I’ve always struggled with motivating myself especially when it comes to my writing. Often times I find myself procrastinating to a ridiculous degree and then feeling bad because I haven’t got anything done. Recently, however, I’ve found some ways that have helped me out! It’s helped me get back into my blogging mojo, so I’m hoping that I can continue to be motivated to get back into my novel. So, without further ado here are 5 ways to motivate yourself that have helped me:
1. Get Accountability from Others
I’ve found that if I get accountability from other people in my life then this motivates me! If I message someone that I’m going to do something and they message me later on asking if I’ve completed that task, I feel like I want to do the task more because I don’t want to let that person down.
2. Listen to Music
Music is definitely a big one and it puts me in a good mood which makes me want to actually work! I have a Spotify membership so it allows me to listen to music without ads, download music and listen to it at any time & unlimited skips (this isn’t an ad, I promise 😂) – this is especially useful when I don’t know what I want to listen to. I love the curated playlists, as well and they even have ‘Motivational’ playlists which I have found really good for discovering new music.
3. Reward Yourself Afterwards
Complete 1 task = Watch 1 episode. That’s how I manage to get work done, as well. As a massive TV watcher, I can find myself easily distracted because there are just so many episodes I have to catch up on. I’ve trained myself recently to complete at least one task and then I can go ahead and watch one episode on Netflix, guilt-free.
4. Get the Small Things Done First
I usually have a to-do list and even if it’s a small thing on there like do laundry (actually that’s pretty massive, I always have too much laundry to do) or tidy my desk then when I’ve completed it, I feel more motivated to complete other tasks as well.
5. Think Back to Your Successes
If I think back to how I felt when I completed a task, I find that helps motivate me because I want to replicate that feeling. Nothing beats being able to fist pump the air because you’ve finally managed to write a new chapter of your novel or you’ve finally got round to replying to your blog comments. It’s a feeling of satisfaction and to be honest, who doesn’t like that feeling?
What are some ways you motivate yourself?
I totally agree with doing the small tasks first! When I was in graduate school, I often felt overwhelmed because of the tasks on my to-do list, especially the academic stuff. It really helps to break those tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks! Doing the small tasks actually makes you feel like you’re accomplishing something and would motivate you to tackle the more difficult tasks <3
Author
Yaaasss, this is absolutely it! I wish I’d learnt this earlier on in life, haha x
I really love how motivating music can be. I like to have music on whilst writing blog posts as it really helps me to focus xx
Gemma • Gemma Etc . ❤️
Author
I’m the absolute same! I can churn so many posts when I’m listening to music 🙂
I think accountability is a great one. It’s easy to put things off when nobody is expecting you to do it. I get so easily distracted too.
Author
Yes, exactly that! Thanks for dropping by 🙂
Listening to music is always my go to! Nothing gets me more motivated than blasting some Drake haha.
-Emily http://www.coatandcoffee.com
Author
Haha, you right! I love me some Drake, as well 🙂
I like how you find different ways to motivate yourself! Music is a great source for motivation. I have that “get shit done” playlist when I want to get things done, haha. YES on the small things! They’re the easiest to accomplish and you don’t need to stress about it when you’re working on the bigger things. Thanks for sharing ways you motivate yourself!
Author
Gotta keep it fresh, Nance 😛 But yeah, I always find it best to circulate the things that motivate me because if I just stick to the one way then I’ll get bored and slip back into my old ways!
Love this! Accountability from someone else is a really good point. I also like the tip about doing small things first – do the small/easy tasks first and you will feel so much better for having a achieved something – even if it was small. Really helps to move past a mind block.
Hayley | hayleyxmartin
Author
Agreed! Thanks for reading 🙂