How to Find Joy in Dull, Mundane Yet Essential Daily Tasks

Posted on: August 7th, 2017 in Mindset by Pat Mesiti | No Comments

You may have learnt from experience that it is hard to excel at something you dislike. And it is also highly unlikely that you are going to make good money from doing a job you dislike. I believe that if you don’t love what you do then you need to find something else however the truth is, even the best jobs have elements that aren’t enjoyable, elements that are mundane and dull – yet they still must be done!

Over the years I’ve worked with many real estate agents. Real estate agents tend to be sociable. They love meeting new people, but the job also requires a lot of paperwork. Real estate agents need to be able to read contracts and write advertorials on homes. That part of the job is not sociable, but it must be done. Do you have to do mundane tasks as part of your job? Perhaps you volunteer for a charity, and enjoy helping people, but there would be less enjoyable aspects of volunteering. You might have to clean or assist with dull paper work. Similarly, if you run a household there are lots of mundane jobs like tidying up and doing washing. Is it possible to make the mundane tolerable? Definitely!

Have a Vision for your Life

My key philosophy is that everyone needs to have a vision for their life. Aristotle said the soul cannot think without a picture. You need to have ambitions and aspirations. You need to be going somewhere. Aspire to live a life of accomplishment; you do not just want to ‘exist’. You need to keep your vision at the front of your mind and accept that completing mundane tasks will ultimately help you fulfil your goals. For example, filing sandbags is boring, but if your home was about to be flooded you’d be extremely motivated to fill sandbags and fill them fast! Sometimes the mundane is mandatory if you want to achieve your ambition. You do what you have to do to get where you want to go!

Don’t Over-commit

There are other steps you can take to make the mundane more bearable. First, be careful not to over-commit yourself. You may have already noticed this, but competent, driven people, are frequently asked to take on other projects. You know what they say, if you want something done, ask a busy person. If you’ve said yes too many times you might find that your calendar is full to over-flowing. You may also be more fatigued than you realise. When you are tired the mundane becomes even more monotonous. Sometimes you need to put yourself first and say no. Ensure you have adequate time to complete your work, even those mundane tasks. Also don’t take on other projects to avoid doing mundane, but essential tasks.

Manage your Time and Energy

Smart operators are also efficient time and energy managers. Structure your day so you do the most difficult and challenging tasks first. Reserve your mornings for work that requires creativity and intelligence. For example, I try to write in the mornings, when I’m fresh. I can write a blog in a couple of hours if I start before lunchtime, but if I leave my writing to the afternoon it takes me double the time because I’m not alert or energetic. Leave mundane tasks to the afternoon, or do them first thing on a weekend morning. In the morning you’ll be fresh and energetic. You will also be motivated to get through the dull tasks quickly so you have the rest of the weekend free!

Sometimes we welcome interruptions when doing tasks we don’t like. If the phone rings we’ll chat for ages, rather then return to an unappealing job. When doing dull, disagreeable tasks, give yourself a deadline. Tell yourself that you must be finished within two hours – no excuses! This means that you will be less inclined to get distracted. You will stay on-task!

Outsource

Another way to deal with mundane tasks is to outsource them! Are you using your time well or would it make more sense to pay someone else to do the mundane while you get on with what you are good at? Remember accountants love accounting, writers love writing, web designers love designing. Should you be completing tasks that bore you if you’re in a position to outsource them?

Automate

Another option to consider is automation. Perhaps you hate vacuuming but you vacuum your office space weekly. You could buy a robot vacuum cleaner for less than $100. It will cruise around your office and you can give up vacuuming. You can also arrange to pay most bills electronically and you can order office supplies online. Do you have any cumbersome tasks that could be automated?

Re-evaluate your Tasks

It is okay to ask yourself if these jobs must be done. For example, you may have to spend two hours driving to another office once a week. Could you instead Skype your colleagues once a fortnight and drive down only every second week? If you find choosing clothes for work a mundane task could you instead adopt some sort of uniform? The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is one of the longest serving leaders in Europe, but she’s hardly renowned for her dress-sense. Every day she wears pant-suits! Select ten different outfits and circulate them over two weeks. It’s unlikely your colleagues will notice your limited wardrobe. Remember Today show host Karl Stefanovic wore the same suit for a year and no one noticed – and yes, I do appreciate men’s clothes aren’t as scrutinised as women’s.

Also, try putting yourself in the place of the people, who will benefit from your efforts. If you do the job badly how will it affect them? Look at a dull project creatively. Could this be done better? For 144 years Heinz sold tomato sauce in glass bottles – from 1869. But in the early 1980s managers began to wonder how people used these bottles. They visited people’s houses and saw the bottles balanced upside or standing upside in cups, so people could get the last bits of sauce out of the bottles. This of course prompted the managers to design the easy-squeeze plastic bottles, which was launched in 1983. Attempt to look at boring tasks with fresh eyes. Could you do this better?

Final Thoughts…

When tackling tasks you do not enjoy, try to have a cheerful demeanour. You could look at a funny video on YouTube or read a joke book before you get into it. If you have a happy mindset when you tackle a difficult job, it will be easier. Remember, even at work, time flies when you’re having fun!

ABOUT PAT MESITI

Pat Mesiti is a best-selling author, coach and educator in the area of personal development. Having built some of Australia’s largest people-driven organisations, Pat understands the power of harnessing human potential. He has shared the stage with some of the world’s great business minds and has sold over millions of copies of his books and materials.

 

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