{"id":16530,"date":"2025-04-02T02:54:38","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T02:54:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thedrivegroup.com.au\/?p=16530"},"modified":"2025-05-20T07:00:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T07:00:39","slug":"how-high-performers-do-the-hard-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedrivegroup.com.au\/how-high-performers-do-the-hard-things\/","title":{"rendered":"How High Performers Do The Hard Things"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Mindset, tricks and the neuroscience of tackling the hard tasks.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everyone has a list of things they <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">should<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> do when they have free time, but don\u2019t want to: refactor that messy code, document the process you keep explaining, tackle the feedback conversation you\u2019ve been avoiding, or finally update your portfolio.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You know these things will pay off. But when the time comes? Scrolling LinkedIn or refilling your coffee or any other task suddenly feels like a better idea.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The difference between average and high performers is what they do in these moments of resistance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s break it down:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why our brains resist complex tasks<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The science behind pushing through<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How high performers get things done (especially when they don\u2019t feel like it)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When to question if the tricky thing is worth doing at all<br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><br \/>\nWhy Do We Avoid Hard Things?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even the most disciplined professionals procrastinate. Here\u2019s why:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>No urgency<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: No one is chasing you to do it.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>It feels too big<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Large tasks are overwhelming.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>It\u2019s tedious<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Repetitive, unglamorous work is easy to push off.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>It\u2019s uncomfortable<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Maybe it requires an uncomfortable conversation, and uncertainty makes it daunting.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>It\u2019s not immediately rewarding<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The payoff is far in the future, and in the modern day, we are increasingly wired to seek instant gratification.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is all normal. Our brains naturally want to avoid effort. <\/span><b>But here\u2019s the thing!<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Every time you push through that, you rewire your brain to improve at doing hard things.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>The Neuroscience of Doing Hard Things<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Studies show that overcoming resistance strengthens the anterior mid-cingulate cortex. This part of your brain is linked to persistence and problem-solving (PMC). High performers don\u2019t just have better habits; their brains are literally wired to overcome and even embrace this discomfort.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think of it like strength training. Each time you tackle something hard, you build resilience, making the next challenge a little easier. It\u2019s not a one-and-done; you don\u2019t just go to the gym once and get strong. Your brain is no different, so with each challenging task completed you strengthen your mind, little bit by little bit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>What High Performers Do Differently<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High performers don\u2019t have superhuman willpower. They just know how to minimise or completely remove the friction between themselves and the action.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s where to start when that next challenging task comes your way.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Eat the Frog \ud83d\udc38 :<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If you had to eat a frog, you wouldn\u2019t put it off, so tackle it early, before distractions and more procrastination creep in!<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Set a hard start time<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Instead of \u201cI\u2019ll do it later,\u201d commit to a specific time: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019ll start this at 9 AM tomorrow\u201d <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and block it out in your calendar.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Lower the activation energy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The hard part is usually starting, so just start! D<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">raft the first sentence, or even just open the file!\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Use external accountability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Share a deadline with a colleague or manager.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Change of Scenery:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Sometimes, even just a reset of clearing the area, or moving to a new room or a local coffee shop, can spark the motivation.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Reward yourself<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Good old bribery still works a treat &#8211; so get yourself a coffee, take a break, or have something enjoyable lined up for when you finish the task.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Imagine the downside of not doing it<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: What\u2019s the cost of avoiding it? A missed opportunity? A last-minute scramble?<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><br \/>\nNot Every Hard Thing Is Worth Doing<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before pushing through, ask yourself:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Is this actually necessary?<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Can it be automated or delegated?<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Does it need to happen <i>now<\/i> or at this level of detail?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discipline is essential, but knowing <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> hard things to tackle is even more critical.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, what\u2019s the thing you don\u2019t want to do today?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go do it.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mindset, tricks and the neuroscience of tackling the hard tasks. Everyone has a list of things they should do when they have free time, but don\u2019t want to: refactor that messy code, document the process you keep explaining, tackle the feedback conversation you\u2019ve been avoiding, or finally update your portfolio. You know these things will&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":16541,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[49],"class_list":["post-16530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-tips","tag-career-tips"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedrivegroup.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedrivegroup.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedrivegroup.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedrivegroup.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedrivegroup.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16530"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedrivegroup.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16530\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16543,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedrivegroup.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16530\/revisions\/16543"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedrivegroup.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/16541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedrivegroup.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedrivegroup.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedrivegroup.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}