No matter how much you love your job, there are definitely certain tasks you simply resent doing.

Most of the time, those tasks end up being left on the back burner until the thought of them becomes so uncomfortable (usually because the deadline is getting so close) that you simply have to do something about them. 

The thing is, the tasks we leave up in the air often cause use to feel guilty, frustrated and stressed. 

How much better would it be if you could simply get those things done instead of putting them off?  

These three simple tips will help you quickly expedite even the dullest tasks on your to-do list. 

1. Embrace prevention focus 

There are two ways to focus on any task: promotion focus and prevention focus.

Promotion focus means you’re motivated by the gains you might incur from performing the task - impressing the boss, learning new skills, etc. But if you’re feeling anxious about the possibility of failing in the task, your promotion focus will be undermined. 

In this case, you can turn your focus from promotion to prevention. Think to yourself: what will I lose if I don’t perform this task? This way, you see the task as a way to hold on to what you’ve already got, instead of thinking of how you can improve what you’ve got. Completing the task is a way of preserving your great reputation, for example. 

If you focus on avoiding loss, you are more likely to see that you need to take immediate action. And probably the more worried you are, the more likely you are to get things done soon.

Of course, this is not an ideal way of working. But if nothing else will motivate you, the thought of the negative consequences you might face will. 

2. Don’t think - just do it 

Sometimes our inner critic doesn’t allow us to be productive. We end up with analysis paralysis because we just think too much. You don’t want to be analyzing things so much 

If you’re doing a task you’re not so thrilled about, try to quiet your inner editor. Don’t think too much about how you’re doing the task, or what the end result might look later. Just do it, and correct your mistakes later.

It will be a lot easier to edit your work once you actually have something to edit, than not to have any work at all. 

3. Ignore your feelings 

So you don’t feel like doing something. So what? Who says that you need to feel like doing it in order to actually do it? 

You don’t need to be looking forward to every task on your to-do list. Frankly, that’s unattainable.  Of course, you need to be overall committed to your goals, but you don’t need to feel like doing every task that will get you there. 

In fact, many of the world’s greatest and prolific minds relied mainly on their work routines, and not on their feelings. They forced themselves to work no matter whether they were uninspired, or, in other instances, hungover. 

As Picasso put it:

"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working."

The next time you feel like you don’t feel like doing something, remember that you don’t need to feel like it to get things done. 

How do you get over tasks you simply resent doing? Share your hacks with us in the comment section below!