The first step.
The first inch off the ground.
The first word of the email.
Motivation can be hard to muster on command, and so often we wait until we have it in sufficient supply before we act. It’s backwards thinking like that that will keep you stuck, spinning your wheels, and often leads to feeling like you’re the problem.
You are not the problem. You are NOT then problem. YOU ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. The way you think about motivation is the problem.
My coaching clients most often struggle with mindset and motivation and feel overwhelmed, scattered, and like they’re working incredibly hard for less and less reward. They are exhausted, they are frustrated, and they are usually so hard on themselves it breaks my heart.
Everyone could use a little boost of motivation, so here are my very favourite methods of building and sustaining a motivational practice that will get you through the good days, the bad days, and the really really bad days:
8 Ways to get Moving TODAY:
- Get started by visualizing your ideal day from start to finish. This should take about 15-20 minutes. Where you wake up, who is around, what you eat, where you live, where you work, how you work, when you work, what you do after work. (NOTE: This is about imagining a random Tuesday that is not a holiday or vacation. Make it as real and realistic as possible, and try to engage all of your senses.)
- Say NO to everything that doesn’t bring you closer to that ideal day. (Your ideal day will probably change and shift as you do this regularly, but the NOs can start right away, you’ll know if what’s being asked is going to be a distraction or a help.)
- Schedule your time by your energy. Stop paying attention tot he clock (except for meetings and things of course). If you’re a morning person, don’t waste your first few hours doing yoga and enjoying a leisurely breakfast – get to work and save the leisure for the afternoon when you’re more likely to need it. If you’re a night owl, here is your written permission to quit the 5am club. Start your day slow with all the things you don’t have to think about too much. As you wake up, increase the difficulty and importance of your tasks.
- Set yourself up for small wins. This means mono-tasking. If you have 35 tasks partly done at the start of the day and the same 35 partly done at the end of the day it can be hard to stay motivated. Focus on 3-5 things per day, and schedule out the rest. They can change and shift over the day or the week – but not while you’re working.
- Stop when you know what comes next in order to keep going when you have momentum but NOT until exhaustion. This is a balancing act that involves taking regular short breaks when you have just a bit left to finish on your task. Leave a sentence unfinished in a blog post, don’t tidy up all the loose ends. When you have unfinished work, it’s more motivating to get back at them after a break, so use your brain’s desire for completion to your benefit.
- Reward yourself often. I have a whole PDF of possible rewards if you’re someone who doesn’t know what you like. (There are lots of you out there!) Reward every step, don’t wait for completion. Completion is its own reward, it’s the consistent journey that breaks our brains – so celebrate every single little tiny win!
- Schedule shit work dates with a partner. If there’s undone stuff that is stressing you out and making you feel bad about yourself, grab a friend and make it a date! 2 hours every other week to get both of your shit work tasks taken care of is way more manageable than trying to force yourself yet again to do it alone. Do it online, at a coffee shop (or if the shit work is housework, at your house), but do it together. The magic is in the company.
- Hire a coach! (Seriously, CLICK HERE and book a free M6 Discovery Call with me!)
Are you ready for life to get easier, simpler, and way more fun?
It’s time, isn’t it?
