GET IT, GIRL
Hacks that'll keep the ball rolling
LACKING MOTIVATION TO CREATE?
When my creative juices aren’t flowing, I become a sponge for content that inspires me. I carve out 30 minutes just to consume – to snoop around online, read a book, flick through a magazine, visit a blog, watch a video or listen to a podcast and fully engage with it without multitasking. Giving myself a short window of time keeps me off the procrastination path, focused and on-task, seeking out inspiration and squeezing out the rest.
There’s something about dipping my toe in the content ocean that perks me right up. Sometimes it might trigger an idea that I’d already had but completely forgotten, or it’ll make me think of something new to create that I haven’t done before. Not only do I find it enjoyable and actually pretty relaxing, nine times out of 10, a cracking idea comes from it.
LACKING MOTIVATION BECAUSE YOU FEEL STRESSED?
Sometimes I feel like my motivation is being cut off because I feel stressed.
This heart-pounding, anxiety-ridden state isn’t conducive to productivity and it’s something that can affect us all from time to time. No one’s immune to stress, but there are ways to manage it and lessen the pressure, so that’s exactly what I do whenever it stands in the way of my workload.
The chances are that I’m feeling stressed because I’ve been too optimistic with my planning, so I work priority into the mix. I put high-priority items at the top of the list, and put other things that aren’t so time sensitive temporarily to the side until I’m back in peakperformance mode. This ironing out of my plans is a sure-fire way to up my productivity, and allows space for motivation to worm its way back into my working day.
LACKING MOTIVATION FOR A PARTICULAR DEADLINE OR TASK?
I’ll put my hand up and say that longterm tasks aren’t my strength in the workplace. Short and snappy blog posts? Lovely jubbly. But projects that span the course of a couple of months, even years (like writing a book!)…? Staying motivated over a long stretch of time is basically an endurance sport, so we should treat it like one. Just like our energy levels naturally ebb and flow, our motivation for a particular task does the same. Some days you might write a chapter and other days it’s a struggle to write 100 words.
I find that the best way to sustain some kind of motivational thrill in these instances is to set myself a daily goal to reach. You might like to keep the same goal to hit every day, or maybe you find it’s more of a motivator for you if it’s slightly different every day. Make sure that it’s realistic and workable around your other commitments so that it won’t loom over you. Write it in your notepad, or print it out and stick it above your desk – just make sure it’s easy to see and will act as a daily reminder. Ticking off your daily goal should help to buoy up your motivation levels, and you’ll get there slowly but surely.
LACKING MOTIVATION TO DO ANYTHING AT ALL?!
I know this sounds dramatic, but do you ever have moments when you lack the drive to do anything? Yup. I flick through my phone – boring. I look through my cupboards for something to eat and there’s nothing there. I pick up my laptop, delete some junk email and then immediately close it again because I’ve remembered there’s ice cream in the freezer. Nope, turns out my husband ate it secretly last night when I was out. Maybe I’ll read? Oh wait, I’ve just read the first line of the first page 47 times and still couldn’t tell you what it said.
If you’ve been there too, I feel you. It’s a prime example of an utter lack of ability to focus, and in those moments where
I just can’t/really don’t want to do anything, I tap out. I go for a walk, I book in for a workout session ASAP, and the act of removing myself from my place of work – even for 15 minutes – acts as a hard reset on everything.
This is an easier scenario for those who work at home or have flexible hours, but even just stepping away from your desk to pour yourself a drink and take the long way back to your seat helps. Fresh air is a particular kind of magic, but any mini break to get the cogs of your wheel of motivation turning again does wonders.