How to Motivate Yourself to Do Something Unpleasant

Reframing the Task

Find the “why.” Why is this task important? What will it help you achieve? Mentally reframe the unpleasant task as a necessary stepping stone to a better future. By focusing on the benefits you’ll get from completing the task, you might find that it’s easier to motivate yourself. For instance, maybe you don’t feel like working on an essay due for your college English course. Reframing the task could help you acknowledge that doing it will get you one step closer to finishing the course. Plus, practicing your writing skills will be beneficial in your aspirations to be a journalist.

Visualize how you’ll feel when it’s done. Intrinsic motivation – the way an accomplishment makes you feel – can often be a more powerful motivator than external rewards or praise. Imagine how relieved, satisfied, or proud you’ll feel after completing the task. Visualization can give you the burst of energy you need to conquer the job. Intrinsic motivation comes from feelings of autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Look for ways your task is linked to these three factors. Can you complete the task on your own terms? Will it help you master a skill? Will it help you make purposeful progress towards an end goal you care about? Harnessing the power of intrinsic motivation is an especially powerful way to get creative work done.

Use motivational mantras. Repeating a mantra to yourself can be an effective way to stay in a positive state of mind. When you tell yourself something over and over, eventually you start to believe it, so a good mantra can help you get in the habit of thinking positively. Start your day off right by repeating your mantra to yourself as soon as you wake up. If you need ideas for a mantra, try one of the following: “I’ve finished tough projects before, and I can do it again.” “I’m not afraid to make mistakes. Making mistakes is part of making progress.” “I value my time, so I make getting things done a priority.”

Decide if you can delegate the task – or skip it entirely. Sometimes when you feel reluctant to do a task, it’s a sign that your time would be better spent on something else. Is this task really necessary to your project? Could somebody else do it, or could you find a more efficient way to get it done? Dropping work you don’t like from your to-do list can give you more time to accomplish other things. For example, maybe you loathe having to do the laundry, but your partner actually enjoys it. You can request to swap chores with them and complete an undesirable chore that this person has to do. That way, both of you get your chores done, but you don't have to do one that you particularly hate doing.

Identify reasons to be grateful as motivation. Taking a moment to count your blessing may help to motivate you to do something unpleasant. Try thinking about the task at hand as something that shows how you are blessed and write down or say what make you feel grateful about the task. For example, if you are dreading cleaning your room, you might say to yourself, “I am grateful that I have a room to clean. Many people are not as lucky.” Or, if you are dreading writing a big paper for a college English class, then you might write out something like, “I am grateful that I have the chance to attend college. There are millions of people around the world who would love to be able to do this.”

Making It Fun

Set up a reward system. Some tasks just aren’t very rewarding in and of themselves, but they still need to be done. Motivate yourself by creating a system of goals and rewards to keep you moving towards the finish line. For instance, you could make plans to go out with your friends after finishing the first draft of your paper, or visit your favorite coffee shop after you finish cleaning the kitchen.

Listen to some music to pump you up. If you’re dreading the thought of cleaning your room or going for a morning jog, put on some high-energy tunes. Music has a big effect on your mood and motivation. It can make you more alert, put you in a more optimistic frame of mind, and help you feel more engaged with a boring task. Pumped up music is basically anything that gets your heart-beating and your body moving. Dance music can provide a source of entertainment and distraction from an unpleasant task. Think along the lines of Kanye West's "Stronger" for lyrics that make you want to get stuff done. Or, try Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off" for a nice, kick-butt confidence boost to complete the task at hand.

Ask a friend to join you. Teaming up with other people can dramatically increase your odds of succeeding at a task. Enlisting the support of others keeps you on track, provides social and emotional support, and gives you a sense of accountability. If you’re having trouble finding someone to team up with in real life, consider seeking out an online group for support and accountability. Approach a friend and say "Hey, I have to help my dad clean out the garage today. Want to join in? We can put on some tunes and have lunch at the pizzeria?"

Make a public declaration. One of the best ways to force yourself to stick with a task is to make yourself accountable to other people. Telling your coworkers or Facebook friends about your plans will give you extra motivation to finish successfully. Sharing your goals with other people may also make those goals seem more real and tangible to you, making it easier to get started. Post on your social media pages about what you're doing. Say, "I'm giving up sugar for a month. I need to overcome my sugar addiction. Who's with me?" You may even find a buddy online to do the task with you and help hold you accountable.

Making Progress on Your Task

Alter your environment. Before you get started, it can be helpful to organize or change your environment to make it a more pleasing place to complete your task. This can be as simple as tidying up your workspace, or putting on a movie in the background. Try making yourself a cup of tea, lighting a candle, and putting on a favorite movie or TV show, such as Harry Potter or something else that you find comforting. Make sure to choose something that won’t be too distracting, but that will offer you opportunities to look up and take breaks now and then. Going to a neighborhood coffee shop may also help to make your task more enjoyable. Order yourself a special drink and choose a cozy table to complete your task. Even opening a few windows and putting on some music can help to brighten your environment and make the task seem less daunting.

Start with an aspect of the task you enjoy. If there’s one part of a task you don’t mind doing, use that to ease yourself into the less enjoyable parts of the job. Doing this may give you just the push you need to get started. For instance, try starting a new exercise routine by taking walks at a park, where you can enjoy the fresh air and the beauty of nature. If you’ve stalled on a creative project, think back to what inspired the project in the first place, and see if you can use that inspiration to re-motivate yourself. If you hate a task through and through, it’s unlikely that you’ll stick with it for long, especially if it’s a recurring task like working out. Instead of trying to force yourself into doing something you can’t stand, look for alternate ways to accomplish the same thing.

Divide the task into smaller chunks. A big, intimidating task is much easier to approach when you look at it as a series of smaller steps. Think about your end goal and ask yourself, “What do I need to do to make this happen?” Figure out the first thing you need to do, and then take action. When you’re breaking down a big project, to-do lists can be a helpful tool for sorting and organizing all of your smaller sub-tasks. For example, if your task is “Pack the apartment for moving,” you may start by packing your off-season clothing, memorabilia, and décor. Then, you can gradually pack a few things each day to progress towards the overall goal.

Use the Pomodoro technique. The Pomodoro technique can help you power through unpleasant tasks by improving your focus and boosting your productivity. To get started, set a timer and work for 25 minutes, then reward yourself with a five-minute break. After four 25-minute work sessions, give yourself a 25-minute break. Adjust the Pomodoro technique to your liking. Some people might find that they get better results working in time intervals of 15 minutes or 40 minutes, for instance.

Give the task extra attention or creativity. Even your least favorite chores can become more bearable if you make an effort to focus on the task and find something to appreciate about it. Look for better ways to do that project you’ve been putting off, or put all your effort into doing the very best job you can, even if you’re just vacuuming the rugs or folding laundry. Trying to get through a task as quickly as possible can actually make you dislike it more. Slow down and you might find it’s not as bad as you thought. For example, maybe you have to prep your meals for the week ahead--a long and boring task that you do not look forward to on Sundays. You could add creativity and excitement to this task by finding fun, new recipes to try. Looking forward to cooking something novel may help you get through a long evening of meal preps.