5 Ways to Motivate Yourself When You Feel Like Doing Nothing
Every online business owner occasionally gets into a slump. Here are some simple ways you can motivate yourself to get productive doing the things you know you need to do.
Some days we just feel like we’re facing that “long, dark tea-time of the soul”, as Douglas Adams once called it. Everything is dull and dreary, and we just don’t see a thing to look forward to.
For those of us who operate location-independent businesses, it can be very easy for distractions, discouragements, and just stuff to get in the way of being productive.
Here are 5 suggestions on how to pick yourself up by the seat of the pants, and get productive, even if you don’t feel like it.
1. Figure Out Why You’re In a Slump
Working remotely requires an unusual level of self-motivation. You don’t have anyone at all looking over your shoulder or telling you what to do.
You could be feeling one of these primary emotions:
- Procrastination: If there is something that you know you need to do, but are putting it off, it may be because you find doing it unpleasant.
- Tired: This emotion happens when you don’t take care of your physical health. You may be short on sleep, nutrition, or exercise.
- Fear: This may come across as a lack of confidence. But the net is that you are afraid of moving out of a comfortable place. Or, you may be lacking in a skill.
- Boredom: Let’s face it–once the initial rush of a new project wears off, trudging through the activities in the middle may get tedious. This is especially true of a long-term project, like writing a book or creating a new software application.
People who work in a traditional office setting have a number of supports that you may not have.
- Deadlines imposed by a supervisor
- Coworkers to vent to
- A manager to encourage
- Training resources
- Work structure
When working from home, you need to create your own structure in order to push through.
2. When You’re Tired, Take Care of You
Coincidentally, I was up last night (this morning?) working until nearly 2:00 AM. Sometimes when you work from home it is easy to get distracted and not work enough. But sometimes it is easy to get TOO focused on what you are doing, and not stop for the day soon enough.
There are two aspects to handling this.
When you have something you ought to be doing right now, look at a short-term quick fix. Take a walk for 15 minutes. Review your goals. Focus back on why you are doing what you are doing. Leverage techniques to reset your state.
But, once the right now task is done, you need to step back and look at your bigger health picture. What can you do to eat better, sleep better, and get more exercise? What can you do to manage your stress?
3. Think about WHY You’re Doubting Yourself
Most of the time, this comes down to simple fear. The intensity level can vary based on your situation. But the root is that you are afraid of possible negative outcomes.
Sometimes, you simply have to feel the fear and do it anyway. Audie Murphy once commented that having courage isn’t the absence of fear. It is being afraid and doing what you need to anyway.
One other reason that you might feel fear is that you may be lacking in a skill set. The answer to this is to seek out the learning and training that would give you the skillset–AFTER you have felt the fear and attempted it anyway. Don’t put off taking action until you have a perfect skill set.
4. When You’re in the Middle of your Journey, Persevere
I’ve found myself stuck in the middle on several occasions. This has often happened when writing.
When this happens, I see if there is something I can do that is in another part of the project–like skip ahead to work on a different chapter. This keeps me moving forward, but allows me to get a fresh take on what I am doing. You may find a similar approach works for your longer projects.
In the end, there is often a need to just power through. Remember the power of habit and persistence. And refocus on your goals and your why.
5. Take Action NOW.
There seems to be a natural law of the universe: anything worth doing comes with obstacles. And, resistance is part of bringing a new vision into reality.
This is especially true in a home based business.
The key past the obstacles and resistance is to simply act. Stop, breathe, and remember that the slump won’t last forever.
Then, take some action, even if it is small. Take a different action than you thought you needed. But do something.
As you act, you will find your motivation will return, you will begin to see results, and you will see your way to move forward productively again.
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