Create Guilt Deadlines to Get Things Done

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Sometimes, in order to get something done you need a little push.  But we don’t always have the funds to pay for a personal coach, so there needs to be another way to get things done on time and efficiently.  Well, there is one thing tends to motivate just about everyone: guilt.

Good Old Catholic Guilt

Most people in the west hate guilt.  It’s a word that is often associated with knuckle slapping nuns and Sunday sermons about hell.  But guilt is often a great motivator.  Think about the times when you are most productive; isn’t it when something really important is almost due and if you don’t get it done other people will suffer?  Well, that isn’t just a coincidence, God made us that way for a reason.  However, rather than delve into a philosophic discourse on why we do things better when we are riddled with guilt, I’d rather explain how your can use guilt to your advantage.

Three steps to guilt-full productivity

Using guilt to power the way that you get things done can be a very uncomfortable, but powerful process.  It’s uncomfortable because you will no longer have the opportunity to flake out, and it’s powerful because you will do anything within your power not to fail in the sight of others. The good part though is that it’s easy to get things started in 3 easy steps.

1. The next time you need to get something done, rather than just writing it down in a task list, think of a feasible date that the task can be accomplished.
2. Once you’ve decided on an end date, find someone with some authority or stake in the goal that you plan to accomplish.
3. Send them an email (or call them) letting them know that you will complete the task on that specific date.

Easy peasy, lemon squeazy.

An example please?

Just to give you an idea of how you can use this system, imagine that you have a hard time waking up for Mass.  Rather than fail over and over again, volunteer to be a lector.  The guilt of knowing that there will be an entire congregation that is suffering because you can’t get your lazy butt out of bed is better than any alarm clock.

Has anyone ever used this tactic successfully?  Let me know in the comments!

coaching, goals, guilt, Productivity, setting goals