How can I make progress in life with lack of
motivation and inspiration? (daily habits)
Nela Canovic, My #1 question: what is the one thing I'm
committed to completing today?
Question: What do you do when you’ve lost
your motivation, or maybe had very little to begin with?
Answer: Think beyond this moment.
Why?
Because this moment in which you feel despondent, tired,
unmotivated, uninspired, and all of today will pass. This never-ending list of
tasks you need to finish will be replaced by another one. The weather will
change. As will your mood. And this exact moment in which you are reading this
very sentence will pass as well.
What remains?
One thing only: Your vision of who you want to
become. Maybe you don’t know exactly who that will be, but you
probably have some sort of idea of who it could be.
It is the best version of yourself.
It is the smarter, stronger, more resilient you.
It is who you can be proud of becoming one day.
So next time you ask yourself what to do when you’ve lost your
motivation, do it for that version of yourself.
Now that you’ve zoomed out to think beyond this moment, it’s
fair to ask how to proceed to get more motivation. It’s a
matter of implementing small habits that can help you on your way. The best
part: these habits can yield big results in the long run!
To boost your motivation so that you are making progress towards
becoming the best version of yourself:
·
Write the important stuff down.
·
Narrow down your focus with one question.
·
Feed your brain throughout the day, every day.
·
Replace saying, “I can’t do this right now” with “why
not?”
·
Celebrate the small wins.
#1. Write the important stuff down.
·
Identify your top 3 goals. For example:
graduate from college, get an advanced degree, find a job that is the best fit
for your skill set, develop a skill that you've always wanted, get physically
fit, become an entrepreneur, grow your personal or professional network, etc.
·
Under each goal, write down 3 things you will need to
do on a regular basis to make progress. For example: if your goal is to
get physically fit, then the things you should focus on can be creating a meal
plan for the week to eat healthier, working out regularly, and doing research
on YouTube for fun workouts that don't take up too much time and can be
incorporated easily into your day.
·
Create a weekly schedule for the
activities you've identified as important to achieving your goal. Divide each
day into hourly increments, then block off time for your activities. You should
still be able to find a couple of hours where you can do what you set out to
do. If you feel you don't have enough time, then consider creating a
customized morning routine and a nighttime routine to give more structure to
your day.
#2. Narrow down your focus on the important things by asking
this question first thing in the morning: What is the one thing I am
committed to completing today?
·
Why it matters: it encourages you to think
strategically about your life, it keeps you focused on your goals, it forces
you to prioritize, and it serves as a personal promise to yourself.
·
How you can incorporate it into your day: put it in
writing. Write it in big bold letters on a sheet of paper and hang it on your
bedroom or bathroom wall. Read it out loud as you start your day, and come up
with an answer on the spot. Then, as you go through the day, make sure you’re
working on completing what you’ve identified as your one thing.
#3. Feed your brain throughout the day, every day.
A great hack to boosting motivation is to expose your brain to
different ideas and perspectives from other people who managed to overcome an
obstacle or to succeed in accomplishing something they've always wanted to do.
Hearing these stories can give you an ideas on how to implement the strategies
they used into your own life. Use this opportunity to learn, be curious,
wonder, question, pause, think, and come up with solutions.
A. Listen to podcasts
·
Optimize with Brian
Johnson (my top pick: More wisdom in less time to help
you live your greatest life. Condensed big ideas from the best books on optimal
living and micro classes on how to apply these ideas.)
·
The Inquiry (a debate
on a controversial topic in the news and 4 experts challenging each other with
2 views, for and against the topic)
·
Intelligence Squared (the
world’s leading forum for debate and intelligent discussion, led by great
orators and sharp minds)
·
Achieve Your Goals with
Hal Elrod (creator of the book The Miracle Morninginterviews
entrepreneurs on how they’ve incorporated daily habits to boost productivity)
·
This Is Your Life with
Michael Hyatt (a podcast dedicated to intentional leadership, with the
goal to help you live with more passion, work with greater focus, and lead with
extraordinary influence)
·
Happier With Gretchen
Rubin (a fun show led by bestselling author of The
Happiness Project, with small ideas you can apply to your life to
exercise your happiness muscle)
·
Radio Headspace (a
podcast to give you inspiration for a healthier, happier life, with topics such
as mindfulness, being happier, and changing the world)
B. Read books (fiction and non-fiction)
Why? It's the equivalent of living multiple lives. Reading can
stimulate your imagination, strengthen your critical thinking skills, and
provide you with ideas on what you can do to improve your life.
·
If you don’t have one already, get a library membership at
your local library.
·
Set aside one hour every evening to read. Turn off the
TV, get away from the computer, put your phone aside. Create a ritual around
it: make a cup of hot chocolate or tea, pick some relaxing music to listen to,
get some comfortable pillows and a blanket.
·
Check out recommendations on the best books of all time on Quora
to pick writers and topics that many consider to be timeless and unique.
·
Download the Goodreads app to find books on the topic that
interests you, to get recommendations, add books to your bookshelf, and track
your reading progress.
C. Watch short videos of big ideas
·
YouTube’s FightMediocrity channel. It
is a channel dedicated to fighting mediocrity through big ideas, using
self-improvement books and animated important concepts that are in short video
format.
#4. Replace saying, “I can’t do this right now” with “why not?”
When you’re lacking motivation, you don’t know what to do. You
may even procrastinate doing something. And procrastination doesn’t require a
lot of effort; it’s almost a default reaction to something challenging that’s
in front of you. Here’s how to challenge it:
·
Think carefully if there is something else hiding
behind procrastination.Maybe it is fear of not being able to do something
successfully, or more successfully than others. Maybe it’s your competitive
streak at play
·
Next time you feel like procrastinating, instead of
dismissing something with the words “I can’t”, ask yourself where the
resistance is coming from. Get to the root cause of the
problem. Be honest with yourself about what’s really holding you back. Is it a
lack of knowledge in one area? Is it not having the skills? Is it something
you’ve been told, as in, don’t try it, it’s not for you? Or are you feeling
pressure because someone is telling you to do it or else? Find out what it is
so you can do something about it.
·
The biggest benefit to making a change is this:
whenever you say “why not?” you win over fear. There is
something really powerful when we leave a little space open for possibilities,
instead of shutting the door in our own face by limiting ourselves. It’s a
matter of switching your mindset so that you think you can grow, gain more
knowledge, acquire new skills, and become better at whatever you think is
important in your life.
#5. Celebrate the small wins.
When you start dealing with lack of motivation head on, you
should give yourself a reward for the progress you’re making. Your rewards will
depend on your personal interests, affinities, your passions, and your
personality.
·
Are you more extroverted and prefer to spend your free
time with friends? This weekend, get everyone together for an evening out
to watch a movie, attend a concert, catch up over coffee or dinner at your
favorite restaurant, or invite them over to your place for a few hours of
laughter, good conversation, and fun.
·
Or, are you on the introverted side and you’d prefer
to spend some time alone or with your family or partner? Schedule a
night in, order takeout, have fun talking and eating together; or, spend a
couple of hours doing something that makes you feel really good, like playing
guitar or chess, painting, writing, or getting involved in a creative project
that really gets your mind engaged.
FROM QUORA
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