Many of us often find it difficult to motivate ourselves to get the things done that are lined up on our to-do lists.
There are times when I have a calendar full of things that I have planned out, I am very much aware of how exactly I am supposed to get my work done, how to go about it, ready to start my productive day, and bam! here I am sitting and staring at my to-do list, my calendar, my laptop, and my notebook, and just don’t feel like even starting my work.
No doubt I feel excited to start my work which I have planned out perfectly. I have spent so much time planning and mapping out my goals, but things are just not happening.
You know what I mean, right? Does this feeling sound relatable to any of you?
Every one of us has those days when we are feeling a little stuck despite knowing what we need to do.
There are those days when motivation does not come to us so easily and that struggle is real.
This not only pertains to online work, maybe you want to start a side hustle, or start writing a book, or you have school/university projects(assignments) or it could even just be as simple as cleaning your house.
As a content creator, when I am in charge of myself, I need to make sure that I am strict enough and actually get things done.
I can’t afford to be in my comfort zone. Nonetheless, I have had days when I didn’t have any motivation to do anything and that’s when it was time to work on getting things done.
Over a period of time, I have tried a bunch of different things to try to make myself productive when this feeling arises.
Being self-employed, I can’t imagine wasting a day without doing anything productive.
So these are a few things that have worked for me and I want to share them with you today.
So here are my 7 tips for getting things done even when you don’t feel like doing it.
Save Pin For Later
Let’s begin….
1. Change your surroundings
This sounds really easy, isn’t it? and silly too but just pick up your laptop and move to a different place in your home. It’s as simple as that. It works, believe me.
But still, if you don’t feel motivated, maybe try going to a cafe or communal workspace, or a library.
I find getting into a new surrounding helps us pick up our motivation and gets us into a new headspace and it just becomes so much easier to get stuff done.
2. Break it down ….. Start small
Now the fact here is, we are aware of the tasks that need to be done. Everything is already aligned and is just waiting for you to start.
For example, if you are working on writing say a book or (school / collage) assignment, then start by maybe writing just one paragraph or outlining your content.
If that also seems too much, then write down just key points that you would like to include in your book or assignment.
If you are unmotivated to clean your room, then just start with cleaning out your sofa or coffee table.
Whatever you’re task is, try to break it down into small chunks. This is the first step to get started with.
By completing a small task like this you are going to be in the right mindset and pick up that momentum and you will end up doing your bigger task too.
This is something I personally experience while writing my blog post, when I am feeling unmotivated, I try at least to outline my content or jot down some keywords and eventually, I end up writing 2 to 3 paragraphs easily.
3. Schedule your task…set a timer
Now if the above tip also seems too much, set a timer and work on your task.
Work only for five minutes at first. If five minutes seems like too much go ahead with say just two.
No matter how boring your task may be or how unmotivated you feel, you should be able to work on it for those two minutes, and once you are done, ask yourself if you can continue to work for say further 5 or 2 minutes and then for say 10 to 20 minutes.
This might sound silly, but when you have things to do, when you are sitting on top of your deadline and things are just not happening for you, this is when this tip helps.
Soon you would realize that you have almost completed a big chunk of your task in that small amount of time as you were quite focused on completing that task in that short period.
4. Write it down
Many a time we feel unmotivated as there isn’t just one thing that we are supposed to work on.
The never-ending list that is playing in our minds with multiple tasks at hand can very easily overwhelm us and stop us from completing even the smallest thing though we try to push ourselves. It just feels like it’s not in sync with what we are looking out for.
This is when writing down our tasks helps, it helps us focus more on the things that need to be done on a priority basis.
The best thing to do is just take one step at a time and focus on the one important thing that really really needs your attention.
This makes all the difference and it’s going to help you out a lot.
When you focus on one task it greatly reduces your stress, it greatly reduces your overwhelm and that task becomes something that is very easily attainable and you can get it done in no time.
It feels great when you focus on one thing and get it done & then check it off from your to-do list.
You may also like to read –
12 Best Habits Of Highly Organized People
8 Simple Ways To Be More Productive
6 Simple Habits To Be Productive In The Morning
5. Use some kind of reward for yourself
When you are low on motivation, sometimes this fun way can help you out more efficiently than others.
It’s very normal to go and sleep on the couch, binge-watch your favourite show, scroll through your Instagram feed, and whatnot instead of starting to work on your task.
When you do not feel like doing anything though you have a deadline to complete your work, use little rewards as a thing to look forward once you complete the task at hand.
This also helps boost your motivation and get work done.
This could be simple like reading your favourite magazine after you have completed your work or eating that piece of snack or watching your favourite show or even as simple as taking a quick nap.
Tell yourself that you can only do these things once you have completed your task.
6. Know your “WHY”
Okay, so now we have discussed the basic motivation strategies that will surely help you to get things done when you feel unmotivated.
Still, if you find it a little hard then start asking yourself “Why did you want to do this thing in the first place”?
Ask this question a bunch of times and write down the answers on paper.
Know what is stopping you right now. Look, the answer is inside your head, you have your reason hiding in your head.
Ask yourself why are you doing an assignment in the first place. is it because you want to make a full-time income from it? how is this going to help you out in the future?
what are the benefits of doing this particular assignment and so on. The answer that you are going to jot down is what is going to motivate you.
7. Simply go for a walk
Lastly, when everything above fails, close down everything, stop whatever you are doing, wear your shoes and just head out for a walk!
This is by far the simplest practice that you can do.
When you have a lot of work to do it seems like a huge waste of time to get up from your desk and go out for a walk.
This doesn’t have to be a brisk walk or an hour of walk, it’s just an easy 20-minute walk in nature.
Get some sun rays, and clear your head of the stress and overwhelm.
This simple exercise is going to help you to regain your motivation. When you are back at your desk, no doubt your ability to focus on your task will be improved.
Personally for me breaking down my task into small chunks works best and mostly I end up completing my work with ease.
So which of these tips sounds doable to you if you are feeling unmotivated? do let me know, I would love to hear from you 🙂
Thank you for stopping by
Eralivine helps you to get more productive, and take a step in self-improvement & personal development.
If that’s what you are looking out for, then let’s connect!
You may also check out my recipe blog thespicycafe.com if interested.