10 tips on staying motivated, positive and productive!

 "How do you get so much done?!?"

It always baffles me when I hear what a go getter I am.

While that may be what it appears like on my blog, it can be far from the truth in real life. I have a boatload of excuses on how I procrastinate on things in life. Do any of these ring true for you too?

I don't know how!

I need help!

I'm can't afford it!

I don't have the right tools!

There's no one to encourage me!

I ache!

I'm tired!

I'm angry!

It's too hard!

It'll take too much time!
I'm hungry!
I'm not hungry!
Whatever!

Fact is, I can waste away an entire day like no one can. I'll overthink something to the point of totally feeling overwhelmed, then I walk away from the project. Or I'll allow my crappy neck ache to take over and ruin my day.

I don't get overwhelmed with just the odd project either. I go overboard in life too. Some days I just shut down because the world literally spins too fast for me to comprehend. It's just too much.

Why motivation is important

So, what's the deal with motivation? Why is it important to stay motivated? Why does it matter?

I believe staying in this mode will help you carry through life in many ways. It keeps you going, rather than shutting down and giving up. Because we all know where the latter leaves us. Feeling low and depressed and useless. We need to feed ourselves productivity and passionate tasks so we thrive!

You know the drill. Place a dirty oven in front of you or a DIY project you ADORE working on. Which one will give you that adrenaline rush like no other? The kind where you forget to eat or sleep?

Regrettably, not all we get in life will leave us with that high. But it's my belief if we FIND things that give us that feeling more so, there's plenty of motivation packed in that little pill bottle right there. You'll still hate cleaning the oven, but  you will GAIN productivity in everything else you do. Motivation is... self motivating!

I recently posed the question, "How do YOU stay motivated?" to another online forum I frequent. And these are some of the tips as well as my own that I personally use to help me through the process when I slow down to a standstill.

How to get motivated

1. Choose to get motivated.

Yes, choose it. (thanks D.) Sometimes it doesn't come knocking on your door. You have to purposely take the physical steps to activate it. For my work, I start with paperwork which catapults me into work mode. For play, I pick up a piece of wood that needs work. Before long, I've yanked out all the tools and am wreaking sawdust havoc again. It works! But at times choosing it is the hardest part. Push yourself on this one and enjoy the results.

2. Reset your mind: take a nap or a walk.

I often want to create something I have no idea how to make work, then get overwhelmed only to finally quit. Or, I get frustrated at something that wipes away my creativity. Or I'm grumpy and just flat out too TIRED.

When at a total loss, I'll wander to my bedroom, plunk myself on my bed and close my eyes. Lots of deep breaths later, I'm now relaxed and my mind wanders. Sometimes I'll work out the solution in my mind. Other times I'll drift off to take a complete mind break. When I finally get up, I feel refreshed, ready to tackle life again.

A swift walk outdoors does much of the same thing, but without the rest factor obviously.

3. Take small 5 minute bites.

Much of the time, I lose motivation because the task at hand will eat up too much of my time. But then we don't get that project done, do we? Everyone has 5 minutes to spare, so purposely give that task/project 5 minutes of your time. In no time, you'll be investing much more and your motivation will be in full swing without even planning it! Or not. But at least you got in 5 minutes on it, right? 

4. Give yourself permission to BUY. (within reason!)

Alot of my lack of motivation comes from not having the right tools. Frustrating!

What I've started doing now is adding the tool I need to my shopping list.  Maybe I can't afford it today, but if it's on the list, and I want to do the project bad enough, I'll eventually give myself permission to get the thing already! Why we deprive ourselves of the things we NEED is beyond me. We don't blink an eye on $200 worth of groceries but we'll say no to a $50 palm sander we can use over and over again.

After a much self inflicted 15 years of agony, I allowed myself a new computer. Was it worth it? Ohhhh  YES!!

5. Allow yourself time to play.

Give yourself permission every so often to leave the housework and laundry and other tasks undone so you CAN do what you desire to do. Doesn't much matter if it's just a walk in nature or finally painting that dresser. Be kind to yourself every so often. The world will not crack open and disintegrate if you leave dust on your TV for a year week. If you give this gift to yourself every now and then, you'll remain in a better frame of mind.

6. Share the results with someone that cares.

We ALL know how motivating it is to blog about our creations. Admit it, the feedback we receive back is like a warm hug! My son doesn't give a rooty toot hoot what I build. So when I show you and you give me a thumbs up, I'm encouraged! That right there, is why I believe most of us blog. Encouragement.

XOXO to my kitty cat for loving my bed making sheet throwing skills!

7. Look elsewhere at other's projects.

Like I need to tell this group this. :) Another reason we love DIY blogs of course is simply to accumulate motivation. A weekend morning of reading SNS projects ALWAYS has me clamoring to get off the net and go make something!

8. Tease yourself towards success.

Desire a clean house? Promise yourself a showhome room for a day. Go ahead and clean that one room, then stage it for fun. Get it to perfection. You'll soon be wandering towards other rooms wanting to do the same. Or not. But at least you'll have one nice room to run to in order to hide from the others, right?

9. Bribe Reward yourself for a job well done.

My friend Dan walks to the deli and grabs a homemade platz  after finishing a less than enthusiastic task.  I'll dangle an ice cold slushie over my son's head if he mows the lawn. It helps to have that little ray of sunshine at the end of the dark tunnel. Try it on yourself!

10. Make your task access easy.

I love to write when inspired. So I absolutely LOVE a good computer that cooperates in a location I love being in, which is in the kitchen. This makes writing easy and enjoyable!

 But having a ridiculously messy garage workshop is NOT very motivating in the least when a zillion things have to take a Humpty Dumpty crash in order to find the thing you're really after. FAIL.

Push yourself a little!

Treat yourself!

Make things easy!

Get inspired! 

Buy if you need!

Share your achievements!

And you too should have fewer issues with staying motivated.

(now I have to remember to read my own list so I'm motivated to clean up that garage!)

Do you have issues staying motivated? What shuts you down?

Got any tips that work for you?

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