Would you like to have a magic potion to help get you motivated when you’re just not feeling it?
While, unfortunately, a magic potion doesn’t exist, there are some great strategies that will feel like magic, if consistently used.
I started blogging because I like to write. A blog seemed like an ideal way to share my thoughts and ideas.
However, a weird thing happened pretty quickly in my blogging journey.
When it was time to write a new post, I just couldn’t get started.
Adding, or not adding, posts on a regular basis, is life or death to a blog.
But, for a variety of reasons, I found myself consistently procrastinating.
I was in serious need of a magic potion. Or, at least, some really effective strategies to motivate me to write.
Here’s what helps me when I can’t get started.
Begin with the end in mind.
What is it that you want to achieve?
Think of the end as a kind of payday. Without a payday, not many of us would work. We work for that money that goes into the bank.
What will your payday look like when you get to where you want to go?
Pick a time to start.
Mentally preparing to start something goes a long way to following through.
Write your start time on your calendar. Consider it an appointment.
You wouldn’t casually break an appointment with a friend. Give the appointment with yourself the same consideration.
If it’s an ongoing commitment, like walking or working out, make it part of your daily routine,
Banish thoughts of perfection.
Nothing squelches motivation faster than the idea that something needs to be perfect. The perfect picture in your mind is not reality.
Strive to do your best but realize that something imperfect is better than nothing.
Set a timer.
Establishing a predetermined stopping point makes it easier to get started.
Set the timer for a reasonable amount of time and allow yourself to quit when the time is up.
Find a way to keep yourself accountable.
I publish a weekly newsletter, Micki’s Little Letter. My goal is to include a new or updated post in every issue.
Having a Saturday deadline helps keep me accountable.
Enlist the help of a friend if an outside influence would make you more accountable.
Finally, the best strategy of all to jumpstart your motivation is to just get started.
Don’t depend on waiting until you feel like starting. That feeling may never happen.
However, once you climb off the couch and just get started, it’s amazing how often the feeling of motivation follows.
No, there’s not a magic potion to help you get motivated. But by applying some simple strategies, you might find that you are motivated, after all.
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(it’s a little thing that means a lot to me!)