Lacking motivation? If you feel stuck and can’t seem to get motivated to tackle an important project or task, try these simple, easy-to-implement motivation tips to get unstuck today by Talane Miedaner, bestselling author of Coach Yourself to Success.
1. Clear one pocket of clutter right now.
Dump out the kitchen junk drawer and only put back what you need and toss the rest. Get rid of all the books you’ve already read and give them to friends or donate to charity to tidy up your bookcases. Clean out your inbox on your desk or delete your old emails. Organize your closet. Pick one area of clutter and get it sorted! According the ancient principles of Feng Shui, clutter represents stuck energy, so if you are stuck, this is a sure-fire way to get unstuck quickly. For more tips on clutter-clearing read this related article here.
2. Discard or donate 10 items in your house you no longer need or use.
Toss the meat tenderizer in your kitchen utensils drawer if you haven’t used it. Get rid of old coffee mugs, books, clothes that are clogging up your life. You are creating the space for new things, people and opportunities to come into your life every time you toss something no longer relevant to your current life.
3. Make a small change in one area of your life.
If you want to make a big change (new career, new relationship), but can’t seem to do it, start with some small changes that you can do right away. Eat at a different restaurant than the one you usually choose. Or order something you’ve never tried at your old favorite restaurant. Drive or walk to work, but take a different route. Or try biking to work for a change. If you normally eat lunch out, pack lunch instead. Move the artwork around in your house. Start making small changes and that will help create the momentum for the bigger changes. Strange, but it works!
4. Get rid of or handle one to five things that you are currently putting up with or tolerating.
Mend that tear in your bathroom robe. Replace the glass in a broken window. Get those worn-down heels resoled. Sew on that missing button. Everything you are tolerating (those petty annoyances) drains your energy, making it harder to accomplish your bigger goals.
5. Get a massage.
Loosening up the body helps to loosen up the mind. Once a week is something to shoot for. Daily massages are great during very stressful times.
6. Spend some time in nature.
Sit or lie under a tree in the local park or spend an evening gazing at the stars. Nature has a way of putting things in perspective and is instantly calming.
7. Do one thing you’ve been putting off or procrastinating about for a long time.
Get that dental appointment booked or your eyes checked. Fix the leaky sink. Write a dear friend a long, hand-written letter. Call someone you’ve been meaning to call when you have a chance. Do the one thing that is the biggest worry and you’ll be amazed at how much mental energy you’ve been wasting and how much better you will feel. Read the related article on procrastination here.
8. Hire a professional cleaning service to come in and give your house a thorough cleaning from top to bottom.
This will literally shake the cobwebs off you. If you think you should do it yourself, forget about it and hire the professionals. Go one step further and hire a professional organizer to do a big clear out for you.
9. Write a list of the seven negative or over-influencers in your life.
Most of us have a few negative people in our lives that we need to set stronger boundaries with such as horrible bosses or colleagues at work, or we have some bad habits that waste too much of our precious time and energy. Here are some examples of common negative or over-influencers: 1. My boss micromanages me and drives me crazy; 2. I watch too much TV; 3. I waste time surfing the internet; 4. I lack confidence speaking up in meetings; 5. My boyfriend takes up too much of my personal time; and so on.
10. Take a bath or shower.
Water has a way of stimulating our creativity and you may come up with a new way of looking at things or handling things after a refreshing shower or a long soak in the tub. If you can go for a walk on the beach, the negative ions will clear your head in a flash.
