Do you have a pile of work to do that you just can’t motivate yourself to get done? We all go through periods where we struggle to get through our tasks, whether they are big or small. Even if it is something you do every day, it can be hard to motivate yourself to get started. In today’s episode, we will talk about practical ways you can get up off your couch and get going.
Today, we want to help you feel motivated! For what? Whatever it is that you are dreading or putting off. This could be housework, some area of personal development, or tasks you need to get done for your job. The problem with not feeling motivated to do one thing is that it can keep you from doing other things that you wouldn’t normally have a hard time with. As we’ve talked about on the podcast before, if you feel unsuccessful in one area of your life, it can keep you from feeling successful in other areas.
Do Anything That Makes You Feel Productive or Accomplished
The First Law of Austin Dynamics states that an Austin in motion tends to stay in motion! Productivity leads to productivity, and it can snowball. So, do something.
No matter what it is, do something that will help you to feel productive or accomplished. It could be as simple as clearing out a few emails, taking out meat to thaw for dinner, starting a load of laundry, etc.
A couple of weeks ago, I made the mistake of walking out into my garage for a minute to “look around.” Two hours later, I had hung the bike racks I’ve been meaning to do for two months, swept the floor, rearranged all the emergency supplies, and started designing the new shelving units I was gonna put in!
Create Daily Habits
The first thing we do when we get up is get showered and dressed for the day. After that, we usually make our bed and straighten up a few things around the house. It’s easier to keep the momentum going once you get started on your day.
You can even daisy-chain these habits. For me, “dishes” often encompasses cleaning the whole kitchen because I start off by clearing the counters so I can unload the dishwasher, then re-load the dishes, then I see that I swept a bunch of junk into the floor so now I need to sweep, and well I might as well mop…
Create a Plan
One of the things that keep people from being motivated to do something is they don’t know where to start. It’s ok to spend time one day creating a plan to do the work on another day. Depending on your personality, creating the plan may be all the motivation you need to get started on it. Otherwise, you at least have your directives when it is time to get started on the task.
Make a Priority List
Come up with 2-3 things that are your top to-do’s for the day and write them down. This will give you a direction to head in and a goal to achieve. Even if you get very little else done in the day, you can look back and see that you were able to get these top things done.
This list needs to have at least one of the things that are looming over your head. If you have a big project coming up, then one of your priorities should be the first thing to get going on that project. Or maybe, you have to wrap up a project that you’ve been working on for weeks, but you just need to put in that last few hours to turn it in. The other two things can be easier to accomplish tasks that are important to you.
Talk to Someone About It
Around here, meetings tend to be highly motivating to Austin. If we sit down and just talk about the upcoming projects or things he has to do, he’ll be fired up and ready to go. Depending on your personality, going over the task with another person may be motivation enough to do it. If that is the kind of person you are, make sure you schedule those meetings or conversations at a time that will allow you to get things done.
Keelie is the kind of person that likes to talk about things ahead of time and then sit on them for a day or two before working on them. It allows her to visualize the task, marinate in what it will take, and then the inspiration to do it will come.
The Diet Bet is another example of this. Each night before bed, I log in to my apps where I’m doing these various bets. It’s highly motivating to be in all these conversations where everyone is headed towards the same goal.
Closing
You know what helps in “talking to someone about it”? Having someone to talk to! If your business is growing and you need a team to help offload work and have someone to bounce ideas off of, R5 can help!
Email us at [email protected] to get started today!
Until next week, get out there and start breaking the mental chains that are keeping you from producing!
Austin is a web developer who loves helping businesses take control of their online presence and reach more people.
