Staying motivated can be hard, especially for someone living a multitask life between school, sports, work, volunteering, or any other resume-builder. The truth is, life sort of requires you to live chaotically if you want to achieve your goals and dreams. It’s understandable that there are days when all you really want to do is lay in bed with a family size bag of chips and binge watch something that isn’t even good; everyone’s been there. The problem starts when you can’t pull yourself out of that comfortable spot and get everything you need done. When projects fall behind, so does your mental and physical health.
So, how does one stay motivated?
Write yourself inspirational messages on colorful sticky notes, and place them around the areas that you visit every day — your refrigerator in your kitchen, your bathroom mirror, on the wall above your bed, on doors, etc. The colors will draw your attention, and the notes themselves will give you the right boost for the right moments.
Meditation is also a good way to gather your thoughts after a lazy day, or even when you’re just not feeling up to doing what needs done that day.
It might sound cheesy, but meditation will help you organize your mind and realize what emotions might be tying you to your bed. The mind is a wondrous thing, and taking a second to just get lost in it, alone in a quiet room, is one of the healthiest things you can do when you’re not motivated to work or read or write.
Create a playlist that amps you up!
Are there songs that really speak to you, or get your blood flowing? Then those should be in that playlist. Don’t pick songs that are too emotional or slow — you need your brain to tell you to get up and go. Music has a crazy way of effecting people, so give it a try! You might be surprised.
Be open about how you’re feeling with one or two people.
Lack of motivation is often times associated with other feelings, like not wanting to write a paper because, deep down, you have no confidence in your chosen topic, or not wanting to clean your room because you know you’re going to find things in there that will make you nostalgic — stuff like that. Getting deep into the root of the no motivation crisis will help change a lot of attitudes towards certain tasks; it’s usually not just “being lazy”, but rather feeling some type of way about something related to the task that keeps you from being your best, motivated you.