Get Motivated - Change Your Life by Becoming Bus
Use Motivation and Activity to Improve Your Day-to-Day Living
Jul 8, 2009
Getting motivated to engage in a task can be bothersome for anyone feeling stuck in a rut. Aware that there is a long list of tasks to complete, an unmotivated individual will have a hard time actually completing them despite the fact that they know they should. Even if there is little to be done, finding things to occupy oneself with can be an excellent way to get out of that rut and make changes.
Get Busy and Change Your Life
Idleness can have a significant impact on the mind and soul if it occurs for too long of a time period. Eventually it becomes a regular part of the day and impedes motivation to do anything even those tasks that are required for daily existence.
By seeking out activities to complete, anyone feeling like their life is lacking something can make some positive changes.
To get busy, make a three column list:
- In the first column, list things you must do. This column could include tasks such as cooking dinner, going food shopping, etc. They are activities that are necessary for daily living.
- In the second column list activities you should do. It should have tasks such as call a friend, clean out a closet, etc. The items on this list are not necessary for daily life but are typically a part of it.
- In the third column make a list of all the things you want to do. Reading a new book, taking a class and meeting new people are typical items for this column.
- While tasks in the first column will likely repeat daily, activities in columns two and three will occur less frequently. Be sure to include them weekly.
Get Motivated by Omitting Choice
The primary way to overcome a lack of motivation is to remove the possibility of choice from the situation. If a person believes that there is an option as to whether or not a task should be completed it is much harder to do what needs to be done.
If, instead, there is a commitment to the task as though there is no choice there is an instant sense of motivation. Switching your mind to believe there is no choice can seem like a difficult endeavor but it is not impossible.
To get motivated:
- Create a list of activities for each day using the column sheet. Seeing the list in black and white makes it harder to avoid. The list should include tasks from more than one column, that is, activities you must do, should do as well as those you want to do.
- Do not overwhelm or overbook yourself. If you want to succeed you should not be unrealistic about your expectations. Starting out small and being successful is better than putting too much on the list only to be disappointed when failure occurs.
- If thoughts of ignoring the task start to loom in your mind, quickly dismiss them by getting moving. As soon as awareness of the thought to ignore the task occurs engage in some type of activity to distract your mind.
If you feel overwhelmed consider working on the items you must do first, then slowly add more and more activities from your other lists. It will feel great when you are able to cross things off your list and make make room for new ones, and the motivation and level of activity will help increase your overall sense of happiness.
Readers may also be interested in Change Your Life by Changing Your Words.
Sources:
- Motivation 123
- Lowe, Tamara, Get Motivated!: Overcome Any Obstacle, Achieve Any Goal and Accelerate Your Success with Motivational DNA (New York, 2009.)
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