Get Everything Done

I know there's all kinds of ways and variations to overcoming tasks we are resisting but I was curious to find out which were working the best for people? I love to hear how you've been dealing with this lately.

One of the great tools I have found is to use Voice Dialogue. It's when you tune into the part of you that is resisting and ask it why it feels the way it feels. The results are often surprising, profound and very useful with lots of practical ideas coming out - if only we would listen to ourselves more often.
For more info on Voice Dialogue see http://www.delos-inc.com/

Sorry Mark, I didn't mean to divert people away from your book! Yes, the dialoguing process in your book is similiar to what Voice Dialogue is about but you were using an "imaginary future self" which is also, I believe a very powerful technique for moving forward. The Voice Dialogue process deals more with current selves, especially those that are being "disowned" haven't been listened to, perhaps even for years. Once they get a chance to speak they can voice some amazing points of view and you can gain some really great insights.

Hi All
My response may seem VERY redundant of what Mark advocates, but combining the principles of "I'll just get the file out", and "The Current Initiative" (when I'm in agonizing pain or experiencing Stubborn Ass Syndrome) I add Mark's "I'll work on this at least X minutes"/my lowest unit is 5 minutes.Combining these principles gives me a No Fail result every time! I reason that if I used to be willing to stay in the game with broken fingers or toes, I can certain buck up and push a vacuum for 5 minutes. After all, it's ONLY pain I'm experiencing not injury. And even a stubborn ass can commit to 5 minutes at a time with the promise of relief from my own nagging for awhile. Mark's ideas have proven to be no fail. Of course when the pain is high enough, I can't apply this to attending to tedius yet important details like crunching numbers but it works brilliantly for the less exacting tasks which require mostly a willing spirit...even if for only 5 minutes at a time! LOL!

learning as I go,

What do you generally do after the 5 minutes are up?
Stick with it for another 5 or move on to something else?

Hi Pat

Unfortunately I can't offer you a pat answer as it hinges on some variables.I'll try my best....

The intensity of my pain ebbs and flows. If I'm crunching my will through excruciating pain, the variables are:
1. If it's housework, I allow myself to frame it as Only Urgent Necessary and push along 5 minutes at a time with the the goal of doing "Worst First". After the apoointed 5" are up, I evaluate the result and decide my next five minutes. Then next round I do the same. If my pain ebbs enough, I just finish it. Otherwise I'll either trudge through more rounds, or decide to let it sit until the pain ebbs. The ONLY requirement for housework when my pain is totally unmanageable is clean up as I go, prepare food, and take care of my dog. I also shoot for one load of laundry every day. (I wash my clothes daily because the pain of lifting wet clothes is horrible.) I also chucked out all of my beloved heavy pots and pans for lighter ones for the same reason.If my home is tidy, I function better but the furniture can be polished when I'm NOT wishing I was in a coma, but the dog needs to be let out, the dishes need to be washed.....See? It's a judgement call.
2. If it's housework with Stubborn Ass Syndrome, I do a string of 3 five minute units applying the Worst First Principle. I give myself a break and then evaluate the circumstances to plot my next 15 minute string of housework. Sometimes I use walking the dog or journaling my resistance as my reward and go back.to the next round of work until I'm done. Unlike bouts with severe pain, Stubborn Ass Syndrome has no early pardons! LOL!

3. Basically I apply the same principle to Office duties when I'm in pain. The only variable is that I can't attend to detailed thinking at all so I move onto things where pain isn't a factor influencing the result like making calls, processing paperwork, etc. If my pain subsides enough, then I'll go onto the things I missed last round. If it doesn't abate enough at all, I'll switch to something easy from tomorrow's agenda, and add the stuff I had to miss today to tomorrow's list. I try to keep it an even switch as close to possible because I also use Mark's principle of restricted office hours so simply throwing today's work to tomorrow won't work time-wise. Plus if I try to keep it even, I feel like I'm preventing having to dread tomorrow's office load! I simply have to combine the attitude of trudging on and knowing which jobs I can decently accomplish through the pain.
3. If it's stubborn Ass Syndrome at the office, I simply mentally flaggelate myself if necessary until my closed list is completed. Again, no free passes for Stubborn Ass Syndrome!

I hope this helps. If you're not disabled, just keep trudging on with alternating work with breaks until it's done. Usually I'll find myself eventually falling into a productive flow and I'm home free for the day. If not, I simply keep tugging the donkey's reins to get him (me!) up the
mountain if a carrot doesn't work

Hi again

Another trick I use is to record the news or some other tv show that doesn't have a plot. The news works best for me because it's segmented and I want to watch it. Everytime there's a commercial breat, I stop the show and set my timer for 10 or 15 minutes and do a round of work. If I fall into a a productive flow, I just continue on. I love it when I fall into a productive flow becuase then I can watch the remainder of the show uninterrupted! This is my last resort "bringing out the big guns" technique! LOL!

I agree with Learning as I Go. It's amazing what you can get done with concentrated effort in a commercial break!