Finding motivation

Am I the only one who spends countless hours Googling this? If so, please disregard this post. 😅

But if you’re like me and you struggle-bus some days, hang around and leave a comment or a funny story about how you try to trick yourself into being productive!

Now I could bore you with the science behind dopamine levels, hacking them to get motivation and other nonsense, BUT, I’m just going to leave this lovely little link here by Kevan Lee. This wonderful article explains how dopamine levels can affect your motivation - and let’s be honest - your productivity. Have you ever wondered why you felt as though you were slacking at work? Or found yourself too distracted to focus on literally anything? Kevan may be able to help you understand why.

Let’s get down to business, shall we?

I once heard that if something takes less than 5 minutes to do, then just do it. Well, we all know [lots of] things are easier said than done, this being one of them. Do you ever push off a chore or task and say to yourself, “I’ll do it later,” only to find that you most certainly will not do it later? Guilty. But how can we fix this? Surely there’s more to it than pure laziness. Right..?

The fact is, if we aren’t enjoying the task at hand then it can play a role in our mood and productivity. Ever lash out or get snippy with someone because you were in a hurry and you simply couldn’t be “inconvenienced” by their chitchat? Guilty again. When we aren’t having fun, we get depressed, we get lethargic, we get irritated! The same goes for your job, your workouts, or your chores. I know some people thrive when they’re listening to some tunes and go all gung-ho on the dishes and floors. I also know some people who would rather live in their organized chaos (heh heh..😬.) So for the people who actually enjoy those tasks, they aren’t bothered by the amount of time it takes away from their day. After all, time flies when you’re having fun, right?

But what about those of us who struggle to have fun with our responsibilities or goals? Well, it seems a lot tougher that’s for sure. We may have to start over several times, or put something on hold and tell ourselves we’ll get back to it. The downfall is sometimes we never do.. and that is the problem. Finding motivation means more than being excited to do something, it means that you have to have the willpower to do something about it.

Willpower is something I lack in many areas. See that entire cheesecake? Gone. That bag of chips? It was delicious - every last crumb. Need to be up at 5am to get to a workout? Imma hit snooze 15 times until I just turn it off.

Whatever the case may be, we know we need to change things. But where do we start…? I’m sure most of us have read the following tips somewhere or another. But they are tried and true. This isn’t going to be easy. In fact, if you struggle with motivation and willpower it may be quite difficult. Go into this journey knowing this, and whenever you start to get off track or become unmotivated, remind yourself that even though it is hard, it isn’t impossible.

My Personal Tips

Start small. We’ve all hears this before, but UGH why is it so hard to actually do. We want results yesterday. We want to just be given the motivation to complete a task. But, we never get it and then we get discouraged. Set a short, achievable goal, and GO GET IT. Set your alarm for 5-10 minutes earlier a day if your goal is to get i that morning workout, even if you don’t get up. Do this for about a week or two and maybe one day you won’t hit that snooze button. :) Start small, even if that means drinking one glass a water a day, or cutting out one “bad” snack a day, or doing 1 squat a day. Little progress is still progress.

Write it down, tell a friend or get a partner to do it with you. Accountability is difficult to do alone! If you have someone rooting for (not pressuring) you then your mindset will be more positive and hopefully give you more motivation to keep going.

Don’t compare yourself to others. Very difficult, I know. But we must keep reminding ourselves that we are on our own journey, and it may not look the same even if our desired outcomes are the same. We each have our own choices to make throughout the day, and one small factor could make a world of difference.

Take time for yourself. All work and no play is simply no fun! We’ve already established that if you’re not enjoying something, chances are you won’t do it anymore. Rewarding yourself for completing a task or getting your butt to the gym is NOT a bad thing. Draw yourself a bubble bath with a glass of wine and face mask. Eat that cookie. Go to the movies and enjoy yourself!

Moderation. Not only in food, but in your activities. Even if we do enjoy what we are doing, we can easily get burnt out and slowly that passion begins to fade. Eat all the food in moderation, exercise in moderation, and give yourself plenty of time to experience life without making it this huge task of perfection.

Just Do It. UGH, I know. If we are starting from nothing, how are we supposed to start? Start small, start achievable, but most of all, just start. You’ll have setbacks. You’ll want to give up, and you may give up. Give yourself a moment, and then get back in. Whether you know it or not, someone is rooting for you. You should be rooting for yourself, too. <3

Namaste, yogis

More great articles to help understand motivation and willpower :)

Motivation - Mike Fishbein - Medium. Quick and simple.

Motivation - Courtney E. Ackerman - Positive Psychology. More in-depth.

Willpower - American Psychological Association. In-depth.

I would LOVE to hear about the ways you create motivation in your life and keep your willpower strong. It may spark an idea for others and help them along their paths, as well. Leave a comment below with your favorite methods!