Do your "chores"

To do list :

• do homework

• write my blog

• finish readings and take notes

• apply to scholarships

• get internship

• pick up work shifts

• go for a run

• go to the dining hall 😐

Sometimes, I forget that the items on my To Do List are actually things that I want to do, not things that I'm being forced to do. We tend to think of these items as annoying chores instead. However, I want to earn a degree, to be a blogger, to learn, to make money for my future, to take advantage of my resources, to get work experience, and to be healthier. All of the items on my To Do List are not chores but are actually things I want to do in order to achieve these goals, and we need to remind ourselves of that.

(Pinterest)

When I create these lists of "chores", it makes my goals feel like work, and in turn, I find it a lot harder to motivate myself to actually achieve my goals. I think many people find themselves in a similar position as we lose sight of the future we are working towards and remain annoyed with our present obligations. It becomes difficult to make myself pick up more shifts at work or to go for a run because it feels like another chore. However, I think it is a lot more motivating to do these "chores" when I remind myself that I want to make money for college or that I want to be healthier.

Rather than think about all of the annoying things on our To Do List as chores, we should think of them as smaller goals that we get to work towards every day, helping us slowly get closer to achieving the life we want.

I think this perspective shift is especially important when you begin to feel like your lists are never-ending. When you cannot complete everything on the To Do List, it can cause you to feel overwhelmed and guilty for never accomplishing all of your jobs. Overall, these impossible To Do Lists make me exhausted. On the other hand, when you think about these items as small goals leading you to achieve your big goals, the pressure lessens, and they become much more motivating and less tiring.

Each of the items on the To Do List may feel like it requires a lot of work, and many of the items do not have a deadline, allowing me to procrastinate rather than complete the "chore". In those moments, when you're ignoring your list and procrastinating, think about the bigger goal that you actually want to achieve.

(Pinterest)

Think about the future life, the future job, the future apartment that you are working towards, rather than focusing on how much it's going to suck to do the "chores" on your list. I don't want to look back on my life someday and remember all of the goals that I never accomplished.

Also, I am a very big hypocrite for writing this ...