1. Make your very own life journal.
A life journal is a document that contains your life goals, aspirations and dreams. What makes it different from a vision board is that it contains the steps you’re going to take to reach your dreams. A vision board is a cliché — it only reminds you of what you want. A life journal, on the other hand, shows you what you should do in order to get what you want in life.
2. Find your peak hours and take advantage of them.
Some articles would tell you to wake up early — but what if you’re actually a night owl? Instead of conforming to common rules, personalize your own productivity and maximize your motivation by knowing which time of day works best for you.
3. Start each day with a powerful phrase.
Don’t live your life away — live it with purpose by living according to your powerful phrase. It has to be something emotional, something urgent and something that can instantly make you want to get up when you hear it. Therefore, don’t just read motivational quotes. Make your own mantra as well.
4. Take a bath.
The way you handle yourself dictates the way you handle the rest of your day. If you can’t be bothered to shower, what makes you think that you can be bothered to pursue your life dreams?
5. Learn to organize energy, not time.
Time organization is limited – you can’t organize time because you can’t handle the way it’s distributed all throughout the day, right? Instead, organize your energy to maximize your motivation. You handle your own energy, so allocating it to specific tasks is much more manageable.
6. Remember that taking a break is essential.
You can’t do something for five hours straight! You have to plan for breaks so that your motivation level isn’t easily depleted. Try taking ten-minute breaks for every hour of work.
7. Cut your tasks into small pieces.
It’s easy to use up all your motivation if you’re thinking about huge and seemingly impossible tasks. Instead of being overwhelmed, get pumped up by distributing your tasks in small pieces. It’s also easier to feel more fulfilled if you’re able to do them one by one without fail.
8. Get started with one.
Get rid of worrying! If you’re thinking about it, it’s important that you get started in doing it. Worrying about writing a book? Start with the first page. Worrying about exercising? Start with one exercise routine. Worrying about completing an article? Start with one paragraph! Pretty soon, you’ll be motivated to continue.
9. Read motivational books every week.
Your motivation needs to be on overdrive — don’t let it get depleted. Self-help books give you that much-needed boost to get you back on track with your life goals.
10. Have an accomplishment journal.
Every week, write down one thing that makes you feel fulfilled, excited and inspired. It could be something simple, like answering a really long email, or it could be something great, like being invited to talk to a seminar. Write what matters to you.
11. Listen to inspirational talks at least once a week.
You can do this while doing tasks that don’t need too much of your concentration. Play them while sorting through your mail, paying your bills or cleaning your office.
12. Move. A lot!
Maximize your motivation by maximizing your body’s supply of happy hormones. You don’t need to go to a fancy gym to accomplish this — a simple run around your neighborhood or a basic exercise routine at your home can do wonders for your motivation.
13. Constantly remind yourself why you’re doing something.
Post simple reminders about your goals. For some people, negative reinforcement such as posting “If you don’t do this, you’ll be broke and miserable in the future” can work. For others, posting positive things like “Do this so that people will have better lives because of you” helps as well.
14. Send a message to your unmotivated self everyday.
When you’re in a motivated mood, schedule regular messages to send to yourself. These can be done in a form of an email or a text message. You can even have a special notebook for this. It can go something like this: “Dear Lianne, You’re reading this because you’re not motivated. I know, I’ve been there. It’s so hard, right? That’s why I’m here to help you! Don’t lay down. Sit up. Just sit up. Now, open your laptop. Just try opening it! See your life journal document? Click on that and read a few lines. You’re only clicking on it — that’s not so difficult, right? Read the lines and assess what you feel afterwards. Yes, you’re welcome. Now, go and do something meaningful with your life!”
15. Focus on progress, not perfection.
It’s tiring to see what’s ahead sometimes. Instead of looking forward, look back at what you’ve managed to do and work on that flow.
16. Be accountable.
Announce your goal in public. Send emails to everyone about it. Post it on Facebook. Write a blog post about it. Let people know about the project that you’re planning to achieve.
17. Don’t be afraid to depend on others from time to time.
When you’re in a slump, talk to your friends about it. Tell your trusted loved ones. Don’t carry the burden all by yourself – people are social creatures for a reason.
18. Realize that your needs are your priorities.
You need to feel fulfilled. You need to achieve your mission. You need to work on what you’re passionate about. If you know all of these things, the fact that you need to work for your objectives seems a bit clearer, doesn’t it?
19. Develop a sense of urgency.
Know about the 20,000 mornings rule? Basically, if you’re already 30 or so, it’s estimated that you only have 20,000 mornings left to live your life. Try putting an automatic counter on your bed side. You wouldn’t want each day to pass without you doing something useful, now, would you?
20. If all else fails, consider whether the task is really worth doing.
Can you really live with the consequences of not doing the task now? If you can’t, get started. If you can, ask yourself again and give the honest answer. Be motivated now. Do it now. Tomorrow, it might already be too late.
