Could be one specific task or just in general.
Resolve moral conflicts to unlock higher dopamine levels across the board
Listening to music at the same time.
Music definitely keeps my mind from wandering (and getting distracted) during boring tasks.
Pot
Audiobooks. Sometimes my want to continue with a book has me purposefully doing some boring tasks.
When I’m doing exams I like to separate all the pencilwork with outlines for each question, but I like to do a different style every time. sometimes I tile them, sometimes I make weird patterns, and it is a bit of fun.
I used to struggle with mundane tasks, mostly on account of the lack of mental stimulation, until I discovered podcasts. This problem is no more for me, I can do dishes and fold laundry until the end of time now
Podcasts have been great. Sometime I go with a TV series episode on the phone on the side. If you really want to motivate yourself for a task then set a rule that you’re not allowed to play an episode except for when you’re doing that task. Now if you want to hear the next podcast episode, you’ll have to do the dishes or ironing.
I occasionally watch some YouTube videos, but I favour podcasts as they are optimized for non-visual consumption - it’s bothersome to watch the screen while doing something that requires attention from your eyes.
I listen to music, whether actual music or in my head.
tablet and streaming but does not work with loud things like vacumming.
Figuring out how to automate them, when possible. Coding / scripting / debugging is more fun than tedious manual tasks, IMO.
Thanks, crossposted to !casualconversation@lemm.ee
Time myself. Racing the microwave is an example: How many dishes can I get into the dishwasher while my soup heats up? Can I take out the trash before the beeps/with a minute to spare? If there are repetitive steps to something (e.g., washing windows, folding shirts), see if I can keep it under some number of seconds/minutes for each one.
Sometimes I’ll smoke weed, it makes shit that sucks seem awesome and I’m such an elite weed head that it doesn’t make me lazy
Drugs.
Honestly this makes them worse
Have you tried a different drug?
I’m just referring to alcohol, so no. But I will say once you hit the age where alcohol makes you feel worse it makes all tasks worse. I cannot imagine ridding yourself the joy of small tasks being enjoyable though
Oh, alcohol is bad for you.
Go slowly. Small tasks like washing the dishes can be enjoyable when done well
In general, I try to knock out the hardest tasks first, that way everything just (hopefully/usually) gets easier from there.
There’s a saying in this line of reasoning: “eat the frog first.” The idea is that if you have to do something unpleasant (e.g., consuming a slimy amphibian), do it first thing, otherwise you’ll be dreading it all day and it’ll make your entire day worse. Get it done and out of the way, then you can enjoy your day (and the other tasks won’t feel as bad in comparison).
