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One of the most difficult problems for those of us with the freedom to set our own work priorities and work schedules is maintaining the self control to do the jobs we don’t like doing.

It’s not laziness that seems to be the problem; in fact it’s quite the opposite. There is always too much to do and consequently there is always something else that is also important which can be prioritised subconsciously or even consciously ahead of the job we don’t want to do. I have experienced this often myself and have witnessed it in others very regularly and concluded this is a normal human response.

On this basis it seems worthwhile sharing an idea on how to manage the problem. To start with, you have to identify that this situation is actually a problem in the first place. It is true at least in my experience that some “important issues” actually do go away if left in the long grass but sadly many just get worse. So how do you persuade yourself to get on with this job you don’t want to do. Task lists work for some people but I still find you can shuffle the tasks until you run out of time and then of course it moves to the next day and next task list and enjoys the same high priority.

This approach is based on guilt if you let the job shift between task lists too often then you believe you will embarrass yourself into taking action. Unfortunately at the back of your mind it’s now joined the dubious tasks in the long grass and perhaps it really will go away on its own. I believe this approach is half way to a really effective solution because guilt can force your hand but to make it really effective you need a witness.

Once you have identified that you are avoiding a problem what you need to do is to agree a deadline. Do this with a living, breathing third party but not your subconscious and not a paper schedule. The very act of creating an audience to witness your failure to do the job usually gets the job done even when all else has failed. Good luck.