We all have tasks we enjoy—let’s call them “Preferred Tasks” (PTs). Then there are those pesky “adulting” chores that make us cringe and avoid them until they become unavoidable. Let’s call these “Non-Preferred Tasks” (NPTs). Our brains build resistance to NPTs the more we avoid them and the more we dwell on the negative emotions associated with them.

The Laundry Cycle For example, I used to struggle to put away clean laundry. I hated seeing folded clothes sitting in a basket, yet I couldn’t seem to move them to the dresser and closet. When I walked into the room and saw that basket, I felt a wave of shame and irritation. I would think, “I should put those away,” but even the smallest distraction felt immediately more urgent, and thus the laundry remained.

Eventually, that neatly folded laundry became a mess as I dug through it to find a specific shirt. I might even have ended up wondering, “Are these even clean?” and re-washing them—starting the cycle all over again.

Breaking the Resistance To decrease resistance, we must create a system that rewards us for completing NPTs while ensuring we don’t reward ourselves for avoiding them. Believe it or not, we often reward our own procrastination. You wouldn’t ask your dog to sit, watch them remain standing, and then give them a treat anyway, would you? Yet, we look at the laundry, decide to watch Netflix instead, and effectively “reward” our avoidance. Netflix should be the reward for completing the NPT, not a replacement for it.

The NPT-PT Rhythm Brain training begins with a simple rhythm: complete one NPT before every PT. Your day should be a constant oscillation between the two, always starting with an NPT.

This aligns with the principle in William H. McRaven’s book, Make Your Bed. To jump-start momentum for tasks your brain finds boring, you must start with the “hard” stuff.

• Wake up: Make your bed (NPT).
• Next: Take a shower (PT).
• Next: Brush your teeth (NPT).
• Reward: Eat breakfast (PT).
• On and on the cycle goes (Just be sure that the items are your NPT and PT items. It won’t be the same for everyone, maybe you love to brush your teeth).

With consistent practice, this rhythm becomes second nature. Eventually, the days of feeling deep shame after binge-watching YouTube while your responsibilities pile up will be a thing of the past.

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If reading this still has you confused, the video above covers how to train your brain to complete those pesky non-preferred tasks.

Recommended Resources in this video:

• Time-Timer https://amzn.to/3QWkOJR
• Larger Time-Timer https://amzn.to/4ujFBYn

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