Motivation

Do you ever have those days when you just don’t want to do anything? You know there is so much to do and you know you should get up and do those things, but the energy and motivation to do so just seem to escape you? How about taking it from another angle – there is so much to do it feels so overwhelming and therefore you can’t find the energy or motivation needed to do what you need to. Those days are a bit different, but the end result is the same: either not much gets done or it takes a lot of effort to do those tasks. We all have those days. I’m having one today. Sometimes you have to pull energy from places you don’t even know you have just to get the needed tasks done.

I wish I could tell you some simple secret to easily obtaining the motivation or energy you need when it just isn’t there, but I haven’t figured it out either! There are several techniques that make doing undesirable tasks easier, though:
– Breaking it down into smaller, manageable tasks. Don’t try to clean the entire house; start with the laundry, or the dishes.

– Writing down everything you need to do and crossing things off as you do them is another great motivator. It feels good to cross things off your list.

– A third idea is do the hardest thing first. When you get the hardest thing out of the way, it makes the other tasks seem so easy and the motivation will come with the downhill slide of easier tasks.

– Wanting to feel something positive or avoiding feeling something negative is a big factor in whether you’ll do the task at hand.
o What feeling do you get when you complete something? Accomplishment? Relief? Calmness? Happiness? What feeling are you trying to avoid? Disappointment? Overwhelm? The thought that you’re not good enough; can’t do things right; etc?

– Attitude is another huge factor.
o “I can’t clean the house; it is impossible right now. I am so drained and look how much needs to get done!” That type of self-talk is very defeating and very likely to get you to not clean the house.
o What if you said instead “The house is a mess and it will take a long time to clean, but I’m going to start in the kitchen and see how my energy is after that.”

– Turn up the music. Loud music often helps people get out of their head and get some energy.

– Make a game out of it. Whereas stories like Mary Poppins and Pippi Longstocking make cleaning a fun game, those games are not ones that we can play! However, the concept is still a legitimate and good one. Not to mention fun!

– There is always the “just do it” approach. Once you start, momentum can help keep it going.

Today I used a couple of these approaches starting with making a list so I can break it down and cross things off. From there I used the just do it approach and have completed all of my tasks (except blogging which I am almost done with). I must say, I started this blog over 2 hours ago and walked away from it a few times. We all have those days that we just don’t want to do the tasks we know need completing. Can you add to this list? What other techniques do you use when lacking in energy or motivation. Leave me a comment to add to this list (or for anything else you want to say)! Take a look at my other blogs on my website as well. There are other blogs about motivation as well as other things that stand in the way (whether internal or external). www.yourflandctptsdtherapist.com. Looking forward to hearing from you!