Have you ever looked at your todo list and seen a task that you just didn’t want to do?

Chances are, you put that distasteful task off for later.

Would you have been more likely to get it done if it had a positive tone?

Negative Tasks Don’t Get Done

The other day, I was looking at my todo list and saw a nasty task.

Needless to say, I didn’t want to do it.

In fact, just looking at it gave me a negative attitude.

The task was:

“Deal with Insurance Mess”

Needless to say, I really didn’t want to do it and I quickly moved on. In fact, I had passed on this task many times recently.

When I thought about it, I was avoiding this task because of its negative perception. It sounded like a nasty and arduous task.

Yet, the outcome of the task was going to be a refund from my insurance company due to a paperwork error on their behalf. (Shocking, I know…)

A more positive way to phrase the task would be:

“Submit paperwork to get my money back from insurance company error”

This sounds like a positive task with a more positive result. (More action oriented, too.)

Can you spur yourself to action on negative tasks by wording them in a positive manner?

Positive Attitude Leads to Action 

The next time you are reviewing your todo list, take a moment to examine the attitude of your tasks.

See if you have any negative ones that could be reframed in a positive manner.

Even the most negative todos can be stated from a positive viewpoint or outcome.

So, make sure your tasks positive.

And motivate yourself to action by ensuring that your todo list has a positive attitude.