In Paperwork Sucks I told how I was getting all sorts of things done while procrastinating about doing some paperwork. When the time came I would take advantage of my basic gullibility and find some task even more onerous. Then I would do the paperwork to procrastinate doing the new job.
Engaging the Subconscious
In fact it didn’t work out that way. Instead I put the paperwork on my Possibility List and got it out once a day to look at it. For the first three days I decided it was too complicated…it was dealing with medical bills and as an example there was an item on the list dated 6/12/07. In that case it wasn’t the insurance company’s fault, the provider had sent in the wrong code and didn’t seem to care. In other cases bills had been sent in several times with the right code but the insurance agents were confused about what was covered. So they would look up our terms of coverage and resubmit, which meant we wouldn’t know for a month or so if it went through that time.
So just looking at the mess and putting it right back was more than enough for the first step.
But that was enough to get my trusty subconscious interested. I do Sudoku problems for fun, and the ones I’m doing now are even more complicated than the paperwork. So why couldn’t I see that as a game? Hmm…it was the fact that I had no control over getting things finished.
Redefining the Game
I decided that was my problem…I was setting myself up for frustration by wanting something I had no control over. And I was assuming the paperwork was a hateful chore. But who says? What if I approached the problem in the spirit of play? Maybe I couldn’t push and get things done, but I could get curious. So I started playing Sherlock Holmes…I went through all the information I had, revised my organization so it was easier to see what what going on and made the appropriate phone calls to see how things were coming. As a women in one of the billing departments said, “Things aren’t going as fast as we would like, but progress is being made.” Not a bad motto.
As an added bonus, the 6/12/07 item has actually been marked “Done!”
In the Fullness of Time
The proof of my new attitude came Friday when some more paperwork came in. Instead of groaning I could actually look at it as part of a huge game, sort of like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. Instead of mentally fighting it I phoned my insurance company and explained that yes, this item should have been covered. Then I wrote my notes about the conversation in my little chart and put a reminder in my calendar program to check on this in about five weeks. All I have to do is pretend I’m playing and and trust that in the fullness of time things will be resolved. In one sense it’s like watching a garden grow. And if I need a feeling of resolution, I can always solve a Sudoku, write a post, or finish some other chore.
It may sound silly, but it works for me. My subconscious loves to play, and that’s a powerful asset.
What About You?
Have you ever turned a chore into a game? What keeps you from doing it more often?
Most of us have a need to control at least part of our lives. How strong is that need in you? How does it manifest itself?
I haven’t turned a chore into a game in a long while. I used have the philosophy that any job could be fun if you made it so. Over time, though, I lost that philosophy as well as losing sight of the concept that my attitude was my choice.
I have a bad habit of doing the easy things that I enjoy and putting of the things that are harder, even the harder things that give me pleasure. I need to shift my attitude just a tad.
Mike Goads last blog post..When the Bubbles Burst
Actually, I’d rather get really, really angry and call up and yell at some poor creature who is just earning a living. Then I’d be sorry, because I know it isn’t her fault. But, in fact, unpleasantness often has results. And being endlessly cheerful can get tiresome. Getting mad is a sort of catharsis, even if it isn’t nice.
Anne Giberts last blog post..February
Music is my saviour. I can manage almost everything with music on. For those dreadly tasks where music cannot be played simultaeneously, I just try to get it done as quickly as possible since the task keeps following me around in my head wherever I go.
Avani-Mehtas last blog post..How To Create Lasting Relationships
Mike,
It’s so easy to forget. One of the main reasons I blog is to keep reminding myself.
Anne,
I know a lot of people who agree with you. It doesn’t work for me…I learned when I was kid that getting angry wasn’t cathartic for me, it just made me feel worse. So I had to come up with a different strategy.
Avani-Mehta,
Music is a good idea. It probably wouldn’t work for me, though, because I find music distracting when I’m trying to think. Just another example of one size doesn’t fit all.
I know what you mean about tasks following us around in our heads. That’s why my Possibility List works for me. It doesn’t say I have to do the task now, but it keeps reminding me until it’s clear I’ll feel a lot freer when I face up to doing it.
I can’t say I’m a fan of getting angry. In my experience, being pleasant and upbeat (cheerful, Jean?) is easier than being angry and it always works. Sometimes, I resort to humor, however. That works, too!
I really liked this suggestion, Jean. I’m particularly bad about putting off chores that involve numbers (ie. financial ones) because my mind ain’t good with them. I’m wondering, now, about how I DO finally get down to it: I think I pretend I’m someone else! Someone terribly efficient and a bustle-around type. Phone to my ear, pen tapping, neat piles of TO DO stuff, I am the quintessential administrative person. Hah!
Jodys last blog post..On The Move Again
I do all of the above comments. The only one that doesn’t work is the music one. My husband has soft droney classical music on when he’s on computer which is a lot. He doesn’t listen to it. I hear every nuance since I majored in music, so I can’t concentrate on anything. And I hate the music. If it’s a physical job I need loud, wild music. Rock is good.
I like a list to free my head. My list of 30 possibilities goes down by 4 in a day if I keep at it. (Those jobs are quickly back.)
I do like Jody does. I pretend I’m someone else; to stand straight, climb a mountain on my bike when I was with the group, etc.
Mike, it helps to start the day with a task you are avoiding. Then do the easy ones. (Easier said than done.)
I’m not a game player so that theory doesn’t work. When the family was playing board games after dinner, I was doing the dishes—a long time ago–not a good excuse.
Jody,
Yes! Pretending you’re someone else, someone with the personality and abilities suited to the job at hand. I do that at times and it’s fun as well as effective. It makes me feel like a little kid playing.
I also agree that humor helps. My husband and I use it a lot.
bikehikebabe,
I agree with you about background music…it just doesn’t work for me. And for some people it’s a powerful tool.
What a great idea!
My picture can be found next to the word “procrastinator” in most dictionaries. I find that deadlines with a threat of imminent death are one of the few things that promote tasks to the do it now list.
I will have to give your advise a try. Who knows, maybe I can find a better way.
Namaste,
Roger
Roger,
Please let us know how it turns out. 😉
Like Avani, music can help put me in a playful mood for chores, but only for things that don’t need my mind to focus. At one point, I had a habit of putting on makeup before tackling an ugly task. I don’t know whether it was serving as a mask or helped me feel like a character, but it worked!
Love the post – but what grabbed me even more powerfully was you comment that one of the reasons you blog is to keep reminding yourself! I immediately thought, “You, too?”
Sara,
I don’t wear makeup but I understand why it would help. If I need to organize/do paperwork I need to make sure my workroom is uncluttered first. And if the apartment is in serious need of uncluttering it helps if I make one small area neat. Taking pleasure in looking at that section inspires me to expand it.
Conrad,
Oh, yes. I taught stress management for a long time just so I would practice what I was preaching. I vowed at least one person would get something out of each class…me. 😉
Also I’ve read about accountability groups, where you get together with like-minded people to keep each other focused and motivated. That never worked because I couldn’t find people who really wanted to follow through on things. I found writing in my journal worked just fine.
Hey, good idea about making chores like a game. Better yet, get the kids involved. That way, it’ll be faster for everyone and doing something meaningfully together!
I like to get on with doing things. I guess this means having control.
I don’t like feeling there is nothing I can do to get out of a bad situation so I guess this means I value control.
I guess it’s a pretty strong need.
Evelyn,
I couldn’t agree more about involving the kids. We did a of projects with my daughter when she was young. We not only have great family memories, she learned a lot of skills.
Evan,
I think having some feeling of control is important to most of us. It’s been a big motivating force in my own life.
For me a chore is a chore and has to be done without much ado. I have not tried to convert it into a game but in all honesty, I do not see the need for it. I am reasonably up to date with all my activities and fairly efficient too. I do get annoyed occasionally with myself when I find myself unable to say no to something that breaks my rhythm and I have to hurry to catch up with some unfinished or undone chores that got so because of the interruption. It is at these times that I need to summon up all my reserve serenity to get back on keel!
rummusers last blog post..Zardari’s Admission
rummuser,
That’s certainly a grown-up way of doing things. My little kid likes a bit of adventure in life and has fun getting it without leaving home. 🙂
Thanks for this post. What I find most important in enjoying my tasks from moment-to-moment is remembering that, in the big picture, what I’m doing is part of giving my gifts to the world. So even when I’m paying my taxes, for instance, I keep in mind that I wouldn’t be able to operate my business and make the contributions I make to the world without doing it.
Chris Edgar | Purpose Power Coachings last blog post..Upcoming “Productive Mind And Heart” Talk
Chris,
That’s a good point. Doing things with a feeling of connection and contribution keeps us from feeling helpless.
Hi Jean, I’ve given you the Premio Dardos Award – please check my blog for details. You are most deserving!
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Premio Dardos Awards
Congrats on the Premio Dardos Award! Well deserved.
Brad,
Thanks! I’ll check out your post and your other recommendations.
Conrad,
Thank you. 🙂
As a person realizes that certain things are not meant to be controlled by human beings, then life takes on a different meaning.
Liara Coverts last blog post..Retrace the dots & reprogram the mind
Liara, by that, do you mean that certain things are controlled by other entities or aspects of the universe, or do you mean that certain things are not controlled at any level? That coordination operates in a very different manner?
Conrads last blog post..Our Cultural Relationship to Truth
Liara,
I don’t know what you mean by “life takes on a different meaning,” but I agree that there are a lot of things we can’t control. That’s why the Serenity Prayer is so popular.