How To Get Motivated – 7 Effective Ways To Get Things Done

How to get motivated when the last thing you feel like doing is anything at all…

This can be a huge issue for most of us at some time or another, so I thought I’d follow on from a similar post I wrote a while back, and tackle this today by sharing some more easy solutions to help.

If you’re lacking motivation at the moment, you are in exactly the right place.

Let’s tackle it together and get things done!

We all have days (weeks, months….) where we just can’t get going….

Everything seems to be overwhelming to even think about. We lack energy, and we procrastinate over what’s most important to get done…

Ultimately time passes and nothing seems to change apart from that TO DO list gets bigger and we feel worse and worse about it all, and the cycle starts again….

So, what’s the answer?

Below are some of the very best tips and ideas I know of to help in the quest for motivating yourself. We are all individuals and respond differently to things, so my advice to your would be to read through them all and see which one speaks to you the most.

Try that one the next time you lack that get up and go, and see how it works for you.

I really hope at least one will make all the difference for you, and if you know of any others that I’ve missed, please let me know in the comments at the end of the post – thanks in advance!

Ready…?

#1 – Set Realistic Goals For the Time You have

If you set yourself too much to do at any given time, then usually you will end up feeling deflated by the end of it because you can’t possibly get it all done, but you feel like you should have.

We all have massive TO DO lists, and think that by having 10 or more on our list to do today we will get more done – but actually more often than not what happens is the total opposite.

Things take longer than expected – there are unplanned interruptions to your time etc…. – and you may get only one or two things actually finished.

If you work like this each and every day, your subconscious will start to send you signals that there’s not much point of doing this, as you are always left with things to do by the end of the day. So you stop being motivated to do anything.

The answer?

If you give yourself one major item and a couple of smaller items each day from your TO DO list (only when you have time to do them!), you will feel much more motivated to get them done, and more often than not will be able to do more because you will feel positive.

If you set realistic goals to your days, then you will come out of overwhelm and into productivity.

#2 – Get Things Noticed

Keeping your home looking great and living your day to day life filled with chores can be a really thankless task. The family may not be that quick to notice all the things that you do for them.

Of course, if things didn’t get done then they’d start to notice more!

I’m not suggesting going on strike, but simply letting people know what you are doing and getting them to see the progress may be all the motivation you need, as you will feel much more appreciated as s result.

Ways to do this would be: –

• If you are doing a specific project, then talk it through with your partner and show them what you are doing
• If you usually do the housework when the kids are at school, then maybe start to do it when they are around so they can see you doing it (and maybe even get involved!). When they start to see what you do, you will be appreciated more and feel more motivated to get even more done.

Of course – there may well be times that you don’t find that people appreciate you, which can be really hard. In this instance why not ask a friend to come over and see what you’re doing.

If you’re reorganising your wardrobe for example, then they will be able to see the difference you’ve made, and simply having someone that knows what you are doing will give you motivation to get it done for the next time they see it!

#3 – Know You Are Teaching Kids Good Habits

If you have children, then there may well be motivation enough in wanting to teach them the skills and habits they need to be able to run a home after they leave your home.

Running a house well will show them how to do things, and give them a really good start in their own adult life. Your children will see what you do and how you live, and want to copy you.

It’s also a great asset to have children who care about their home – that tidy up after themselves and help a little around the house.

That way you’re all motivating each other to keep things nice – and you get more time to do other stuff!

#4 – Focus On One Thing At A Time

It’s really difficult to motivate yourself when you feel overwhelmed at how much stuff there is to do.

Not knowing where to start can limit motivation quicker than pretty much anything else.

As such, I suggest being really specific on what you focus on, and just do one thing at a time.

Before the day starts (either the evening before, or at the start of each week), write down what you want to achieve.

Start to understand that doing one thing really well each day will build to massive results over time.

…and usually you’ll find that you want to carry on once you’ve done that one thing well, which is a bonus! (but just remember to focus on just one more thing at that point too!).

#5 – Use A List To Break Things Down

Often we get unmotivated because things seem to big to start and therefore they overwhelm us.

The trick here is to simply break all tasks down into quick tasks that, when done in order, will create that large task – but more easily.

For example – you want to sort out all your filing cabinet and paperwork – WOW – overwhelm sets in just thinking about it. But what are the tasks you need to do?

1. Get everything together and into a large box(es)
2. Sort through and get rid of obvious rubbish
3. Shred and recycle the rubbish
4. Put all paperwork in categories (broad categories like CAR, BILLS etc…)
5. Decide on how long you will keep the paperwork for, and get rid of the dated items
6. Shred and recycle the rubbish
7. Decide on how you will store the paperwork now you know what you have to store

It feels much more manageable in these steps, doesn’t it?…

Doing it this way also means that you can stop after each step and not feel guilty about not getting it all done in one go (which is usually totally realistic) – but you can pick it up and do the next task the next time you have time.

#6 – Use Quotes To Inspire

I love reading quotes for motivation and inspiration – and if you are a regular reader you’ll know that I publish ones that I love quite frequently.

If you can find a quote that means something to you, and gets you motivated, then write it down and stick it up somewhere that you see each and every day.

This may be just enough to get you motivated for the day ahead…

{ Lots of quotes can be found HERE and HERE }

#7 – Make The Area You Are In, Great To Be In

If you have ever struggled to get motivated, it may be because the area you are trying to do things in is bringing you down.

You always need a positive outlook when you do things, to keep on track, and so making the space you are in work for you is key.

And it’s not just the actual space you have, it’s yourself as well (making sure you are well rested, exercised etc…, and in the right clothes to do what you need to do).

I wrote a post on this a while back that is the perfect read to find out more: –

{ 3 WAYS TO CREATE A MOTIVATIONAL ATMOSPHERE IN YOUR HOME }

Getting motivated can be one of the most difficult things in the world at times, but some simple tricks can really help keep you focused and get things done.