How to psych yourself up for a challenging assignment

How to psych yourself up for a challenging assignmentHow to psych yourself up for a challenging assignmentWith sky-high expectations, a tight deadline and a whole lot of moving parts, youve got yourself a pretty daunting assignment. Heres how to finally get started once you stop groaning about it.Look fear dead in the eyePeter Bregman, an author, consultant, and CEO of Bregman Partners, writes in the Harvard Business Review that you should acknowledge the fear you feel when you want to begin a major project, after mentioning how he wants to write a screenplay.Heres why acknowledging your fear works Youre scared because you expect a lot from yourself and youre afraid youll underperform. When you acknowledge that fear, youre acknowledging that you might not have all that it takes to meet your expectations you might not have all the tools, information, skills, etc. Admitting that, in turn, reduces your expectation of getting it perfect right off the bat.And lowering your expectation of getting it right is the key to getting it started.Figure out whats standing in your wayMelody Wilding, an executive coach and social worker who teaches at CUNY Hunter College, writes on herbei site that you should identify exactly whats stopping you when youre losing the procrastination game.When you try to get started on your project, what stops you? For one week, document the reasons why you avoid getting started. By playing the observer, youll tackle excuses blocking you and reveal opportunities to change in productive ways. Perhaps theres a skill you need to learn in order to move forward. Or if youre struggling with feeling tired when you sit down to work, you could try eating a snack or showering beforehand to wake up.Remember, you dont have to go it aloneDawn Rosenberg McKay, an author and career planning professional, writes in The Balance that you should find a procrastinating buddy when procrastination is getting in your way.Partner with a coworker who also has a problem with putting things off. Show each other your to-do lists and then hold each other accountable for completing items on your respective ones. The stakes are certainly lower when you have to answer to a coworker instead of your boss, but it may give you the push you need.Break the project into manageable piecesStarting your project is half the battle.Kevin Daum, an Inc. 500 entrepreneur, author of Roar Get Heard in the Sales and Marketing Jungle and Video Marketing for Dummies writes in Inc. that you should platzset micro goals.Take the project and divide it into smaller parts. Create a quality checklist for each goal so you dont miss a beat. Then set clear timeframes and race the clock.