Today was the first day of school for my daughter, and she had herself a serious case of the don’t wanna. What kid wants to see their summer end and school begin?
The problem for me was this: I didn’t wanna either. I had a meeting scheduled for immediately after I dropped off my daughter at school. As meetings go, this one was pretty important – working with a local partner to shape a solution for a potentially large customer. It also happens to be one of the things I like to do – figure out how we can best serve our customers and make a fair profit.
I truly enjoy my job, and I feel like I’m pretty good at it. My daughter enjoys school, and she does pretty well at it as well. But there are some days when you simply don’t feel like you have it in you. How do you deal with it?
- Just start. I didn’t have a whole lot of choice but to go to my meeting this morning, but sometimes you’re faced with a task that seems really daunting and you have other options. The problem is that those other options aren’t as important. They’re stuff you do to distract yourself from the stuff that really needs doing. Avoid those, and get started. I tend to find that the huge daunting task I’m avoiding is easier than I realize. Even if it isn’t, it provides both a relief and a sense of accomplishment to knock it off the to-do list.
- Figure out why you don’t wanna. Somedays it’s as simple as you haven’t had enough sleep, or you’ve got too much on your plate. Sometimes it’s deeper – you’re dreading a meeting because you don’t feel prepared, or there’s someone with whom you don’t like to work. Knowing why may not help you get it done any sooner, but it may help you understand what you need to change for next time.
You probably thought this was going to be a longer list, but those are the two ways I deal with don’t wanna. How do you do it?