If you’re suffering from a lack of motivation or simply find yourself “doing nothing” when you know you should be “doing something” this post is for you!
When ever I find myself wasting time (I literally want to vomit when I hear that phrase), I have a few go to strategies that are almost always what I need. You can literally change your state of mind in minutes. Here’s 5 for you to consider:
- Music … Dance like no one is watching! I have several playlists on Spotify that are literally designed to pick me up. Their titles “include what the *** are you doing” … “Make your move” and “sort it out”. Each playlist is designed to evoke a certain reaction and give me a quick hit. I also ensure I have speakers in my main living rooms and headphones elsewhere.
- Tidy Up. Your external environment is a good indicator of your internal state. But it works both ways … you can literally “declutter” your mind by decluttering your living space. Throw stuff out, tidy that pile of papers or hoover your rug. Again, its just as much about moving and getting your blood flowing and your brain oxygenated. We love to pretend we’re complex, but we’re also primal … blood flow, level of blood oxygen, presence of refined carbs all affect your psychology as much as your physiology.
- Drink Water. This piece of advice never gets old … literally, unless you’re drowning water is your friend. Drink more and feel the difference. Whilst your body is incredibly good at some things, it sucks at others … and knowing when you need water is one area its not so good at. You can often feel tired or hungry when you’re actually dehydrated.
- Change What You’re Working On. Often we’re trying to do the wrong task at the wrong time. Matthew Walker presents a lot of great work in his book “Why We Sleep” which reaffirms this. In scientific tests, people’s productivity on admin vs creative tasks can vary exponentially at different times of the day. If you’re truly stuck, take on something else for 30 minutes and then return to your problem. Often it will have disappeared.
- Give Yourself a Break. Sometimes, we’re just not creative. Instead of wasting time do something positive with your time instead. Again, it doesn’t matter where you focus, just that you make your time productive. Play with your kids, go to the gym or read a book. If you’re not going to stay on track, you might as well do something that will give you some level of impact.
Finally, if all else fails remember this one fact:
““The world just changed, did you keep up or fall behind?””