Do you feel you are trapped in an infernal spiral of tasks that aren’t moving forward but take up all your available brain time? Solutions for getting out of a rut.
Based on
I Didn’t Do the Thing Today by Madeleine Dore, (Penguin Random House, 2022).
1/ Set limits to get going
Putting up boundaries enables you to “prime the pump” gently.
Start with the finish line in mind. You can begin a task more easily when you know how you will go about it, the end goal and the deadline. Set your timer for each work session devoted to the task.
Turn mountains into molehills. Divide your mountain of work up into simple sub-tasks on which you can concentrate easily. Once you have completed the first “molehill”, the mountain won’t seem so daunting.
Visualize your limits. Organize your work into three columns: to do, in progress, done. Respect two key limits: 1/ Never have more than three tasks “in progress” at the same time 2/ Set a clear and realistic time limit for each one.
Set your own deadlines. According to Parkinson’s Law, “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” So set your own deadlines to avoid procrastination. You can ask an “accomplice” to remind you of them regularly (either in person or remotely).
Remember you are human: a task may take twice as long to complete as planned, but it’s no big deal. Don’t start out with overly-ambitious limits.
A graduate of HEC and the Master's program in Psychology at Université Paris Cité, Marianne combines her expertise in management and human sciences to produce written content in the fields of higher education, publishing, and corporate communication. She also works as a psychologist.
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