Many of us lead lives of underlying frustration.

The reason for this: we have a growing list of things we need to do, but because we don’t particularly enjoy doing them, they never get scratched off our to-do list.

The crawl space in my house is now so cluttered, I am sure there are creatures living there.

I have a few friends I am supposed to contact, but because they talk incessantly about nothing, I’m avoiding those calls.

My office needs to be cleaned. I hate cleaning. So the mess grows, higher and higher, until I can’t actually see anything.

Many business people are like me and avoid paperwork like the plague, until it gets to the point where it is urgent.

A lot of people enjoy social media. Our endorphins kick in big time – the chemicals in our brain that make us feel good. Oh, look, I got a like! So we spend an inordinate amount of time online. This happens while important but unpleasant tasks remain undone.

If you’ve ever wondered why someone is not doing what you’ve asked, they will tell you it’s because they are busy. This is code for “I don’t enjoy doing that, so I will put it off for as long as possible.” That same person has plenty of time for Facebook.

I enjoy watching a good documentary. Therefore, I do that instead of sending vital emails.

Much of our stress comes not from external factors, but our own procrastination.

We do what we like to do.

We avoid what we don’t like doing.

Yet – the “have to do” things need to, well…get done. Eventually. Before we are dead.

My goal for the coming year is to get these nasty things over and done with first thing in the day.

They will climb up my to-do list and sit at the very top, looking back at me as if to say “Get me done. I dare you.”

While we may not enjoy them while we are doing them – there is a certain level of satisfaction to getting them out of the way.

Get things done. Feel good.