Some days you feel like doing absolutely nothing. And that’s okay. But for days when you need to be productive, I’ve got some simple tricks to motivate yourself.
There are some days when I’m bursting with energy and can’t wait to get things done. But there are many days when I feel pretty lethargic. On those days, it seems the best I can manage is to watch Netflix scroll automatically to the next episode in the queue.
But what happens if I’m feeling lethargic, but I actually do need to get some things done?
In those situations, I turn to the simple tricks below. These tricks help motivate me to get off the sofa and actually do something. I hope these tricks help motivate you, too. Here’s to getting stuff done!
1. Do a short exercise dance video
Have you ever watched the exercise dance videos by the Fitness Marshall or MadFit?
If not, your life is about to get exponentially better!
Caleb Marshall (the Fitness Marshall) and Maddie Lymburner (MadFit) both have short exercise dance videos on YouTube. These videos are less than five minutes long and feature your favorite pop songs.
Whenever I feel like doing absolutely nothing (but really do need to do something), I turn on one of these exercise dance videos.
In less than five minutes, I’m off the sofa, energized, and ready to get something done. These videos are like magical productivity dust.
Give these videos a try. They’re one of my favorite tricks to motivate yourself.
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2. Break up tasks
It can be tough to motivate yourself to do a gargantuan task all at once. So don’t. Instead, break-up big tasks into smaller, bite-sized tasks.
Instead of committing to cleaning the entire house, commit to cleaning the bathroom sink. Rather than say you’re going to write an entire blog post today, say you’re going to write the introduction today.
I’m much more likely to actually start a task if the task is a smaller, more manageable size.
Some days, all I do is that small piece of the bigger task. But on other days, the simple act of starting the task motivates me to finish a much larger portion of the task than I intended.
Either way, I’m chipping away at my to-do list instead of scrolling through my phone for hours on end.
3. Schedule a live fitness class first thing in the morning
I love sleeping in. But sleeping in wrecks my sleep schedule and makes me feel sluggish for the rest of the day.
To fix this, I’ve started scheduling virtual fitness classes with a live instructor first thing in the morning. These are paid classes at a set time, with an instructor monitoring the class via a video app.
Paying for the class in advance and having the accountability of an instructor are great motivators to get me out of bed.
The resulting energy boost from the class sets me up to get stuff done during the rest of the day.
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4. Do challenging tasks when you’re most energized
Is there a particular time of day when you have the most energy?
For me, I have the most energy right after I finish exercising. So that’s when I do the most mentally taxing and challenging tasks of my day.
Maybe you’re a morning person. Or maybe you’re a night owl. Maybe you get a burst of energy halfway through the afternoon.
Do your toughest task of the day during this period. Write that email. Edit that document. Call that colleague.
Whatever time of day you feel most energized, take advantage of it. This is one of my favorite tricks to motivate yourself into doing your toughest tasks.
5. Stay hydrated
We’re often reminded to stay hydrated for health reasons. But what about for productivity reasons?
When I’m dehydrated, my energy levels completely drop off. I can immediately tell that I’m dehydrated by how lethargic I feel.
On days when I’m properly hydrated, I have higher energy levels and generally get more done.
Staying hydrated is a simple trick to motivate yourself to get stuff done.
6. When all else fails, drink coffee
I’m new to the wonderful world of coffee. And I had no idea what I was missing.
This miracle elixir is the energizing potion that I need when all my other tricks fail to motivate me to do something.
I have a Nespresso machine at home. Making coffee with this beautiful machine is an experience that you need to have for yourself. The very act of making coffee is an easy trick to motivate yourself to get stuff done.
There are some days that you just need to chill and do nothing. But there are some days when it feels good to be productive and to get stuff done. I hope some of the items above will be good tricks to motivate yourself to get stuff done even when you feel like doing nothing.
Shop my motivation essentials:
Comments or Questions?
Have a comment or a question? I’d love to hear from you! Visit me on Instagram @eastbymidwest and leave a comment or DM, or send me an email at pam@eastbymidwest.com.
