8 Ways To Get Your Motivation Back

Avoiding procrastination

If you are a procrastinator and find it hard to motivate yourself to start that project or get a piece of work done then these 8 top tips can help.

1. WHY?

Look at what needs to be done and ask yourself why you are doing it? Think of all the positive reasons for getting the job at hand started and what the end goal is. You should be able to come up with a few answers to motivate yourself. If you cant think of any answers it night be time to give up on that particular project.

2. CHUNK IT!

A big job can seem daunting but breaking a project down into manageable chunks can help you get started. Set attainable goals and be realistic. Once you’ve broken it down into chunks it can be helpful to get the parts you are dreading done first. This is called delayed gratification. Do the worst parts first then you can enjoy the easier parts without dread.

3. FAKE IT FIRST

Have you heard the phrase ‘fake it to make it’? Try telling yourself you will do just 5 minutes of the job at hand. More often than not once you’ve done the 5 minutes you will be engaged enough to carry on for longer.

4. FEELINGS

It might be helpful to think about what is stopping you. For example is it boredom, fear of failure, tiredness? Trying to sort through your feelings and dealing with them can free you up to get started.

5. PLAN

Planning can be key. You are much more likely to start a job if you have everything you need to do the job to hand. Try planning the night before by writing a list of work to be done and laying out everything you need ready to use the next day. For example if you are writing a report make sure you have all the books you need, staionery, computer desk is clear and organised etc.

6. SUPPORT

Get help if possible. Do you really need to do everything yourself or can you delegate or work in partnership? Spreading the work makes things easier and can be more enjoyable.

7. WHAT’s NEW?

Try something new. If you are doing a regular task that you dread try doing it in a different way. Hate mopping the floor? Put loud music on and have a good boogie as you mop. Writing a boring report – can you take a laptop and do it in a nice cafe? Shaking things up a bit can help.

8. STOP PERFECTIONISM!

Give up on perfectionism. Sometimes our quest for perfection stops us even starting. Accept that sometimes it better to get a task done even if its not perfect than to not even try.

Try to implement one or two of these tips and build on that and you should find yourself feeling refreshed and newly motivated, ready for anything and excited to get started!