Do you lack motivation?
Do you lack motivation? If the things that you are looking to do aren’t really ones that excite you, you may find that you tend to put them to the end of the queue and may never get around to doing them. This may be in relation to tasks that you want to do (cleaning out that cupboard at home, for example) but you never seem to make a start on. Does this sound familiar to you? I can recommend some tips if you regularly beat yourself up for never getting round to that job that you want or need to get done? i I hope that these things will be of help to you.
Tools and tips that can help if you lack motivation…
Action plans
I find that to-do lists and action plans can help with completing weekly or daily tasks. What helps me is that I have a weekly list for business and, alongside it, another for other things that I want to achieve each week. I find that there are some tasks that need prioritising so I decide on the days that I will do those and I then fit other tasks in around these. An Action plan can be a really useful tool and can help you if you lack motivation. It is very satisfying crossing those actions that you have done off the list.
Do what you don’t enjoy first!
I recommend that it is always good to get the most difficult or less enjoyable task of the day done first. You will find that if you leave it until the end of the day, often it will not get done. I once read an interesting book on motivation called ‘Eat that frog’ which was written by Brian Tracy. Here is a link to a short YouTube video that features the key message: Eat that frog video. It is well worth a look if you have not read the book.
Is your lack of motivation stifling your progress?
Is there something that you do know that you really do want to achieve but you are struggling with it? As a result of constantly putting it off, you may find that it has become an issue. If so, and you have found that procrastination has set in, it is worth examining the reasons around this. Often it may be due to fear. If that is the case, you need to put steps in place to address the fear. It may be a case of breaking the task down into smaller more easily achievable steps. Often making a start is the most difficult thing, especially if it is something that we are afraid of. However, if you take small steps it becomes much more manageable. Try to work on a small part of it every day if you can.
Make yourself accountable
Often people struggle with accountability, particularly if they are only accountable to themselves. Having others working on the same or similar goals can be key in helping you with motivation and helping you to keep going when you are going through difficult phases in working towards your goal. Friends and family members may be suitable accountability partners (although some may not be!) Don’t choose people that do not agree or understand what you are trying to achieve. Joining a group programme may help (which is something that I have recently done myself to help make me more accountable in a certain area of my life). Even coaches can achieve more if they work with others and most coaches have coaches themselves as they understand the power of coaching.
Don’t let the mind monkeys hold you back! Fear can be a factor in lacking the motivation to take that action.
Many of us struggle with our ‘mind monkeys’ – the negative thinking and self-doubt that can hold us back. You may wish to work on this. I run a free Facebook group called ‘Taming Mind Monkeys’ that you may be interested in joining for help in this area. Here is the link: Taming Mind Monkeys Facebook group.
I have written other posts that can help you with motivation and I would be happy for you to contact me if you need further help in this area. I would be happy to help further if the mind monkeys are getting in your way!