Find Relief from Boring Tasks with These 11 Tips

Are you tired of all those mind-numbing tasks that you have to do? Well, I’ve got some good news for you. I know it can be tough, but there are ways to make those boring tasks a little more bearable. So, let’s dive in and discover 11 helpful tips to get those tedious tasks off your plate.

1. Prioritize and Plan: Start by making a to-do list and sorting your tasks based on importance. This way, you can tackle the most crucial ones first and feel a sense of accomplishment.

2. Break It Down: Big tasks can be overwhelming, but breaking them into smaller, manageable chunks can make them less daunting. It’s amazing how much progress you can make by taking it one step at a time.

3. Time Yourself: Set a timer for each task to create a sense of urgency and keep yourself focused. It’s incredible how much you can accomplish when you’re racing against the clock.

4. Reward Yourself: Motivate yourself by giving small rewards after completing a task. It could be anything from enjoying a snack to taking a short break to do something you love. A little treat goes a long way!

5. Get a Buddy: Find a friend or colleague who can help you with your tasks. Sometimes, sharing the workload can make the process more enjoyable and less tedious.

6. Delegate: If possible, delegate some of the tasks to others. Remember, you don’t have to do everything alone. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

7. Find Your Rhythm: Discover what time of day you are most productive and tackle your tasks during those hours. When you’re in the zone, even the most tedious tasks can feel more manageable.

8. Take Breaks: Don’t forget to schedule regular breaks. Stepping away from the task for a few minutes can give your mind a break and make it easier to refocus when you return.

9. Find Enjoyable Elements: Look for something enjoyable within the task. Maybe you can listen to music or a podcast while cleaning or reward yourself with a favorite treat while doing paperwork.

10. Gamify Your Tasks: Turn boring tasks into a game. Challenge yourself to beat your previous time or see how efficiently you can complete it. Adding a little competition can make things more exciting.

11. Take a Fresh Perspective: Try approaching tasks from a different angle or finding a new way to do them. Sometimes, a fresh perspective can turn a tedious task into a creative and interesting one.

Remember, we all have to deal with tedious tasks from time to time, but that doesn’t mean they have to be a drag. By using these 11 tips, you can transform your boring tasks into opportunities for growth and productivity. So go ahead and give them a try. You’ve got this!

No matter how good you are at distributing tasks, you’ll always have small and unimportant things that demand your attention. But spending too much time on updating spreadsheets shouldn’t disrupt your whole day when you have a business to manage. To solve this problem, I asked 11 entrepreneurs the following question:

What’s the best way to hand off time-consuming and unimportant tasks (like data entry) in a way that they’re done correctly but don’t distract my core team members?

This is what members of the YEC community had to say:

1. Hire a Virtual Assistant and Pay Them Well

I don’t know about you, but I really dislike doing data entry. It’s such a boring and time-consuming task. So, I understand why companies sometimes decide to hire a virtual assistant to take care of these tasks. However, it seems that some of these companies end up disappointed because the virtual assistants they hire don’t do a good job. But you know what? I think I know why this happens. It’s because they treat the virtual assistants as if they are disposable, just going for the cheapest option without investing in them. And that’s not fair. If you want your virtual assistant to perform well, you need to invest in them. Treat them like you would treat a regular employee. Train them properly and pay them well. See, when you do this, something amazing happens. Your virtual assistant becomes one of the most dedicated and hardworking people on your team.

2. Give Local Students a Chance

Sometimes, when you have boring tasks to do, you need to hire people temporarily or part-time to help you. It all depends on what kind of tasks they are. Personally, I like to find local students who are diligent and not bothered by doing the same thing over and over again. By paying these students for their work instead of using unpaid interns, we can get the tasks done efficiently while also giving the students a chance to learn and earn some money. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved. – Diana Goodwin, AquaMobile Swim School

3. Switch Things Up

When it comes to certain tasks, they can be both difficult and time-consuming, like sorting through bug reports or keeping an eye on security alerts. These tasks aren’t always suitable for new employees. So, here’s an idea: let’s rotate these tasks among different people each week. This way, no one gets stuck with a tough task for too long, and the workload is shared.

4. Give Employees the Power to Delegate

One problem with delegation is that sometimes no one knows whose responsibility it is. It’s important to assign tasks to specific individuals or allow them to pass the tasks down the chain to others. And if you’re still struggling, consider hiring a virtual assistant agency that offers a wide range of services. They can handle the delegation for you.

5. Bring in Some Help

Why waste the time and skills of valuable employees on small, but important, operational tasks? Let’s hire administrative staff to handle these duties instead. A skilled administrator will do a great job and will be personally invested in the task at hand. Yes, it may be more expensive than delegation or outsourcing, but it will pay off in the long run as company roles become clearer and the number of menial tasks grows. – Vik Patel, Future Hosting

6. Try Fiverr

Fiverr is fantastic! You can get high-quality, menial tasks completed within 24 hours for just a few hours’ worth of payment. It’s a cost-effective solution that beats full-on outsourcing, plus you’ll get plenty of ratings for each freelancer. Just make sure the tasks you assign are simple. Complex requirements can be a real challenge to explain, so it’s best to handle those in-house. – Slater Victoroff, Indico

7. Get Help from Others

Let’s talk about a cool way to boost your team’s productivity without overwhelming them: crowdsourcing! It’s like getting extra help from a bunch of people outside your team. Here’s how it works: if someone on your team has some extra time, they can become a project manager by creating detailed instructions for a specific task. This way, they can guide others who are joining the project through crowdsourcing. And guess what? This method also helps you find talented individuals for future contract work! It’s a win-win situation because it allows your team to grow and gives your team member a chance to develop their management skills at the same time.

8. Find Some Apps to Help You Out

I have a couple of trusty helpers that make my life so much easier: Amy, also known as x.ai, and Charlie. Amy is like a super-smart assistant powered by artificial intelligence. She takes care of all my meeting bookings, so I just have to include her in my email conversations. Charlie, on the other hand, does research on all the people I’m scheduled to meet with. He looks at my calendar and sends me updates, giving me all the info I need. By delegating these tasks to my AI assistants, I save myself countless hours every week. – Brittany Hodak, ZinePak

9. Assign a Dedicated Person

If you have the resources, it’s a great idea to assign one person to manage these specific tasks. It allows them to focus solely on getting the job done efficiently. Another option, if possible, is to bring in an intern or a recent graduate who is eager to gain experience. Just make sure you take the time to teach them everything they need to know. – Jayna Cooke, EVENTup

10. Harness the Power of Microworkers and Sidekicks

Did you know that there are some cool websites out there that can help you with tasks that you might think are kind of boring? Yeah, it’s true! One of them is Microworkers.com. They allow you to get help from a bunch of people to do those jobs that you might consider not so exciting. It’s like having your own little army of helpers!

And if you’re looking for a more permanent assistant, someone who can help you with important stuff on a full-time basis, then Sidekicks is the way to go. They can help you find high-quality executive assistants that will make your life a whole lot easier.

Now, here’s a little tip for when you have an assistant working for you. Make sure to let them know that you’ll be checking their work every once in a while. It’s important for them to know that you appreciate their contribution to the team. And when they complete a task correctly, don’t forget to give them a little reward. It’s all about making them feel valued and part of the team. Trust me, it goes a long way.

But hey, Microworkers and Sidekicks aren’t the only options out there. Another great service you can try is Amazon Mechanical Turk. It’s perfect for those simple repetitive tasks that don’t really make sense to have your skilled employees do. Instead of wasting their time on those tasks, you can hire cheap and reliable freelance workers through Amazon Mechanical Turk. They’ll get the job done and save your team some valuable time.

So, next time you have a bunch of boring tasks to do, remember these options. They’ll make your life a whole lot easier. Trust me, I’ve been there!

11. Try Amazon Mechanical Turk

You know, sometimes you have those tasks that are really simple and repetitive. They’re the kinds of tasks that don’t really make sense for your skilled employees to do. It’s just not worth it, you know? Instead of having them waste their valuable time, I’ve got a suggestion for you. Give Amazon Mechanical Turk a try.

It’s a service that you can trust to find you freelance workers who can do those repetitive and time-consuming tasks. It’s like having a whole virtual team working for you, all at a cheap price. So, next time you have those kinds of tasks, don’t hesitate to use Amazon Mechanical Turk. It’s a smart choice.