Want to finally get stuff done? All it takes is just this simple, 301-second investment.

(2-minute read time)

Weekends have felt more restful lately.  The slower pace has helped me to feel more ready to take on the week when Monday rolls around.     

And yet this sense of enthusiasm often fades, too quickly.  By mid-week, things can start to feel stale and unexciting.  

Sometimes the fade happens when I am reminded of what’s “wrong” with life in a COVID-19 world.  A graduation parade instead of a graduation party.  A birthday video instead of a birthday hug.  Not being able to visit an ill friend in the hospital.  Not getting to go inside the emergency clinic with my sick pet. Not being able to have a celebration of life for a loved one that passed.              

Can you relate?        

It’s easy to explain away demotivation with this virus around. We blame the virus for making us this way. We think when it’s over things will be better and we will feel more motivated.  

But let me ask you this…  Was your motivation level exactly where you’d like it to be before all this?  

If we’re honest, most of us would probably say “no”.

The truth is, our thoughts are always at the root of our feelings.  If you weren’t thinking motivation producing thoughts before, you’re probably not now either.  

Here’s a quick hack to get you moving.

1. Motivation is a bonus, not a requirement – you can still do whatever it is even without feeling like you really want to.  Acknowledge this fact.     
2. Dread is optional – if you are dreading a task, it’s because you’re thinking it will be hard, boring, or otherwise unenjoyable.  Joyce Meyer calls this “planning to not enjoy something”.  Change the narrative in your mind to something that serves you.  
3. Commit to get to Minute 6 – Pick a day and time for the task.  Then, when the time comes, all you have to do is just do it for the first full 5 minutes.  That’s just 300 seconds.  If, by the time you get to the 301st second, you want to stop, go ahead.  

But, by the time Minute 6 arrives, you’ll likely find you don’t want to.  This little hack has gotten me to tackle work projects, clean the house, exercise, and organize spaces that have needed to be decluttered for far too long.  

A 301-second investment for a sense of completion, productivity, and honoring myself?  I’ll take it.  Will you?

What will you accomplish by managing your own motivation levels?  I’m willing to bet you can blow your own mind with what you’re capable of.   

If you can use a hand, I can definitely help, let’s chat.