How To Get Motivated

Are you stuck in a cycle of knowing that there is something that you need to do but just can’t find the motivation to actually get it done?

Do you get more and more overwhelmed with each passing day that you haven’t started or completed an important task.

Have you been beating yourself up and feeling like a failure because you know you are procrastinating but just can’t seem to push yourself to be productive?

If any of this describes you, just know that it’s normal. Almost everyone goes through a patch of being unproductive and procrastinating at one time or another. The key is learning how to get out of that pattern before it turns into a full on habit.

So, let’s talk about how to get yourself motivated and into a steady pace of productivity.

First, let’s talk about the task, job, or project that you need to do. Ask yourself these questions and write down your answer.

1. What is the task?

2. Identify why you need (or want) to do it or get it done. What is the tasks’ purpose?

3. What benefit does the completed task provide?

4. Once this task is complete, what will you get and/or how will you feel?

The above questions are important to answer because the most important part of learning how to get motivated to get something done is to identify and focus on the result of getting the task done. No one wants to do anything if the reward at the end is not worth the effort. So think about the purpose that the task has, the benefit it provides, and how you’ll feel once it’s done (this last one is the reward). Here’s an example.

1. What is the task? To clean up and organize the closet.

2. Identify why you need (or want) to do it or get it done. What is the tasks’ purpose? I need to get it done so that I can find my clothes and get dressed quickly and stop making more of a mess throwing clothes around while searching for a specific item,

3. What benefit does this completed task provide? Time efficiency and reduction of anxiety.

4. Once this task is complete, what will you get and/or how will you feel? I will get some peace of mind knowing that is one task checked off of my to-do list. I will also get a boost of confidence knowing that I was able to motivate myself. I will feel accomplished, organized, and productive.

Once you answer these questions for yourself, go back and evaluate what you wrote. Specifically focus on your answer to questions # 4. This is the most important question, and your answer to it will allow you to make a decision that will either propel you into productivity or paralyze you into stagnation. Remember, as I stated above, the reward at the end of the task is what you will benefit from doing it, how you’ll feel when it’s done, what positive change will it bring to your life once it’s complete, and/or what purpose it serves to you - those are rewards. And the reward becomes your reason WHY you do the task. The reward becomes your motivation to get it done. So, when you go back and read your answer to # 4, think about the reward that you identified and answer this:

1. What consequences will you have in your life if you do not get/have the reward?

2. How much longer are you willing to go without that reward?

Here’s the bottom line (and the reason that I have you answering these questions). In order to get motivated to get up and DO something, the pain of staying where you are and continuing NOT to do the task has to be more than the pain and inconvenience of actually doing it. For example, if starting a business is your task and the reward is that you will ultimately be able to quit your job; you will have the motivation to start the business when it is more of a pain to continue working for someone else than it is to actually do what you need to do to start the business. The task (starting the business) may be a lot of work, it may be stressful, you may struggle to find the time to do it - these are reasons why you may be procrastinating and lacking the motivation to start; BUT if you despise continuing to work for someone else MORE than you find starting your business stressful, difficult, and time consuming - THEN you’ll be motivated to start the business.

You can learn how to get motivated to do anything in life. You just have to identify the reward, focus on it, then think about if you’re willing to live without it… and if the answer is that living without the reward does not cause enough pain, inconvenience, or unhappiness - you’ll always lack the motivation to get that task done. So, if your current task, project, or thing to do does not give you a reward so substantial that you can’t live without it, then the reward is just not that important to you. It’s not a priority to you… and that’s the real reason why you aren’t motivated.

Let that sink in.

Love y’all. Mean it.

Breezy Phoenix