Motivation is a powerful feeling, leading us to feel as though we can tackle and accomplish anything! But motivation is exactly that: a feeling, a fleeting emotion. As we have all experienced, it’s unpredictable, and it can leave just as swiftly as it comes.
Waiting for motivation or inspiration before embarking on the direction towards your goals will leave you stagnant, perhaps making progress when the wave of motivation washes over you but dragging you back to square one when it evaporates.
But motivation doesn’t have to be something that happens to you. It can be something you create. Progress and self-motivation start with taking action. Getting started, even in small ways, is a form of active inspiration that naturally produces momentum.
Here are five ways you can boost motivation, increase productivity and maintain healthy habits that take less than five minutes!
Write a to-do list
Poor motivation is often caused by overwhelming tasks or a lack of clarity about what to do. It can be difficult to feel motivated when you are feeling completely overwhelmed by the seemingly endless tasks that you need to complete. The unknown is often what stresses us the most, so trying to memorise your to-do list can leave you feeling like you’re missing something – even when you’re not. Taking five minutes at the start of the day (or even the night before) to write out your tasks and prioritise them can help you feel more in control and ready to tackle them. It’s a good idea to address the toughest, most difficult tasks first. The more challenging tasks are tempting to postpone and procrastinate on but when you cross them off, you’ll gain the confidence and momentum to get through the rest of your list.
Plan out your day
Tackling your to-do list and setting a daily schedule simplifies your decision-making by giving your tasks and goals a time and a place. This increases the likelihood of following through on these commitments, regardless of your motivation levels. This is particularly important when it comes to exercise. If your workout doesn’t have a time when it usually occurs, then it’s unlikely you will actually do it.
Declutter your space
We tend to get influenced by the space around us. A cluttered workspace or home means more opportunities to get distracted from your mission at hand! By taking a few minutes to tidy up your workspace, you can hone your focus toward what you aim to tick off.
Journal
We constantly encourage our guests and our readers to take up journaling. It’s an incredibly powerful tool to help clarify the whirlwind of thoughts in your brain. For some, the idea of sitting down to write a long-winded entry every day can make journaling feel more like homework than a motivational habit! But the great thing about journaling is that there are no rules or requirements. Just commit to five minutes and write about anything you want – what you’re grateful for, your goals and why they are important to you, or just reflect on your day.
Revisit your goals and remind yourself of your ‘why’
What are your key reasons to get up, to move your body and to eat healthier? These are so important to establish and remind yourself of regularly. You’re not always going to feel motivated to exercise or eat healthily, so it’s important to remind yourself why you set these goals for yourself in the first place. You need to feel emotionally invested in your ‘why’ for it to continually drive you to take action towards it. If you find that you are no longer resonating with your goals, it’s time to set new ones.
Creating life-changing habits doesn’t have to mean uprooting your life as you know it – powerful changes can be made with a commitment to do so for just five minutes each day. We hope this journal entry has reignited your motivation and empowered you to start making a change!
