Posted by Christina Crowe in
Finding Motivation,
Work & Lifestyle on September 1, 2010 |
4 responses While browsing Google Reader, I came across an article called Finding the Rhythm by Trent Hamm, author of the finance blog The Simple Dollar. This article discusses key methods on how to know when your work rhythm is failing and how to pick it back up again to become more productive. While reading the article, I thought about past activities I’ve done and how they’ve affected my productivity.
For example, this morning I took a nice long shower before beginning my day, when usually I would take a shower later in the evening. After the shower, I proceeded to drink my daily cup of organic coffee and then got to work. What a difference! Drinking coffee didn’t exactly make a noticeable difference, since that was something I was already doing anyway. But the shower, without a doubt, increased my productivity a great deal. Having a shower in the morning by itself probably wouldn’t have done much. But combining the shower with the cup of coffee made a complete difference in how well I worked throughout the day. I was no longer drowsy, my damp hair emitted a nice pleasant smell of violets and blueberries, and my skin just felt incredibly soft and clean.
Finding Motivation: My Story
After I realized just how much a morning shower, along with a cup of coffee, was able to keep me energized enough to work, I started thinking about other ways I could improve my day. Finding motivation to write and work in general has always been a problem I’ve struggled with. I was finally ready to put an end to my depressed, gloomy mornings, where all I’d want to do was curl up in bed and drift quietly off to sleep. This sense of feeling energized, truly energized, inspired me to make other changes in my lifestyle so that I could find motivation and maintain that motivation to work.
I analyzed my work habits closely, paying careful attention to what worked or helped inspire me and what didn’t work as well. I think part of my morning gloom was a direct result of my rather dim office environment, so I made the room brighter. I opened the blinds on my office window. Another amazing difference! The sunlight helped energize my mind and spirit. Besides, I enjoy looking out the window every now and then to see an occasional bird chirp on a nearby branch or a car roll by. I also felt refreshed and ready to make my goals reality.
Looking back, I remembered how I felt after a long relaxation period where I would just enjoy life as it was, without any worries. So, I set time aside each day to read a book or play video games – wherever my mood took me. Now, I spend an hour or two after noon to just relax. Once my relaxation time ends, I’m able to get back to work with renewed motivation. Spending some time to just sit on the sofa and watch my aquatic frogs make their way across an aquarium I have set up in the office also helps me to find peace of mind when I’m especially worried or stressed out.
Finding Motivation: How to Adapt a Routine
The simple things you do throughout your everyday life make a huge difference in whether you struggle throughout the day or you’re able to find motivation and become productive. Take my story, for example. I would have continued to struggle if I hadn’t of analyzed my lifestyle and tweaked my mornings so that it would be easier to work. Even now, I’m still tweaking. I’m not happy with how late I wake up in the mornings, so I’m going to bed earlier and waking up earlier as a result. I want to be up to see the sun rise every morning. I also find that waking up earlier gives me more time to get things done.
What can be changed in your lifestyle? Here’s some suggestions.
- Find a time you work best. When are you most productive? Analyze your sleeping schedule. Do you work best at night or in the mornings like I do? For a few days, work at different times. Find out when you’re most motivated and when your motivation wanes. If you’re a morning person, go to sleep earlier so that you can wake up earlier and establish a routine.
- Analyze your work environment. Are there certain things you need that will make working easier (for instance, a fan)? Can you rearrange the room to make office supplies more accessible? Can you maybe add a few pictures, a new sofa or a fish aquarium to make everything more pleasing to the eye? After all, if you don’t enjoy being in your office or feel dread every time you step into the room, why would you enjoy working there? Organize your work space how you like. If privacy is a problem, consider setting up a room with a door and then putting your office hours on the outside of the door so that family cannot bother you while you’re working. If you have kids, talk with your spouse and organize times where you can work in peace and your spouse can take care of the kids. If that won’t work out, consider hiring a babysitter or pay a friend to come along during certain days so that you can get work done.
- Have a goal or plan with an end result clear in mind. Goal setting often motivates you to work on achieving them. You have a reason to work and you know what the reward would be if you carry through with your work. Do you need to do a $5,000 project for a client? What can you do with that money? Well, you can use it to pay the mortgage so that you don’t lose your home. No one wants to live homeless. You can use it to help your child get a quality education so that you will one day see your child graduate, get married and have all those grand-kids you were dreaming about. You can use it to buy yourself a new high-tech computer. The main point is don’t just work blindly. Have a clear goal and a clear reward to give yourself a reason to work.
- Consider the consequences of not working. If you tend to procrastinate (like I do), think about what would happen if you do procrastinate. Think about the extremes. What would be the end result if you don’t get that assignment done in time for a particular client? Well, that client probably wouldn’t hire you again. That client might also tell other potential clients about his negative experiences working with you. Then, you’d lose even more work than you bargained for, you won’t make money and you’ll end up homeless. Ouch! No one wants that.
If you’re a professional blogger, what would happen if you skipped a few days of publishing quality posts for your blog? Well, you may lose readers. People will think your blog is just too unstable to stick around, unless there’s a valid reason why you didn’t post. You may also lose money in the long run, as not as many readers will be interested in visiting. Your blog will ultimately fail and you’ll have to find a new profession, or else you’ll end up homeless. See where I’m going? Think about the extreme consequences of not working and you’ll be more motivated to keep those fingers moving. - Record your accomplishments. Here’s my secret technique to finding motivation. *wink* On a piece of paper, make a list of all the accomplishments you want to achieve. Leave a space below each list item. Within the space, create a single horizontal bar where you will record your progress. For example, let’s say your goal is to make $10,000 a month. Using a ruler, sketch out a horizontal rectangle (that you will use as your bar) and, on the bottom side of the rectangle, number the bar. Start at $1,000 and end with $10,000. Record your progress as you go along. When you earn your first $1,000 for the month, fill in that section of the bar to show that you’ve already achieved the $1,000 mark. When you earn the full $10,000, celebrate! Put a sticker next to the achievement, go out to eat for a special dinner or buy yourself something special that you’ve always wanted (instead of something that you necessarily need).
- Read inspiring stories. Often, the successes of others help fuel our energy so that we can find motivation and get back to work. Search for specific case studies on Google of people who have achieved what you want to achieve. Just knowing that your goals are possible can help motivate you. Buy inspiring books intended to help you achieve your goals, whether it is to write clearer copy, get more blog subscribers or set better goals for yourself. Read as much as you need until you’re able to find motivation again.
Post Your Input
- How do you find motivation?
- What have you changed to better suit your lifestyle?
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Related Posts:
- How to Tackle Motivation Head On and Get Your Life Back
- A Confession and Report: How I Developed My Writing Routine
- Question: What is Your Writing Routine?
Tags: Motivation, Routine
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I've been making money with my writing since 2008. With this income, I'm able to travel the world, indulge in my hobbies, and govern my own life. And the best thing is, I love every second of it!
Hillary Bost (1)
Finding the best time to work is very important especially if you’re working at home. You have that feeling that you owns the time so you can do everything about it. More or less, you’ll just let everything be if you have this kind of mindset.
Aaron Fuller´s last [type] ..Reverse Phone Number Lookup
Hey Aaron,
Definitely. Finding the time when you’re most productive can not only peak performance, but it can increase your income and overall results as well.
Christina
Wow. I’m glad I stumbled upon this site today. I really, really like it. As a writer, I should probably think of something specific to comment on…
Nope, that’s all I got. What you’re doing is great…and needed. Keep it up.
I totally liked you on Facebook and followed you on Twitter.
Nathan Rodgers´s last [type] ..Trader Joes Earl Grey Bagged Tea
Hi Nathan,
Thanks! I’m glad you like the site.
You can also sign up for the free newsletter to get additional freelance writing tips not mentioned on the blog sent to your inbox (plus a free ebook) if you haven’t done so already. Additionally, you can subscribe to the RSS feed to stay updated when new blog posts are published (look at the top right-hand corner to get updates via email).
Thanks for reading!
Christina