Feeling Overwhelmed?
Tackling Unpopular Tasks

By Vicki Wrona, PMP

The end of a calendar or fiscal year often leaves us feeling overwhelmed, but those feelings are not limited to that time of year. As Project Managers or managers in general, we are often juggling many things and have multiple deadlines looming near, so it is common to feel overwhelmed at any time of the year. A common reaction to this feeling is to put off the activity we dread most to tackle….which is the one thing we probably should be working on first.

We spend a lot of energy dreading the activity we are to do, the difficult conversation we need to have or the deliverable we are to produce. Often we spend more energy in the worrying than in the creating. Finally, when we can put it off no longer, we finally begin to tackle the unpopular task and begin to feel a little better when something is accomplished. One of several things will happen at this point. As we accomplish the things leading up to the final deliverable, we either 1) feel very good about making progress and so keep working and chipping away at the final deliverable or 2) feel so good about making any progress at all that we trick ourselves into relaxing when we shouldn’t or 3) realize that the task was not as large or formidable as feared.

I prefer #1 or #3, but have experienced all of them myself. When I find myself falling into the procrastinator’s syndrome, I try to logically talk myself into beginning some work and making some kind of progress. I may have to promise myself that I will not spend more than 30 minutes on the task in order to get started. Better to do that than wait until the last minute. Some people thrive on the adrenaline rush of waiting until the last minute, and while we have all relied on that at one time or other, using this as the normal course of business will get you in trouble…and probably eventually affect your health. If you are constantly pushing, there is no leeway for mistakes or surprises, and life will be full of more stress than necessary.

Well, I feel better now that I have said that. It’s now time to get back to that unpopular project I must tackle.

What do you do to motivate yourself when feeling overwhelmed or worried about how to tackle something you are not sure of or don’t want to tackle? Let us know.

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