Have you ever had one of those days when you just ?don?t feel like it?” I have had quite a few days like that lately. I had a to-do list a mile long. I didn?t know where to start and I didn?t even want to try and get caught up again.
My house was a cluttered mess, my friends and family were feeling neglected, and my inbox and business calendar looked like a tornado had hit. Long story short, I was not feelin? it. Like at all.
But it didn?t take me long to realize that sitting there and being stressed and depressed about things wasn?t going to help me get my life put back together. I had to get motivated again!
Here are four easy ways I get motivated, and move closer to some semblance of a work-life balance, when I?m just not feelin? it.
Rock Out to Great Music
One way I get myself in the mood to start tackling things on my to-do list is by turning on some great music. I pop in my favorite CD and let myself listen to it for a few minutes. Before too long I?m grooving to the music and I?m usually ready to get back to work.
Similarly, when I have a lot of deadlines in my business there is a particular CD that gets me in the mood to write. Turning on this CD is like magic. Words just start flowing out of my brain onto my computer. Before long I?ve got my posts for the day written.
Sweat it Out
I?m definitely not a fitness junkie. I like to work out now and then but it?s mainly so I can eat delicious food without feeling super guilty about it. 🙂 But when I?m not feeling motivated to work on my to-do list sometimes a long walk with my dog or some interval running is just what I need to get outside of my head for a little bit. After working up a sweat and then taking a shower I usually feel refreshed and ready to work again.
Clear Cluttered Spaces
Most of what I do in my freelance business is very creative. Because I have to let my creative energy flow to get my work done, I simply can?t work in a cluttered space. I have a small desk in my office because I?m a clutter monster and if my desk was bigger it would be even more cluttered than it already is.
My small desk gets cluttered very easily, but it also gets uncluttered easily. After about five minutes of throwing away trash and filing away important papers, it?s clean so I can focus on my work again.
Just Start
The last thing I do to help myself get motivated when I don?t want to work on my to-do list is to simply make myself get started. Sometimes I start with the easiest or quickest task on the list so I can ease into my work for the day, but other times I like to start with the hardest task so it?ll all be downhill from there.
Getting motivated to work when you aren?t feelin? it can be difficult, but you?ll be so glad when you get started crossing things off your to-do list.
How do you motivate yourself when you just don’t feel like doing anything? What’s your go-to method to get started? How do you protect your work-life balance?
Photo courtesy of: skeeze
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Sometimes it helps to live with someone else. If you live with someone, it can be useful to ask them to give you a good reason to do something you know you need to do. Of course, sometimes it backfires too; their idea of motivation may not be yours. But if I tell my husband I’m going to do something, I feel more obligated to do it than if I’m doing it for myself.
Great idea Emily!
I think we all have times like that. I like to organize my to-do list into a schedule, so instead of being some jumble of things to do, I know exactly what to do first, for how long, and what to move on to next. It’s kind of like “just start” only a touch more organized.
That’s a great tip Gary!
Kayla, I always have the feeling of that. But, I noticed that once I get started, I start finishing one task after the other. It is somewhat like automatic. And, environment should be clutter free.
That’s exactly it Jayson, just get started and then it’s hard to quit. 🙂