Motivation: 10 Tips to Take Action
I’ve been thinking a lot about motivation (“the general desire or willingness of someone to do something”)…while lying on the ground staring at the ceiling trying to convince myself to get something productive done. Owning your own business means that you have to self-regulate yourself entirely. You don’t have the external motivation of someone else telling you what to do. So many things in life take that same kind of motivation; being productive, working out, eating healthy, being social, running errands, simply getting out of bed, etc. There are so many things that unless someone is telling you there’s a deadline and you have to do it in order to get paid (the ultimate motivator right?), how often do you find yourself thinking, “Eeeeeeh, I don’t want to do that today”? For me, there’s a fine line between motivation and discipline. Discipline is getting something done whether you want to or not, while motivation is more needing to FEEL like doing it. I’ll be honest, rarely do I feel motivated to go the gym or get work done, but it's the drive of knowing how good or accomplished I will feel afterwards that drives me to take disciplined action. So this week I wanted to share ten ways to be more productive and still get those hard tasks done even if you aren’t feeling the “motivation.”
Discover your Desire: First things first. Figure out what you want! For example, if you're interested in having a six pack and getting in the best shape of your life, maybe going to the gym everyday isn’t on the top list of your priorities but it's a necessary step to accomplish your true desire. Sometimes it’s hard to do the day to day actions, but if you know what you truly want then think of everything else as smaller stepping stones along the way to get that end result.
Set SMART Goals: Goals can be tricky. They can be extremely helpful but on the flip side if you create a goal that’s impossible to achieve, it make end up making you feel discouraged. The best kind of goals to set are SMART; Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Every goal you make should meet every one of those criteria! “Lose 100lbs in a week” may be specific and measurable but definitely isn’t attainable, realistic, or timely…not to mention healthy! Give yourself a reality check and create goals that push you but aren't impossible to hit, such as, “go to the gym 3 days a week and gain 2lbs of muscle in a month.”
Start small: “Do something every day that brings you closer to your goals.” No matter what it is, accomplish something. Even if it’s something small it creates a snowball effect; when you get something done, the more motivated and accomplished you’ll feel, and you’ll continue to keep doing more, bigger things! Also, sometimes the hardest part is just getting started. So, even if you have to write an entire paper, telling yourself to sit down and just write one sentence, might actually lead to you getting inspired and continuing to work.
Schedule it: It may seem silly but even scheduling ad writing out what you have to do helps hold you accountable. If I write down in detail all the things I need to get done the next day, I’m much less likely to make excuses and not do them because I've already planned it out.
Create Routines: Going back to motivation vs discipline, sometimes creating a routine is simply what it takes. Turning something into a habit in order to help you accomplish your goals. Studies say it takes about 21 days to break a habit and 66 days to form a new one. So maybe set yourself a challenge? If you’re trying to be more productive, challenge yourself to set a timer and sit down and work for just 20 minutes everyday and before you know it you might have a solid habit of cranking out hours of work every day.
Public Announcements: Simply sharing what you’re doing on social media or telling friends can encourage you stay on track.
Accountabilibuddies: Get those friends and family members involved! We all know many things are easier to do with company, so find someone who wants to achieve similar goals with you! Alone in your goal? Find someone to text with and send reminders/support to one another and hold each other accountable to your individual goals (I guarantee there’s someone out there that needs you as much as you need them!).
Pump yourself up: There is something to be said about listening to some great music, watching inspirational videos, motivational speeches, etc. If you need a quick pick me up, blast those tunes and get to work!
Track Your Progress: As human beings, many of us tend to underestimate and undervalue the things we do. It’s important to recognize yourself for the small wins! Sure, maybe ya couldn’t lose that 100lbs in a week, but you took those first steps, showed up and went to the gym! Which, let’s be honest, was a step in the right direction compared to that Netflix binge-watching marathon that happened last week.
This NOT That: This can be a tricky one but see if you can monitor your thoughts and think about the positives NOT the negatives. Focus on the benefits NOT the difficulties. If you can start to see the bright side in situations you’re more likely to continue following through with them (no one likes to do things that suck!).
Which tip have you used before or are you going to start to implement? Do you have a great way you get motivated that I missed? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!