End Procrastination: The Ugly List

We all have those items on our to-do lists that somehow seem to be left over at the end of the day...day after day. Those tasks that NEED to get done but we really don't want to actually do. Maybe it's a phone call you know you should make, but you know it's going to aggravate you. Or it's cleaning something you really don't want to clean. Or maybe it's writing those thank you notes you've been putting off for two months.

Start The "UGLY" List

A good way to get a handle on all these "I don't want to but I have to" tasks is to start an "Ugly" task list. Any time I realize I've had the same task left over for three days running, I move it to the Ugly list. Some tasks, I just KNOW intuitively are "Ugly" list worthy.

Scrubbing toilets? Ugly List. Cleaning out the junk drawer? Ugly List. My closet? Also, the Ugly list. Responding to my former employer's attempt to NOT pay me a bonus I'm due? VERY ugly list.

What things will end up on YOUR ugly list may be different. You may LOVE organizing your junk drawer...or maybe you are so wonderfully organized, you don't even have a junk drawer. (I secretly hate you. Not really. Well, maybe a tiny bit).

Maybe for you, your Ugly list will be filled with appointment setting, or meal planning, or grocery list making. Everyone is different. The point is--those tasks that you keep putting off and telling yourself you will get to "eventually"...PUT THEM ON YOUR UGLY LIST.

ATTACK THE UGLY

This is the important thing. All those tasks we don't want to do? They do actually have to get done. (Darnit!) And generally speaking, putting them off until we miss deadlines, or the pile of socks is so huge you need climbing gear to get to the top doesn't actually make it any better.

It's so much easier to attack the tasks we enjoy doing, or feel rewarded about doing, or look forward to crossing off the list at least.

The Ugly List items? We REALLY don't want to do these. But if we don't, the list gets longer, and the guilt grows, and all that negativity eats away at all our success in all the other areas where we are FABULOUS.

So here's the secret: Depending on the length of your Ugly List, set aside time every week, or every few days to JUST ATTACK THE UGLY. For me, I have an hour on Wednesdays and an hour on Thursdays for the UGLY. Some weeks it ends up being a little less, some weeks, it's a little more.

PUT IT ON YOUR SCHEDULE. If it's not on your schedule, you will find a reason NOT to do it. BLOCK OUT THE TIME. Set your timer, and attack the first Ugly item on the list. Work on the Ugly List for the whole time you blocked out. Stay focused. Don't answer the phone, don't check email, don't check Facebook--This time is UGLY LIST time. When the timer goes off, you are done with the Ugly list for that session, and you don't have to think about ANY of those Ugly tasks until the next time.

No guilt, no negativity. You are not procrastinating. You have time scheduled, and THAT'S when it will get done.

Reward Yourself

I also reward myself at the end of the Ugly List session. Because there has to be some joy in Muddville, right? Before I start my session, I know what my reward will be, and I can look forward to it the whole session. Some weeks it's chocolate, some weeks, it's 15 minutes of reading fiction, some weeks, it's Instagram diving. Figure out what would feel like rewards for you and write them down, and keep that list with your Ugly List.

It's important to reward yourself for staying focused for the entire session and working through the Ugly list the entire time--as long as you really did do that!

Not as Ugly as You Think

In the beginning, my Ugly List was about 3 miles long. It was AWFUL. I was the QUEEN of put it off if it's unpleasant. But once I started using the Ugly List, I found it gave me some freedom. The tasks that were Ugly went on the Ugly list and I didn't have to worry about those tasks or let them take up valuable brain space or energy until it was time to work on the Ugly List.

I set aside one hour per day for the Ugly List, initially. Then I went to two hours, three days per week, with a 15 minute "Intermission" where I could get away and do something enjoyable. That worked better for me personally, and I found that after a few weeks, my Ugly list was pretty empty.

I also discovered a hidden benefit: many of the tasks I had dreaded or thought would take FOREVER actually got done pretty quickly when I blocked out time and focused on getting them done. Some Ugly tasks turned out not to be so Ugly after all... I had just spent so much energy avoiding them, I had made them into a bigger deal than they actually were.

Clear the Decks

If you find yourself avoiding certain tasks, or always leaving certain tasks until last (or skipping them over and over), try the Ugly List. Get those guilt inducing, negative energy producing tasks off your main To-Do List. Devote your energy to all those tasks that charge you up, that you enjoy, that move you forward.

Schedule specific dates and times to attack the Ugly List. Turn off the phone, focus, and plow through as much of the list as you can in the time allotted. When your time is up, put the list away until the next time, and reward yourself. You've earned it!

I hope you'll find the Ugly List tactic as helpful as I do.

Have a great day!

Brooke