How to Get and Stay Motivated

Hey Owlets,

You know that thing that you need to finish? You know, THAT thing? The thing you keep putting off. I'll do it later, I'll do it tomorrow, I'll do that thing first. You, my friend, are a grade A at procrastination. It's fine, we've all been there. But how do you beat the "I don't want to do anything" funk? Well I have some tips to aid you in your battle for motivation.

Find Inspiration

If you find yourself struggling, it's probably because you can't think of anything. Whether that's what to write, what to do, where to go or you just don't feel like going out. Look at blogs, magazines, watch YouTube, take a walk or grab a book.

Find something to look at that makes you go "I want that" or "I want to do that" then work out a plan of how to get what you want.

Break Down the Tasks

If you've got a big task that needs completing or a long to do list it's easy to get intimidated by what you need to do and instead of working out how to complete each task, you work out ways to avoid them. 

Write out a to- do list with a difference. Write each task that you need to complete in a list with a short plan of how you're going to complete that item. For example, if you have a lot of admin to do, separate them into different mini tasks; instead of "answer emails", write reply to X, reply to Y, write email to X and Y. 

It makes the to do list look a little longer but as humans we tend to pick off the smaller tasks first to avoid the bigger tasks for longer, so by breaking the bigger tasks into a few smaller ones it tricks the brain into seeing them as smaller, and therefore easier to complete.

Change Your Environment

We are all guilty of sitting in the same spot for hours on end, but this can actually be detrimental to getting work done. We become too used to our surroundings so stop being as alert as we would somewhere else which means we stop paying as much attention to our work as we did originally.

By moving to a new location, we are in unfamiliar surroundings so it makes us more alert and therefore it encourages us to pay more attention. Moving to a local coffee shop, a nature park, a library or anywhere outside of your home will help you concentrate better.

Work With Friends

Sometimes all you need is a fresh set of eyes, new ideas and some encouragement. Grab a friend or two that also has some work to do and make a work date out of it - just because you can't meet up right now, doesn't mean you can't help each other. Set up a video call on your phone so you both have your computers free to do work, then discuss what you're working on and ask for their thoughts - having someone to bounce ideas off of when you're stuck will make all the difference. Two heads are better than one, and it also helps that you'll have someone to keep you accountable when you get discouraged or (like me) distracted!

Listen to Music Through Headphones

Some people will disagree with me on this point but I find listening to music really helps me to concentrate. However, there needs to be certain conditions. I find if you listen to upbeat, feel good songs before you work that makes you more productive as you're in a better mood, but when you actually start working it's better to change to music that has a steady beat like house music, as you tend to get into a rhythm of doing your work that's helped along by the beat. Also, another strange tip is to listen to your music through headphones, even if you're sat at home on your own. Using headphones helps you to cut out any background noise like cars going past or people talking in the street, meaning you're not getting distracted from the beat of the music and it's easier to keep working.

I'll put a playlist below of songs that I like to listen to while I work to help you out too.

Take a Break

Okay I know this entire post is about getting and staying motivated and not putting things off, but sometimes you just have to know when to step away from the keyboard or put the pen down. If you've been staring at a blank screen or rewriting the same sentence for the last hour and you've not made any progress then perhaps it's time for a break from your work.

Do something completely unrelated to the work you should be doing. Chances are that when you were putting off your work earlier you were still thinking about it. You need to do something that will stop you thinking about your work and completely take you away from the tasks you need to do for a while, as when you're not trying to force the work then the ideas usually flow.

What are some of your best tips for getting motivated? Let me know in the comments below

Love and Feathers, 

 The Owlet 💜 

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