Do you ever feel like you’re in a rut? Do you have all these goals and dreams and can’t find the motivation to jump in and start? Here are fourteen tried and true ways to kick yourself in gear and accomplish everything you need to.
JUST JUMP IN
There’s that one quote about ten seconds of courage leading to great things, right? Well, this same general concept applies here. Often getting started is the hardest part, but if you just take the leap into whatever it is you need to do, half the battle has just been won!
START EARLY
One of the least motivating things for me is when I get to 11am and still haven’t started on my list of to-dos. One way I fixed this is by starting my day early. I get up at 5:30am, go through my morning routine, and I am ready to start on my to-do list by 8am.
Don’t get discouraged if this is not your thing. If you are rising at 10am and want to try this early start, just begin incrementing your wake-up time by half an hour earlier every couple of days or each week, and eventually, your body will get used to waking up earlier and earlier!
Also, note that it’s okay if you are a night owl and that’s when you’re most productive. Not only do I start early, but I have a nightly routine that I like to keep up with.
DO THE BIG TASKS FIRST…
When you finish, you’ll feel a lot more motivated automatically to tackle the smaller things. It’s like, heck yeah, I just did that big thing. I am incredible! I can definitely do the rest of these things because they are easier and smaller.
It’s a psychological hack that really does work!
… OR USE COMPOUNDING MOTIVATION
If doing the big things first makes you less motivated or it’s harder for you to start there, try starting with some of the small things. Little successes make you feel good, which will make you want to continue and this builds your motivation. Essentially, every small thing you do will add fuel to your productivity fire which will pull you through all those big things.
So start small and watch your to-do list shrink.
MAKE A DAILY COMMITMENT
In a place where you see it often, put a motivating mantra, a list of your to-dos, or a photo of your end goal. Then each morning, reflect on it and commit to yourself that you’re going to do your best to achieve that day.
Having this in a place where you see it often will remind you of your promise to yourself.
At one of my previous jobs, we created vision boards, placing images and quotes representing our goals up on the wall in front of our desks. Then all day, we were staring at them, and honestly just looking at my board made me excited.
But the point is that all those hours spent glancing up at that vision board made me remember to commit, and helped me to renew that commitment throughout the day too.
ORGANIZE YOUR DAY
You need to have some way to sort your tasks and then check them off as you go. I use this little app called Pencake that I love, and while it’s just a minimalist notes app, it works perfectly for organizing my day. You could use a planner, a notepad, a whiteboard, or anything else that allows you to see your progress and cross things off.
This also helps you to build routines. When I started task organizing, I also made a plan for my time use before and after my to-do list was finished (ie. morning rituals and evening downtime). This helped me create routines that keep me refreshed and healthy and make me excited for my day.
MAKE A PLAN FOR THE DOWN TIME
If you ever come around my house at two in the afternoon when I’m pulling a full workday, you will find a demotivated little me sitting in my desk chair holding my eyes open with my fingers. This totally contrasts my mornings and evenings, which are usually pretty productive.
If there is a time of day or a certain activity you find that decreases your productivity, make a plan for how you can combat it.
My plan for my afternoon dead hours is to take a nap and drink lots of water, and maybe exercise if that’s not enough. I’ve found I actually accomplish more in those times than I would have had I not decided what I was going to do when those hours hit (and you know they hit).
My philosophy is that you can try and push through it to get things done okay, or you can take a little time to revamp your motivation and plan for those ruts we find ourselves in. Then you can accomplish double what you would have had you pushed through your dead hours.
MAXIMIZE YOUR PEAK TIMES
My day is most productive in the morning hours between 8am and 11am, and I know that by 2pm I am going to hit a wall. If I don’t fill those early morning hours with productive things, the rest of my day is off and it’s harder for me to get back on track.
I take full advantage of that time. It is one of my most favorite parts of the day because I still feel energized and excited.
Take advantage of the times when you do feel motivated. You’ll start to crave the feeling of productivity, which will inspire more motivation.
REFOCUS & TAKE BREAKS
It is not hard to sit there, get through two tasks, then get distracted by other random things. Plan to take breaks, check your list, and restructure it throughout the day. If your project is causing stress, step away. Those few moments away will give you a total recharge!
Note that if you are in a groove and don’t feel like you need to step away, that’s fine too! The point is to listen to your inner self and make sure you aren’t de-motivating yourself by working too much or too hard.
KEEP YOUR LIST SHORT
When I have a long list of things I need to do, I sit there and look over it for so much longer than I should. It’s not motivating to see this massive mountain ahead. So here’s how to combat that.
Start with a list of the two or three most important things that you need to get done in the day. Then tackle those projects like a boss!
Once you’re done, take a moment to build another list of three things and continue this cycle for as much time as you have in the day.
I promise you will get just as much done if you do it this way, and you’ll feel more accomplished too because you’re checking off full lists! Say goodbye to insurmountable hurdles by resizing your to-dos.
DON’T COMPARE
If there’s anything that will stop your motivation in its tracks, it’s looking at the people around you and demeaning your own progress. Don’t see the successes others are having and get down on yourself. Be happy for them and be happy for you too. What you are doing is important, and sometimes seeing other people’s victories can have an impact on our own personal perceptions of our work.
Let’s say you don’t finish everything on your to-do list. You don’t hit that goal. You aren’t going to be able to hit a quota.
Don’t stop trying! Focus on the things that you were able to fit into your day and be proud of yourself! Focus on the incredible things your body and mind did today. You’ll feel better, more motivated, and overall happier if you start doing this.
PLAN SOMETHING FUN
Add something to the end of your day that you enjoy doing. For me, it’s a walk outside, nestling in with a book for a half-hour, or turning on an episode of whatever show we’re into. By putting a positive moment at the end of your day, you have something to look forward to as you work on hashing out all your list items.
This goes with goal setting too. Set up a reward for yourself if you finish all your to-do list items in a week. I had to do this with exercise or I would never work out. I once rewarded myself with a new pair of workout leggings for working out every weekday for a month. Exercising in the dead of winter in a 700 sqft apartment was rough but this got me to hit my goal.
STAY INSPIRED
As we were building our financial plans and investment ideals, we listened to and read a lot of Dave Ramsey and Mark Mattson. Whenever I was lacking productivity with my blog posts, I’d jump on Pinterest and read inspirations on blogging or listen to small business podcasts and they pumped me up!
Sometimes listening to someone else talk about their successes can jumpstart your motivation, and sometimes their ideas can influence you into more productive mindsets.
NETWORK & SUPPORT GROUPS
Find people to talk to that who support and love you. I promise, not only will it give you another human to hold yourself accountable to, but in those times where you feel like you just want to slack off and give up, they will be there to pump you up.
My husband would always talk me through his computer science projects. We’d call them “nerd out” moments but it was great because I could understand more about what he was doing so I knew how to support him better, and he would get excited again about programming assignments that were not necessarily fun to work through.
You have people all around you, even through social media, that can be there to lift you back up to full power productivity, you just have to find them.
KNOW YOUR WHY
This one I can testify of! When you know your “why”, you are instantly more committed, more passionate, and more excited about your goals – which in turn means that you’ll be more motivated to achieve them.
Whether your why is your family or being in a financial space to be able to achieve your goals, if it is driving you, it’s a great why. And everyone has a purpose in what they do, it’s finding it that’s the key.
Having a WHY is the single most important key to unlocking your productivity.
I hope you enjoyed this article and have found some added motivation to your day! If you have anything to add – tricks or tips that have helped you along your way, drop them in the comments below for other readers.
