Doing (Forget Hard) Boring Things

Ever had to do something you really felt was a waste of time? Either you already knew what you were doing, thought it was easier to learn some other way, or perhaps you just disliked whatever the activity or lesson was. Regardless of your reasoning, I can already hear the whining, complaining, and dragging of feet that probably accompanied the activity when you were finally forced at gunpoint to do it. 

I always hear people talking about doing hard things, there are videos, advice columns, and books dedicated to this topic, but, oftentimes, doing boring tasks or things we feel are wasteful of our time is harder than something that is a challenge. 

Recently, I've been getting a lot of experience doing "boring" things. I come from a world where my attention span of approximately two seconds is perfectly fine. I get to run around with kids, play games, and teach them lessons that are fun to learn. When I retired from that job and moved into a new, more professional community of early educators, I moved into a year of training work. This training work is important, but it can feel repetitive and draining. I do training that I have already done in my college courses and some things are done just to check the blocks. Though I enjoy being around adults, some days drag on and on. I feel like I'm going to fall asleep and my mind is everywhere except focused on the task in front of me. Add in coming home to a world of hurrying to get daily tasks done and college coursework and I can feel drained, exhausted, and frustrated. 

Boring things come up a lot in daily life, ESPECIALLY as you become an older teen/young adult. The trick is finding ways to keep yourself motivated, empowered, and maybe even awake.

Oftentimes, as soon as we tell ourselves something is a waste of time, we mentally check out. Even if the task is "silly", figure out why you are doing what you are doing. If it's reading a document, what is the purpose of that document? If it's a chore, why does that chore need to be done? In my case, I have lots and lots of long training to sit through. I know the purpose of these is to give me the tools, resources, and necessary paperwork to be the best teacher I can possibly be. When you have the reasoning behind the task in mind, it makes it easier to complete what needs to be done. 

After you have your reasoning, add some incentive. Going back to my last few examples, what would be your incentives? Maybe on every page you read, you get a M&M or when you finish you get to listen to your favorite song. Usually, something that is free, quick, and easy works as the best incentive to train your brain and even taking a five-minute break is a treat to have. For me, I love silly reels. When I have an especially long training, I give myself permission to either watch a show that night after school or stop to get a snack on the way home. If I know ahead of time about the training, I'll just pack a really delicious lunch as motivation. All you are looking for is a way to inspire yourself with something you love or want. 

Lastly, depending on what the task is, you can make it more fun. I dance and sing when I clean up. I also doodle, play with fidgets, and tap tunes out with my fingers when I am in training. The goal of this strategy
is not to distract or ignore the task but to allow yourself to complete the task without screaming and banging your head against the wall. 

These strategies won't automatically make the task any less "I don't want to do this". You might still dislike the task but hopefully, you won't despise, hate, and loathe it from the bottom of your soul. Life will give you boring things. It's your job to learn how to push yourself through them and get on to the exciting things. I have a little less than a year of training in my future at this point, but, in the end, I will be able to interact, play, and have fun with little ones. I will be equipped with a ton of resources and knowledge as well as a team of teachers that have been through the same training and are ready to work with me towards building a brighter future for our students.

As always, thanks for reading! Please leave any comments you wish with blog post ideas, your own boredom fighting strategies, or anything else!