The Dreaded Task

Why is it we put off the things we don’t like to do?   Do you do this?  I’m sure you do.  We all do it in one way or another, but why?   In my mind, putting off things I think will be difficult or boring is just prolonging the agony of the “to do” item. I’m an intelligent person. I know this.  The getting started part is what seems to be difficult for me.  I will find every excuse NOT to do it. 

Here’s a small example of my “putting off” habit.  I hate to balance the checkbook.  I abhor this task with my entire being.  I don’t really have a reason why, but I just do.  It’s tedious, time consuming and down right awful.  It’s also October.  The last time I balanced the checkbook was July.  (My mother is shaking her head as she reads this.)  I have Quicken, which does all the math for me and I still can’t find the energy or the motivation to do it.  It’s basically data entry. No special codes or process, just entering everything as it appears in my checkbook.  

So, Friday, I cleared my calendar and made the decision to dedicate the entire day to this awful task.  I needed to get it off my shoulders so I could enjoy the weekend and relax a bit.   I printed the bank statements (remember, I have three months worth to enter), logged on to Quicken, and sat down at the kitchen table to tackle the pile of paper.   I opened my wallet, but decided I should make myself a glass of iced tea first.  Oh, and maybe I should light a candle to make the atmosphere cozy (it was foggy, cold and wet outside and thunder was rumbling over the house).  I lit the candles in the kitchen and sat down.   My “ding” alert sounded telling me I had a new e-mail.  I should probably check it and see who it’s from.  It could be important.  Read, read, read. A Barnes and Noble coupon, that’s all. I must have done this delay dance for a solid ten minutes.

I finally sat down and dug in.  It took me two hours and I was done.  I felt like dancing when I hit the “reconcile” button and it balanced to the penny.   Almost like a little girl getting her first pair of shiny new shoes. The weight that instantly lifted from my shoulders and mind was incredible.   I felt as light as a feather.  The horrible deed was done. 

Why is it that we make ourselves miserable with these unpleasant tasks?  It was a much larger task than if I had kept up with it each week, five minutes at a time here and there.  I know this and yet I still do it.   Perhaps I like the feeling of accomplishment?  Perhaps I’m just lazy?  Perhaps I’m just really really good at procrastinating?  What ever the reason, I need to remember the dreaded feeling and avoid it.  The only way to do that however is to change the behavior.  I need to spend the five minutes next week and keep up with it. I can do this right?  (Again, my mother is laughing.  Do you know how many times I’ve said this?)  This time will be different, just you wait!