Too Easy

Complete one, really, really,
ridiculously, easy task.

It's ironic.  This week is supposed to be The Week of Productivity at The Happy Homunculus and here I am, writing this post last-minute. Uggh.  If only I had been able to plan ahead enough to write the post last week, this wouldn't have happened.  But that's ok, why have a Week of Productivity if there isn't some room for improvement, right?  The personal hang-up I wrestle with the most is procrastination, so this is just what the doctor order for Yours Truly.  What about you?  Are you ready to get busy?

I'm pretty sure the answer is "yes", because I don't think I've met a single person who thinks they are productive enough.  There is always some room for improvement.  For that reason, I hope you'll follow along this week as we try some challenges designed to improve our ability to stay focused and get some work done.

I recently read a nice book on the psychology of procrastination: The Procrastination Equation.  The book reports on the most recent research linking impulsiveness and poor self-control with procrastination, and I found the argument compelling.  In addition, the book gave me a bunch of practical ideas for how to combat procrastination in my own life.  These strategies will form the foundation for this week's Daily Mind Games.

For the first DMG, let's start with an easy one.  A really, really easy one...

Too Easy

Task: Pick an absurdly easy task and complete it.

Info: Huge, scary projects are often so intimidating and complex that it can seem totally over our head.  Today's challenge is designed so that we simultaneous get started on the project and gain confidence with a very simple task.  When you choose your task, pick something that seems so easy it makes you feel a little awkward.  The point is to pick a task that is so simple, so mindless, so easy that you have no excuse for not doing it.  If you accomplish this "too easy" task today, you win the game.  If you don't, then the task wasn't easy enough!  Try again.

Goal: Complete a really, really, ridiculously easy task.

This DMG reminds me of Small Change, from The Week of Motivation.  Small wins are the way to go when motivation is low...  Good luck!