It’s easy to be motivated when you’re doing something you like.
You become engrossed in it, time passes quickly and there is a feeling of
enjoyment in doing it. Hopefully your days and weeks are filled with those
things.

But what about when you have to do things that you don’t
care to do but are just part of the job? Hopefully they are minimal. But you
still have to do them.

When faced with something you don’t care to do, you are still required to execute it well. Excellence is a core attribute of professionals and should be a hallmark of everything you touch–even the things you dislike. How?

1. Break down the task to determine what you can delegate. There
are people who enjoy doing what you loathe, and when you don’t delegate to
them, you rob them of the opportunity to do what they enjoy. Train others to contribute.
One of my clients hated to do his billing, so he taught his administrative assistant
to get all the reports ready for him. He got over the idea that only he could
do it. That made his billing less painful for him and he now completes it on
time with minimal effort.

2. Consider what you have to do as a benefit to you. If you
have a “why,” you can do just about anything. Most of what you do can
be viewed as important to your career in some way. Be clear on how and remind
yourself regularly. Focus on it as an aspect of being a professional.

3. Make it a challenge. Don’t just go through the motions, to
just getting it done. Commit to finding one thing that will help or interest
your client.  For instance, if you’re
doing tax returns, commit to finding at least one opportunity to add value to an
otherwise low-value compliance document.

All of this takes effort. No free ride here. Only you have
to keep yourself motivated. It’s you job. It’s your responsibility. It’s being
professional.