3 Keys Thursday: 3 Key Habits That Might be Messing with Your Motivation

Photo: Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

I cannot seem to jolt myself out of vacation mode. This isn’t entirely awful because I still have almost two weeks before the semester starts and I am consistently checking things off my lists, but still, I feel lazy. I am ending my days much too late and therefore starting the days that follow too late as well.

While that last part is not really up for interpretation (I'm in serious night owl mode), much of my other self-evaluations are. Often, we're much too hard on ourselves, wasting the time and energy we could be using to accomplish things. Here are three habits that chip away at our motivation by draining our time and energy.

Shoulding ourselves. Whether it's a gentle reminder, accompanied by a groan or a full-blown lecture delivered to our inert selves, telling ourselves what we should do is rarely helpful. Think about it. How do you feel when someone says, "You know what you should do?" If you're a Jersey girl like me, you might resist the ensuing suggestion for all you're worth (depending on the source and the circumstances). Shoulding ourselves uses up time and energy we could be spending doing the things that matter. If you really should be doing the thing you're shoulding yourself about, do it now, write it down or make a plan to make it happen. Otherwise, let it go.

Not writing it down. Carrying our to-do lists and goals and shopping lists around in our heads is exhausting. Making lists frees us from having to actively remember the things we put on them. The act of writing things down actually helps us remember that we have to do things, while also freeing from doing the hard work of keeping them front and center in our minds. This frees both physical and emotional energy that we can use to actually do the things on the lists.

Pettycon via Pixabay

Writing it all down. I don't know about you, but for me, too long to-do lists have a tendency to backfire. Master lists are wonderful (see item #2 above), but they need to be broken down into bite-sized pieces. At the start of the day (or the night before, if you prefer), choose the things you most want to accomplish. I choose my big three (I'd suggest no more than five) and write them down, remembering to be realistic about whether or not I can actually accomplish all of those things in one 24-hour period. When I select my big three, I often do so by asking myself what I need to do that day (any deadlines?) and/or which three things would leave me feeling most satisfied if I accomplished them. By listing selectively, most days, I get them all in and some days, I actually do a few extra things as well.

It's hard to get motivated to tackle our lists -- or anything else -- when we're tired and pressed for time. Breaking non-productive habits can buy us back the time and energy we need to do not just the things on our lists, but maybe some fun things, too.

And, hey -- if you want to put the fun things on the list, that sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

Stop back next week for a few more things to keep in mind when it comes to finding the motivation that seems to have gone AWOL.

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Strategies for Shaking Up the Schedule

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

When I'm not writing, I teach. Or, more accurately this semester, when I'm not teaching, I write. But lately, with a full course load, I'm finding it difficult to make the writing thing happen. My blogs are getting done, but I'm making little progress on my other writing projects.

And when I don't write, I get cranky.

All of us have those things we want to do that keep getting pushed to the bottom of the list. We set a time, but something more important or urgent rises to the top. We get started, but we get interrupted. Or maybe we just can't find the time to get started in the first place.

And then we give up.

Well, I'm not giving up. I am going to find a way to adjust my schedule.

To do that, I need to take a closer look at not just my schedule, but also my mindset. Am I efficient, or just busy? Am I managing my time, or is my time managing me? Am I setting realistic deadlines, or falling prey to the "more is better" school of thought?

I don't think I want to see those answers in print.

I also don't want to create a schedule so hemmed in that I lose flexibility or the joy of becoming immersed in something I enjoy. But I can...

Rein it in. Sometimes, an activity really needs an inordinate amount of time, but, more often, I let myself get sucked in. Setting a time limit for one thing frees up time for something else. And, when both things are equally important, it just makes sense.

Accept unfinished. This one's a lot harder. Getting partway through a task and then letting it linger unfinished can be tricky. Knowing that a job is sitting there, waiting can create an uncomfortable feeling of pressure -- much like the one I'm trying to resolve right now. I'm going to give it a try, though, reminding myself that spending a little bit of time on two things can be better than finishing one and leaving the other neglected. And, who knows? Maybe that pressure will morph into motivation to get back to the unfinished job.

Shake off the "shoulds." The more I worry about what I should be doing, the less I get done. Lecturing myself about what remains undone just wastes precious energy that could be spent on something else I want to do -- maybe even sleep or relaxation. In addition, worrying and berating myself just makes me feel bad, which does nothing to improve the situation.

Pixabay

It's clear that to make this work, I have to get out of my own way. I may not be able to create more space on my calendar, but I can take some steps toward balance so that I'm spending as much time as possible on the things I love to do.

What would you love to do, if only you could find the time?