Overcoming Resistance to any pending task

Life is full of pending tasks. Easy tasks and difficult tasks.

You do the easy tasks immediately and they do not remain pending for long.
It is the difficult task which you procrastinate... postpone.

“Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.” - Napoleon Hill

You procrastinate because of the resistance which your mind has for the task.

Why do you have Resistance?

1) Past experiences: If you try doing something and it does not work out well then a negative feeling might develop. Sometimes you may have tried a similar task without success. We like what we can do well and dislike what we cannot do well.

2) Self destructive script: You may have an unconscious failure script at work. If it is so, it will prevent you from taking any progressive step.

3) Resentment: It can get expressed in the form of resistance. Resentment can be for a person or the situation and will come in the way of doing the task.

4) Wanting to do something more exciting: Bright minds are always looking for excitement. So too easy tasks are monotonous and boring. The mundane tasks are seen as obstacles and you tend to avoid them.

Any treatment has to be preceded by diagnosis. So if you detect resistance you should try finding out the reason for it and deal with it.

How should you overcome this Resistance?

For any task that you hate....there will be someone who likes it.
So it is not the task that is boring or difficult or painful.
It is what you feel about it.
And the good thing is that you can change what you feel.
If not immediately...at least gradually.

“Procrastination is like a credit card: it's a lot of fun until you get the bill.” - Christopher Parker

The first step is to acknowledge that there are some negative feelings associated with the task.

You have choices...from easy to difficult.

1) Abandon the task:

Look at the consequences of not doing the task.
Can you really afford to do that?

2) Postpone the task:
Is it possible?

Is there a deadline?

3) Do the task:
Difficult but rewarding.
Both in the short run and the long run.
In the short run you get the task done for which you had resistance.
In the long run you have done something which had resistance. It will help you to develop a habit of tackling resistant tasks in future.

Break down the task into small doable tasks...as small as possible. A mountain cannot be climbed in few steps. But if we make 1000 steps ...each step can be easily taken. Make the step so small that it is doable and also has very small resistance. 

Bitter medicine can be taken one spoon at a time  and not the whole bottle.

“Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and  hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.” - Winston Churchill