and professional obligations) your resulting system might be a mix of the two strategies.
The List Binder (part 1 of 3)
Never Let Anything Slip Through the Cracks Again!
Do you ever get the feeling that there's something important that you're NOT doing? There's something... ARGH- it was right on the tip of your brain!
Isn't it infuriating to have a spare moment to think and you KNOW you could be maximizing it to its full potential if you JUST. KNEW. WHAT. TO. DO!
Then the moment passes, and you find something else to occupy the time.
Weeks later you're reminded of a project you were assigned to and - DRAT, the deadline is coming up and now you're snowed under with tasks!
At work and in my life I have a LOT going on. A lot of different projects and responsibilities, all with different tasks, different priority levels, different timelines, different consequences and rewards. It's a lot to keep on top of, and I certainly couldn't do it on my own.
Recently I started using a system I've nicknamed the "One Note Binder" (because I designed it when I was frustrated that I couldn't use Microsoft OneNote at work) or the "List Binder". I thought I'd share my process with you all...
Conquer Email – 1 of 2
Things are getting kind of busy around here with some upcoming conventions, my apologies for missing last Friday's post! To compensate, this week I'll update twice, with this two part series on Email managment. These are my own personal email management strategies.
Part 1: Getting out of the mess you're already in
Turning your Goals into ACTIONS
Nanaimo, BC
If you've been through my list of goal-setting excercises, you should have a pretty long list of goals. Some of them might be very lofty and fanciful, and others might be very simple and immediate.
Go through your list of goals and ask yourself for each one: what will I need to accomplish BEFORE I can tackle that goal?
Prioritizing: Five Questions You Should Ask Yourself
Car Garden in Toronto, Ontario
1) If I DON'T do this right now, what is the worst thing that could happen?
- Really step out of your current situation and look at your tasks as if you were an outsider. If you don't get enough money to pay the rent on time, you'll get evicted. If you don't finish your essay on time, you'll lose some credit towards a grade. If you don't submit a piece to an online contest, some person on the internet might be a bit disappointed. Now, in hindsight, getting evicted because you skipped work to finish that piece for the online contest would seem pretty silly. When you're emotionally wrapped up in the contest, it can seem like a really tough choice to make, but really boil things down to THE WORST thing that will happen. If you finish your shift at work, then your essay, you might still have time to submit something to the contest (bonus)! But if you did things in the opposite order, the consequences are much more severe.
How to Write Awesome Action Lists
- Quebec City
We all have a massive list of things to do hanging over our heads. (Or things we should be doing. Or things we wish we had time to do.)
Many people shy away from the idea of an Action List (or a "To Do" list). Seeing all those tasks in front of you can be daunting. But the devil you know is a lot easier to fight than the devil you don't. Once your problems are out in front of you, you will be able to break them down and tackle them: piece by piece. By having a step-by-step plan spelled out in front of you, it's easy to get in a groove and mechanically work through the list. You'll be amazed by how much you can get done!