Monday Motivation: How to Get or Stay Motivated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Setting and reaching goals means putting in daily work.

But, sometimes you don’t want to do anything at all.  You feel lazy, unmotivated or bored.  To help you out, we’ve got ten handy, dandy techniques to help you get work done, even when you don’t feel like it.

Tens Ways to Get or Stay Motivated:

• Promise yourself a reward: “If I work on my business plan every weekday this week, I can go out to dinner with friends on Saturday night.”
• Take something away:  “If I don’t work on my business plan every weekday this week, I’m not allowed to go on Amazon for a week.”
• Shut down distractors.  No Facebook/Twitter/Internet/television/reading/fill in your favorite distractor, until I do ________________________. If all else fails, use a program like Leechblock, Antisocial or StayFocusd to limit your access to Internet timesuckers.
• Set an easy time goal to fulfill: Sit down to do work for 20 minutes.  If after 20 minutes you really want to stop, stop.  You might be pleasantly surprised that the hardest part was getting started.
• Create a way to track your progress. Googledocs is a free, online program where you can create spreadsheets to track your progress.  For an example of a spreadsheet I made to track my novel-in-progress word count, click here.
• Envision how good success will feel.  Let yourself daydream or visualize what your life looks like once you have reached your goal.  How do you feel?  What is the best part of reaching your goal?  How will you reward yourself?  Savor the vision in your head, and then get to work!
• Enlist a buddy.  Corral a friend into checking up on your progress.  Ask for emails/phone calls/texts to annoy you to get started or keep going.  In return, do the same for your friend.
• Post motivating quotes on a mirror/desk/laptop screen.  Sometimes the right quote, in a place you frequently see, is all you need to get moving.  Pinterest is an online bulletin board where you can collect motivational quotes to rev you up during bouts of laziness.  You can check out my “Motivation” board here.
• Change your scenery. Go to the library, a coffee shop, or another workspace that is more conducive to getting things done.
• Just start.  No excuses.  Get done what you need to do and move on with your day or night.