Welcome to the Stop Sabotaging Your Success podcast, episode one hundred and sixty. I’m your host, Cindy Esliger. This is the podcast focusing on what we can do today to take control of our careers and overcome the inevitable barriers to success that we encounter along the way. 

As you can imagine, it’s going to be harder to muster any enthusiasm if the work you’re doing feels torturous. You’ll be trudging through tasks muttering, “I hate this” under your breath and counting down the minutes until it’s over. But, what if the problem isn’t the work itself? What if the real issue is how you’re thinking about it? Imagine, just for a second, that the hardest thing on your to-do list wasn’t a mountain to climb, but more of a manageable hill. Better yet, what if you convinced yourself that tackling it was actually fun? It might sound unrealistic – or downright delusional – but this mindset shift could be the key to changing your experience entirely.

In this episode, we get into the fact that your brain is a master storyteller and it loves to narrate your misery. But, it’s just as capable of spinning a tale where you approach your work with curiosity or even excitement. Instead of dreading the process, you could reframe the experience, turning frustration into flow. 

This isn’t about sugarcoating everything or pretending work is just what you want to be doing at the moment – it’s about recognizing the power of perspective. By changing how you think about your work, you can transform even the most dreaded tasks into something that feels, at the very least, bearable – and maybe even a little enjoyable. 

So, what motivates you more: fear or fun? And how can you use that knowledge to stop hating every second of the work you have to get done? 

We’ve been sold this lie for years: that misery equals merit. That’s probably why we choose to set goals that make us miserable. You’d think in a world full of options, we’d naturally gravitate towards things we enjoy, but no. We’re masters at choosing misery. Why is this? Because we’ve bought into the idea that the harder something is, the more valuable it must be. You’ve probably heard this one before: “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you”. 

Sure, challenges can be great, but somewhere along the line, we equated pain with progress. If it’s fun or comes easily, it must not count. That’s why we end up setting goals we think we should accomplish, like learning a skill we have zero interest in or pursuing a promotion that sounds impressive but fills us with dread, without asking whether we’d actually enjoy the process. And guess what? We don’t. Then, we grimace our way through, convincing ourselves it’s the right thing to do because it’s making us miserable.

Perhaps that little voice in your head is whispering, “This could be better”, every time you finish something. It’s also the reason you don’t allow yourself to enjoy your work because perfectionism kills fun – and motivation. When your perfectionism is running the show, it doesn’t allow you to see the point of enjoying things, because doing it perfectly is the only thing that matters. 

Perfectionism convinces us that if we’re struggling, it’s our own fault. We’re not disciplined enough, focused enough, or good enough. So, we grind through the work, beating ourselves up for not enjoying it, while simultaneously refusing to consider that maybe the problem isn’t us – it’s the way we’re approaching our work. 

When you think about the word ‘goal’, what comes to mind? For many of us, it’s discipline, pain, striving, grinding, and frustration. It’s such a small word that provokes doom and gloom, reminding us of everything we have to endure to achieve something worthwhile. Rarely does setting a goal make us think of joy, fulfillment, or fun. 

This mental baggage around goals keeps us locked in a cycle of dread and frustration. Even when we achieve what we set out to do, we don’t feel great about it because we’ve associated the process with misery. The irony? If we made the process enjoyable, we’d probably reach our goals faster and feel better doing it. But no, fun feels too easy, so we resist it.

But before you start thinking fun is some kind of fluffy, unproductive nonsense, consider this: people perform better when they actually enjoy what they’re doing. It’s not rocket science. 

When you’re having fun, you’re less likely to procrastinate, less likely to feel overwhelmed, and more likely to stay engaged. Fun eliminates the dread and frustration that comes with tasks you hate, replacing them with curiosity and motivation. And, let’s be honest, fun makes life better.

Many of us get stuck thinking that we have to find fun, as if it’s hiding somewhere in our dreary task list. But the truth is, it’s not about discovering some mythical ‘fun job’. It’s about making the work you already have more enjoyable. That’s right. You can turn even the most soul-sucking task into something you don’t completely hate. 

How? By changing the way you think about it. Gamify your work. Turn it into a challenge or competition with yourself. Celebrate your small wins. Add little rewards along the way. Or simply reframe things with something as simple as, “This is fun”, instead of saying, “I hate this”. Even if you don’t believe it at first, I challenge you to give it a try. What do you really have to lose? 

So again, if you had to choose, what actually gets you moving: fear or fun? For some people, it’s fear – the looming deadline, the consequences of failure, or the sheer terror of disappointing someone. Fear is a powerful motivator and when used strategically, it can light a fire under you like nothing else.

For others, it’s all about the reward. There’s a certain satisfaction to be had in crossing something off your list. Maybe it’s feeling the pride of a job well done or the promise of a post-project celebration. Fun-based motivation taps into your curiosity, creativity, and joy, making the work feel less of a grind and more like a game. 

And, what if I told you that you don’t have to pick one or the other? You can mix and match fear and fun to suit the situation. Hate writing reports? Set a timer and promise yourself a treat when you’re done. Working on a project with an impossible team? Focus on the challenge of making it work while keeping in mind the consequences of failure. It’s not about waiting for motivation to show up – it’s about creating it. 

If you want to stop grimacing your way through your work, start by finding ways to inject fun into your day. Here are four strategies to make even the worst tasks a little more fun: 

1. Gamify Your Work: Turn your tasks into a game. Set a timer and see how much you can accomplish in 20 minutes. Challenge yourself to finish a report faster than you did last time. Give yourself points for each milestone you hit, and reward yourself when you rack up a certain number of points. Gamification isn’t just for kids; it works because it taps into your competitive nature and makes mundane tasks feel like mini victories. 
2. Pair It With a Reward: Attach a prize to the task – something you genuinely look forward to. This one works well for those who are more reward-driven. Maybe it’s a fancy coffee, or a quick break to scroll social media guilt-free, or permission to buy that thing you’ve been eyeing. The key is making the reward immediate so your brain associates the work with something positive.
3. Turn It Into a Challenge: If you’re fear-motivated, create a sense of urgency or higher stakes to keep you on track. Pretend the deadline is today instead of next week. To hold yourself accountable, remind yourself of the potential consequences of inaction. It’s easy to assume that you really don’t want to have to stay late on Friday because you procrastinated all week, so get to it. 
4. Add Personal Touches: Make your work environment more enjoyable by bringing your attention to one of your five senses: what can you see, hear, touch, taste, or smell while you’re at your desk? This is definitely more challenging in an office environment, depending on the policies in place, but if you can, display an inspiring photo, play your favorite music (using headphones, of course), or grab your favorite snack. 

When you enjoy what you’re doing, or at least don’t despise it quite so much, you’re more likely to stay focused, finish faster, and feel better about the outcome. By shifting your perspective, you can eliminate some of the dread and replace it with curiosity or excitement – or at least a little less misery. 

Work isn’t always fun. Sometimes, it’s downright dreadful, especially when you’re assigned a project no one wants, with a team no one likes, with expectations to rescue a project that rival the ridiculous. At moments like this, your brain loves to chime in with unhelpful commentary like, “Why do you even need motivation? Just do your job. That’s what you’re getting paid to do.” 

Sure, you’re being paid to do the work, but that doesn’t mean you’re immune to boredom, frustration, or outright dread. We’re human, not robots. Your brain thrives on purpose and payoff. Without either, it defaults to resistance. Recognizing this isn’t a weakness – it’s just how you’re wired. Motivation, whether rooted in fear or reward, is the fuel that gets you to the finish line. Denying that need doesn’t make you a better employee; it makes you a more frustrated one. 

But, waiting for motivation is a losing game. If you wait to feel inspired, you’ll be stuck in a perpetual state of thinking that there’s always tomorrow. But, in reality, tomorrow never comes. 

Instead, it’s time to take a proactive approach to motivation. You don’t need to wait for it to show up; you can create it. Sometimes, it’s a matter of picking your poison: fear or reward. Figure out which one will get you moving right now. There’s no wrong answer. The trick is to lean into whichever motivator feels strongest in the moment and build a strategy around it. 

Fear works best when you need a sense of urgency. It’s about avoiding potential disaster: missed deadlines, disappointed stakeholders, or the looming wrath of your boss. If fear lights a fire under you, embrace it. Create artificial deadlines, set public commitments, or imagine the consequences of not following through. Fear can be a powerful driver – as long as you don’t let it paralyze you. 

If fear doesn’t do it for you, focus on the prize. Think about what’s in it for you. Maybe it’s the satisfaction of checking the task off your list, the pleasure of reframing the task as a creative challenge or opportunity to experiment, or the enjoyment of something you’ll give yourself when it’s done (perhaps that fancy coffee or just a few minutes of free time). Rewards don’t have to be huge; they just have to be meaningful to you. Maybe it’s just me, but I love a gold star. 

Pick the motivator you need most in the moment and apply it to as many parts of the project as possible. Break the work into smaller chunks and attach a fear- or reward-based incentive to each one. This way, you’re not staring down a massive soul-crushing task – you’re tackling manageable pieces with motivation built into every step. 

One of the biggest roadblocks to motivation is dread. The more you think about how much you’ll hate a task, the bigger and scarier it feels. It’s like feeding a monster – your avoidance only makes it grow more intimidating. 

Here are four strategies for how to overwhelm the dread with action:

1. Start Small: Don’t aim to finish the thing in one sitting. Commit to just five minutes. Often, getting started is the hardest part, so once you’re in motion, momentum may take over. 
2. Front-Load the Hardest Part: Tackle the most dreaded element first. Get it out of the way so the rest feels easier by comparison. 
3. Batch and Break: Group similar tasks together and then take short breaks. This keeps your brain from feeling like it’s stuck in an endless loop of misery. 
4. Celebrate Progress: Each small win deserves acknowledgment. When you finish an interim milestone, treat yourself to something enjoyable. 

Action is the antidote to dread. The more you do, the less intimidating the entire task becomes. 

Sometimes, in order to get going, you just need to shift gears. That’s where physical triggers come in. A physical trigger is a ritual, object, or environment that signals to your brain: “It’s go time”. Think of it like flipping a switch. 

Here are three examples for you to try: 

• The Workplace Reset: Clear your desk and arrange it the way you like to set up your workspace before diving in. 
• The Motivational Cue: Use a specific song, snack, or drink that you only indulge in during work sessions.
• The Uniform Effect: Put on a particular piece of clothing or accessory to signal that it’s time to get serious. 

The point isn’t what the trigger is – it’s that it creates a Pavlovian response. Your brain learns to associate the trigger with focus and ease, enabling you to dive into the task at hand. 

You may not realize that your motivator isn’t set in stone. You’re not locked into being driven by fear or fun. In fact, your motivation can change depending on the situation, your mindset, or even how you frame the task in front of you. If the work you’re doing feels torturous, it’s often because you’re stuck on relying on the wrong motivator for the context. For instance, if you’re fear-driven but facing a task with no immediate consequences, you’ll feel stuck because there’s nothing to spark urgency. Similarly, if you’re reward-driven but the payoff feels intangible or too far in the future, it’s hard to feel engaged.

The game-changer? You can choose the type of motivation that serves you best and strategically layer it into your work. By consciously deciding to add fear (like self-imposed deadlines or public accountability) or reward (like a small, immediate treat for achieving a little bit of progress), you’re not just waiting for motivation to strike – you’re creating it. This shift in perspective allows you to experiment and figure out what works for you in any given scenario, which can transform even the most dreaded tasks into something more manageable – or maybe even enjoyable.

At the end of the day, your approach to work is a choice. You can grimace your way through it, muttering how much you hate it under your breath, or you can decide to make it fun – or at least tolerable. By understanding the potential reward or consequences, you can design a system that works for you. And when you start telling yourself that even the hardest tasks are manageable (or dare I say, enjoyable), you might find they’re not so bad after all.

So, the next time you’re staring down a project that makes you want to procrastinate, stop waiting for the perfect time to start. Choose your motivator and get to work. Who knows? You might even have a little fun along the way. 

And that’s it for this episode of Stop Sabotaging Your Success. Remember to download your Guide to Turning Torture into Triumph at cindyesliger.com/podcast, episode one hundred and sixty. 

Thank you to our producer, Alex Hochhausen and everyone at Astronomic Audio. Get in touch, I’m on Instagram @cindyesliger. My email address is info@cindyesliger.com. 

If you enjoy listening to this podcast, you have to come check out The Confidence Collective. It’s my monthly coaching program where we dig a little deeper into what’s holding you back in your career and we find the workarounds. We help you overcome the barriers and create the career you want. Join me over at cindyesliger.com/join. I’d love to have you join me in The Confidence Collective.  

Until next week, I’m Cindy Esliger. Thanks for listening.