Sometimes there are days when you are 100% motivated and committed to whatever it is that you are doing and then there are other days when, let’s face it, you just can’t be bothered. It wouldn’t matter if someone lit a firework underneath you there just is no spark there. So what can you do when there are things to be done and you truly don’t want to bother getting started.
1. Fake it
Act as though you really are motivated, give yourself a little pep talk reminding yourself of how important it is to get the job done. Think about how you will feel when you finish the task. Sometimes faking it to make it is the only way. Motivation kicks in once you’ve made a start on things.
2. Just bloomin’ start!
Sometimes the ever looming project or task is made into this enormous monster of a task that is completely unnecessary. If you truly can’t face whatever it is that you need to do set a timer for 25 minutes (for those of you that read my blog regularly you will know I love the Pomodoro App for the iPhone) and work your butt off until the timer goes off. It’s amazing how much more energised you will feel. You CAN do something for 25 minutes, you’ve spent way more time than that putting this task off
3. Find the fear
What is the fear hiding underneath this? Why is it really that you don’t want to do it? There might be a fear underneath it, such as thinking it won’t be good enough. If you can find the fear you can then challenge it and ask what if it is good enough? If it’s just because you’d rather be watching TV then make TV the reward for once you’ve done it. Carrying around all this, ‘Oh I really must finish x, y or z’ just fills your mind space. Start to clear those unfinished tasks and watch your energy levels and motivation increase
4. Break the task down into mini milestones
We often try and do a ridiculous number of things with a to-do list longer than Santa’s Christmas Wish List. What three things do you really need to get done? Leonie Dawson, Business Coach/Mentor, calls them her MITs – Most Important Tasks to do. Do one thing on each of those tasks TODAY. Just one incy wincy teeny weeny thing. Go on… you know you want to!
5. Share
Sharing what you are committing to can be a great way to get focused. It’s really embarrassing if you’ve declared you’ll do something and then don’t come up with the goods. A little note on facebook saying, ‘I’m going to be running the 5k next year, will you sponsor me?’ can be a great motivator for you to start training, even if you don’t have an athletic bone in your body. Trust me if you work on the premise of ‘I can’t let people/myself down’ you will be off that couch with not a single potato in sight!
6. Write a list
Ok, ok, I know.. I’m a list lover, but they help! If you haven’t done a list then do one now. Get everything out of your pretty little head and onto paper, it really helps. Seeing the jobs crossed through as you complete them is really satisfying too! (oh dear, did I say that out loud?!!)
7. Tunes
Put on some upbeat music that gets you feeling all fired up.
Come back and leave me a comment to let me know how you got on. I’d love to hear what you did to get yourself motivated.
Want some tips on procrastination? Check out my previous blog post here.
Share Your Thoughts