Getting After a Nagging Project

Remember that you can manufacture motivation

• I used to believe that motivation was something you “had”, and when I didn’t “have” motivation, I used that reasoning to justify why I didn’t do something that I knew was important to be done.
• Over the years I have come to realize just how untrue that is. You can manufacture motivation.
• When you realize that something like motivation is malleable, it’s something you can mold, something you can conjure up… You’ll stop waiting around for it to appear, and you can get busy with making the motivation happen for you – to the point where you might even do things without the requirement for motivation to be there. Gettin’ existential on ya, so if that’s a bit much, just remember: you can choose to build your own motivation.

Have some kind of carrot at the end of the project

1. For my office project, I told myself, AND ENFORCED, that I wouldn’t go pick up my new cute glasses until I had dealt with this office.
3. I’ve used trips out to my favorite paper and stationary store
5. I’ve used a fun (for me) activity like baking or a favorite movie
7. I also went out and got the diffuser I’ve been thinking about buying for a while and set that up in my newly tidied office. Yay!
9. Choose something that takes almost no convincing to get you to do otherwise, and use it as a reward and something to look forward to on the other side of the project!

Find something enjoyable to do alongside the task

• There’s a reason I don’t like to clean my office. I hate flipping through all that paper and actually filing it! I like the result of filing, but the act of actually filing things for the first time makes me bristle.
• I chose a really upbeat playlist to play loud and on repeat to keep my mood energized and my spirits high.
• I also use pretty file folders. I hate filing, but I love pretty paper, so I extracted some of the “suck” out of the task by choosing pretty paper.

Manage your energy, including your physical energy.

• Have breaks, drink water, eat food, stretch… Stay limber and stay energized to conquer the task.
• It is really easy to transform a “break” into an “indefinite break away” from the task – so be very clear with yourself what you are doing in a break… You are recharging and replenishing yourself to continue tackling the task.
• I say breaks are a little risky, but they are very important – you might remember from my video on Stop Managing Your Time that it is energy which matters most in productivity!
• Remember to pause, to center, to rest, to hydrate, to fuel yourself, and to move around and stay limber. Your staying power will last through the end if you do these things.

Remember why you’re doing this in the first place.

• I wanted to have space to think, to be able to find things quickly, to have space that was congruent with what I value and how I want to present myself in the world…
• If you’re having trouble identifying why it is important to do this project; consider not doing it at all and letting it go. BUT if you have a compelling reason (and that can be “I just really want to”) be sure to tap into that reason regularly.

Reflective Question: