How to do what you hate

College is challenging, involved and sometimes unpleasant. 

Getting through is hard and keeps being hard. No matter how many forum posts I write, I still hate every one.

But I keep doing them. Every week I do unpleasant things for school, for work and for myself. I detest running with three-quarters of my soul, but I still do it.

So, I wanted to share some of the strategies I’ve learned to get through the week.

Remember your why. Zoom out and look at why you wanted to take that class, get that degree, or be in college at all. 

What keeps you coming back? 

My why is the Chadron community. I want to continue working and participating in this community, and that means doing my homework day in and day out. (I’m also stubborn and hate failing even more than I hate homework.)

Mitigate your hate. 

Look at why you dislike a task and see if you can work around it. For me, that means printing so I don’t have to read off a screen or typing in Times New Roman before changing to the prescribed font.

Control what you can control. 

I have to read textbooks, but I do control when, how, and where I read them. 

I’ve taken trips to coffee shops to start papers, found the best place in my apartment to drudge through Learn Smarts and joined Zoom meetings outside. I can play a soundtrack that sounds like I’m adventuring in distant lands rather than just reading about the different methods of evaluating the corporate environment of a business, or put on a podcast to take my mind off running.

Reward good habits. 

Bribery is one of the more effective motivators in my experience.

Maybe I’ll make a really good supper after finishing a project or eat ice-cream at the end of a workday. I love giving myself the weekend (or just a day) off homework if I finish the week early. 

Find something small and motivating to give you an extra nudge.

Just try. 

Sometimes there are no other options than just starting. For me, that’s the worst part of projects. Occasionally, once I have the first paragraph written or the first question answered, I realize it wasn’t as bad as I imagined it to be. And if not, at least I’m 20 minutes closer to being done than I was before.

I hope you genuinely enjoy most of the things put before you, but if you come across something unpleasant, maybe try a tip or two.