Life is too short to procrastinate! Use these tips to help get you out of a slump.
Know your why
Even the most basic task needs a reason behind it, or it’s unlikely to be accomplished. If you’re having a hard time motivating yourself to take out the garbage, take a moment and think about reasons why the garbage needs to go out, like
It’s more hygienic to remove trash promptly
No trash means no trash-related odors
If you take it out routinely, the garbage won’t get all the way to the top of the bin and start overflowing, meaning it’s easier to take out in the first place.
Know how YOU are motivated
What keeps you motivated? The answer is different for everyone. Maybe you like checking something off a list. Maybe a gold star in your calendar makes chores fun! Talking about what you’re trying to accomplish with someone else can be great motivation, too.
We all have fluctuating levels of energy throughout the day. Maybe you’re more of a morning person, or maybe you’re more of a night owl. Armed with the proper information, you can maximize your most effective times to work, and rest when you need to. Read on to learn about managing energy.
What affects your energy?
Circadian rhythm: the natural process that regulates your sleep-wake cycle. It repeats every 24 hours in most animals, as well as plants, and even some fungi.
Circadian rhythms aren’t set in stone! If you commit to having a regular bedtime and a regular wake time, your body will become accustomed, and you’ll get better sleep and start the day off right. If you can’t seem to get on track, talk with your doctor about possible sleep disorders.
Ultradian rhythm: subsets of circadian rhythms that occur multiple times a day, lasting usually between 90-120 minutes. Just like circadian rhythms tell your body when it’s time to sleep and time to wake up, ultradian rhythms tell your body when it’s in work mode and when it’s in rest mode.
I wrote last week about deciding what your priorities are. Once you know your priorities—things you really want to make the time for—schedule them based on order of importance. Here are some tips about how to schedule tasks.
Fill the jar
I use the “fill the jar” metaphor when discussing how to schedule tasks. Imagine you have a jar, and your job is to fill it as full as possible. You have rocks, pebbles, and sand, to pack into it. What’s the best way to maximize space in the jar?
If you start by adding sand and pebbles first, the rocks will sit on top. The jar will look full, but there will be a lot of unused space between the large rocks. That’s wasted space. But if you start by adding rocks first, then pebbles, you can shake the jar and the pebbles will fill in spaces between the rocks. Sand does the same, sifting into the even smaller areas between pebbles. You can even add water on top of everything, and you’ll have a genuinely full jar.
The most crucial tasks in your life are the rocks. Things like making sure you’re healthy, and that you spend time with loved ones, can be rocks. Exercise, your daughter’s birthday party, and keeping in touch with your grandmother can all be rocks. Schedule these things first, because they are what makes a life whole.
Pebbles are still very important, but not as crucial. Although it might not fulfill you as a person, household chores need to get done, and you should probably get to work on time. Schedule these things next.
What do I mean when I say “time management?” Time is impossible to manage! It just keeps on ticking no matter what we do. When I talk about organizing your time, I’m really talking about priorities. You can’t manage time, but you can certainly manage what you DO with your time.
YOU get to choose what you do each day (within reason), and that means you have some decisions to make! But what do you spend your time on?
Finding your Priorities
If you don’t take a moment and take stock of how you spend your time, it’s easy to fall into a routine that includes lots of wasted time. Keep a quick diary of what you do for a normal week (what you REALLY do, not what you think you should do), and at the end of the week look at how you’ve spent your time. Was there anything you wanted to do but couldn’t get to? What could you cut out of next week to give you the space for important activities?
You may have had a good habit, maybe even for a long time, and though it was good for you, you stopped doing it. Something happened that led to you dropping the habit. How do you recover lost habits?
Re-commit
Don’t just say “Oh, I’ll get back to it,” or, “I wish I was doing that again.” Draw a line in the sand!
If you want to run a mile but can’t find the motivation, have a friend drive you a mile from your house and kick you out of the car. Burn the bridge back to that unproductive behavior, and re-commit to your own personal Rubicon.
There are lots of healthy habits to acquire; walking outdoors, saving money, and cooking meals at home are all great ideas. But I have a list of eight non-negotiable daily habits that everyone benefits from. Identify the ones you’d like to start, and use our Practical Tips to Start a New Habit to incorporate them into your life!
8 Non-Negotiable Daily Habits
1. Get up at the same time each day. When you wake up at the same time each day, you train yourself to sleep better. Having a daily wakeup time helps start your day off right.
