Living a Sunshine Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Motivation is something I need more often than not at the beginning of the day. Some days I’ll wake up with a spring in my step and an unnatural desire to finish everything on my to do list, some days I don’t. Today was one of the motivational days. I finished a crazy amount of work in a short period of time! Being that motivated right out of the gates everyday would be a dream come true.
So what do I do when I need a boost of motivation on those days when I can’t seem to bring myself to check things off my to do list?
Here are five things I do when a boost to my motivation is needed fast.
Five Ways to Boost Your Motivation
Fabulous Earrings
Okay, it doesn’t have to be earrings, but that’s what works for me. If you work from home like I do, you may find yourself indulging in the comfort a bit too much. If I’m sitting in bed wearing pajamas trying to get work finished my brain usually takes a few signals from my surroundings and tells me it would better if I just snuggled under the covers for a nap. In that case, getting up, getting dressed, putting on some jewelry to give me a more polished feeling, and getting out of the bedroom can help. I feel good and I’m telling my brain to change gears from sleep setting to work setting.
Get Out of the House
Go out to do something productive. Even if that productive thing is a change of scenery, a break from the kids while you return books to the library, or let the kids burn some energy at the playground. If I get out of the house by 10 am, usually I’m feeling pretty motivated to get something done around the house when I get home. Doing something simple like getting out of the house helps me feel like I’ve accomplished something. Once you’ve accomplished one thing you’ve reminded your brain how good it feels to get something done and it’s ready to feel that way again by doing something else.
Eat Frogs
Ok, not the way you are probably thinking. Although I have eaten frog legs before; it didn’t motivate me much.
I’m talking about the book Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy. It’s about finding the one task on your to do list that you have been putting off the most, and tackling it first.
The idea is if the worst thing you do on any given day is eat a live frog, then there is nothing worse you can do for the rest of the day. If you make the big item on your to do list your frog, and you cross it off, you’ll feel amazingly productive and probably want to get more done because nothing on your list is as bad as that one.
There is a fantastic video about Eat That Frog! and it’s only a minute and a half long. Well worth the watch. Don’t forget to grab your own copy of Eat That Frog! It has some amazing advice to help you overcome procrastination.
Get Moving
Nothing gets me motivated like spending time dancing and singing to my favorite tunes. Moving, getting the blood flowing, and having fun is always a sure fire way to get me motivated. Any kind of exercise will do. Lift some weights, jump on a trampoline, go for a walk or run. Anything to get the blood moving to oxygenate the body will help. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water too!
Aromatherapy
There are some scents that make me feel fantastic, and in turn give me a boost of energy and motivation. If you really want to get moving, scents like citrus, peppermint or jasmine can be invigorating. Try out some different scents and pay attention to how they affect you. If you notice you have a bit more energy every time you smell it that might be a good scent to keep around the house.
What do you do when you need a burst of motivation? I shared some of mine, tell me some of yours in the comments below.
Leave a Reply