I really do think of myself as a go-getter. I love to come up with ideas and run with them, as well as always making lists for myself. Some days I am motivated and others I am not into it at all, but things still need to get done. I have tried a few things to help me follow through when I am just not in the mood and here are some easy ways to stay motivated.

 

 

Tell people about it.

Let people know what you have to do so they can help hold you accountable. You never know when they might ask you about it!

Listen to music.

Certain music really gets me motivated and can help me not only bust a move but bust through what I need to get done.

Set smaller goals.

Sometimes we give ourselves these big, lofty goals and get upset when I can’t do them and become unmotivated. Try breaking up my your larger goals into smaller, more manageable ones.  If your goal is to lose 20 pounds in 3 months, think about how much weight would be reasonable to lose in two weeks.  This will keep you motivated and help you see the progress towards your larger outcome.

Ask for help to stay motivated.

Reach out to that person who can give you the pep talk or help you start the project. It helps me to get the ball rolling when I get that nudge. 

goal setting

Ask yourself:

Does it have to be done now? It’s ok to take a moment and not do anything – just make sure it can be done later. Everyone deserves some time to relax, so take that step back and do it in a few. Don’t beat yourself up about it and it will keep you motivated for later when you are in the right head space.

Change tasks.

Sometimes just a simple change helps me move forward. I always have a million things on my list and bouncing from thing to thing gets me more motivated if I get stuck. I am still getting something done, but not that one thing that is driving me insane.

It might sound weird, but sometimes when I’m doing a task, I try to find a new way of doing it. If I work on a student list, sometimes I change from top to bottom to bottom to top. It’s weird, but that one small change helps me a lot! 

Reward yourself!

It doesn’t have to be something big – it can just be a cup of coffee or 5 minutes until you go to the next thing, but give yourself credit for getting the task done. It will help you stay focused and keep you from feeling burnt out when trying to get things done.

 

Alissa Carpenter
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