To-do lists can be motivating and overwhelming at the same time. Making them is easy, but achieving them can be an unpleasant and disheartening experience.
This love/hate sensation is because to-do lists are usually a mix of thrilling, fun, boring and scary action items.
Booking vacations, shopping for a new outfit, and getting a massage are pretty easy tasks to tackle and complete.
Finalizing budgets, doing the laundry, and cleaning the garage – on the other hand – are not the most inspiring or enjoyable activities.
So how do you make them more appealing? Try phrasing your tasks in the form of a question.
Questions stimulate curiosity – and action. Instead of writing down a mundane task in a declaration “- Do the laundry at 8”, write it as a question or even a challenge, “Can you do the laundry before 8:30?” Questions get us to explore, discover and find solutions. When curious, our brains sense expectation and rewards. And we all love rewards.
Answers instill confidence and combat procrastination. Posing a question leads to a search which ultimately leads to answers. Answers help reduce anxiety associated with our fear of the unknown. Finding an answer is also exciting thereby taking away the boredom as well.
Questions signal the start of a plan. When your task is a question and you answer it, you’re already making progress towards your plan. Just drafting the questions pushes you to get answers before you need to perform the task. This reduces the stress and hesitation of planning and getting started.
Questions can be powerful motivators. They spark ideas, open up possibilities, and compel us to get up and get going.
Have a great week.
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