On Working For A Project You Dislike

For students and professionals alike, they have probably experienced doing something they absolutely, in any other circumstances, would not even think of doing. Researches, financial forecasts, strategic papers, filing of taxes – these are just some of the work that a lot of us tremble in frustration just thinking about. But we know all of these are inevitable. There will always be a point in time when we just have to do them, either to keep our job, get that promotion, or pass a major subject.

Here are a few tips on how to deal with a project you hate:

1. Remove distractions. When we deal with things and jobs that we hate, everything else seem to be more interesting, and we easily get distracted. When papers are cluttered on your desk, or the cable wires are all tangled up, our frustrations seem to blow sky-high. Nothing good ever happens when we reach that point. In fact, being frustrated is one of the reasons why a lot of people quit work.

2. Make everything you need within arm’s length. Supply yourself with the materials you need before starting, and even prepare coffee in advance if you think you would want one in the middle of working. By removing distractions and organizing your desk, you are eliminating excess baggage from your mind, and providing convenience for yourself. You are free to focus on your work, which will allow you to finish it faster. Close your social media account for the time being and limit your browsing only to important websites.

3. Partition the workload. It’s a long road ahead and just the very idea of staying focused for long periods of time, in order to accomplish your work, is simply nauseating. This is the very reason why you should partition the workload. If it is a presentation you have to make, perhaps you can start the data research first today; move on to the analysis tomorrow or the other day and the main message of the presentation another day after that. By clustering the workload, you get to make dealing with the project in a day shorter, while having a good pace in finishing it before the deadline.

If you are dealing with multiple projects, you should start off with your most hated ones so you can feel more at ease with the next ones.

4. Plan a reward. What better way to motivate yourself to accomplish a hard work than by getting a reward? Think of things you want to do when you finish your work. It can be going to the mall for a shopping spree, or a weekend getaway, dinner with your close friends, or simply shutting every-thing out and burying yourself under the sheets for a sleep that lasts more than what the doctors recommend. Plan a reward, even if it’s a simple hotdog from the convenience store on your way home. Relieve yourself from stress so you have a bit more to give for the next day at work. Your job does not end when you finish the project. There are a lot more to come, so learn how to give yourself a time of relief in the middle of it all.

5. Just do it. With all the preparations set, rewards planned, and the workload clustered, all you have to do now, which is always easier said than done, is to simply do it. No matter how much you hate the project you have, or the position you are in, there are no escape routes. If you want to get the grade you want, retain an income source every fifteenth, or place yourself as a potential candidate for a managerial position, you have to finish your work.

In the middle of doing everything, remind yourself that you will eventually finish it, and you know that the feeling you will get by that time will be relief. Remain positive amidst that long and boring paper you have to write, or the taxing researches you have to finish by the end of the week. Swallow your criticisms first while you deal with that unreasonably demanding supplier your boss wants you to befriend. There is just too little space for you to be thinking of things other than the work you have to finish. You just have to do it.
*Originally published by the Manila Bulletin, C-4, Sunday, May 22, 2016. Written by Ruben Anlacan, Jr. (President, BusinessCoach, Inc.) All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or copied without express written permission of the copyright holders.