Most people tend to fear the difficulties and challenges that they will face professionally, when starting a business; however, these are not the worst things to worry about! We tend to worry about the things that we don’t know how to do or haven’t done before. Fortunately, most of the time we discover that our jobs are easier than we would have thought. Also, things that we may find difficult at one point, tend to get easier in time.
This having been said, there is one thing that can bring an entrepreneur down to his or her knees: lack of motivation. This is an extremely common problem nowadays and can affect even the best of us. While it is inevitable to feel unmotivated every now and again, there are secrets to managing to get stuff done even when you are feeling unmotivated.
The following tips are not motivational in the sense that they will convince you that life is hard and that you should force yourself to succeed no matter what. However, they will help you understand why you aren’t feeling motivated and will show you a few things that you can do in order to bypass this feeling.
While they won’t make you feel like you can conquer the world, these tips will enable you to do considerably more than you would otherwise.
- Understand what it is that you are afraid of;
Sometimes, when you have a subconscious fear related to work, it can stop you from doing what has to be done. Some people are afraid that the task they must do will take a long time, others that they will fail regardless of how hard they try. These fears can build up over time and severely affect your productivity.
The best solution to this issue is to make a list. Write down everything that you have to do over the course of your workday, and then specify how long you think it would take to get everything done. Once the list has been made, start working and time yourself. You may find that your estimates are a lot longer than the real duration your tasks. Also, if you’re afraid that you will fail in your work, then simply break down all your tasks in small segments, and then start working your way through them.
Every time you finish a task or a part of a task, cross it out from your list. You will be surprised at how effective something as simple as this really is.
- The 20-second rule;
Manipulate yourself into getting stuff done by doing some of the necessary preparations the night before. For example, if you want to write several long articles in the morning, then make your checklists and prepare your laptop before going to bed. This way you will only have to sit at your desk and start typing.
This method can be used in any manner that you see fit. You can prepare your clothes for the next day, stack any documents that you need, on your desk, etc. This will trick your mind into creating useful habits and will also enable you to bypass the lack of motivation.
- Refrain from using social media, unless you need to do so for work;
Procrastinating is one of the main things that fuels the lack of motivation that we sometimes feel. It’s hard to feel motivated to work when we get notifications every few minutes. Most people keep saying that they will only read one more post, or watch one more video before doing their tasks; however, they end up losing half a day waiting for a miraculous need to get to work to appear!
This having been said, disconnect from any social media network that you don’t need in order to accomplish your goals for that day, turn off notifications on your phone, and only go online when you really need to. If you want a bit more control over how you spend your time at your computer, then you can also find apps that measure what applications you use, and for how long.
- Analyze your day and determine when you’re the most efficient;
This one is different from one individual to another. Some are pretty much useless in the morning, others tend to start getting tired and less efficient in the afternoon.
It is important to determine when you’re at the top of your game, in order to concentrate your heavier workload over that period of time. If you’re extremely active in the morning, then start your day by doing the most difficult tasks, and leave the simpler, easier ones for the afternoon. Organize your day and you will never again experience those moments when you have to do something difficult, but you’re completely exhausted.
- Reward yourself;
Some people aren’t motivated to work because they do not see the light at the end of the tunnel. To them, workdays are something that must be done, however, they do not feel good about them once they are over.
A good way to bypass this is to create rewards for yourself. Plan your day in such a manner that every time you finish a task, you give yourself a small reward. This can be anything you like, as long as it doesn’t lead to procrastination.
- Organize your desk;
Most people will never be motivated to work if their desk is all messy and disorganized. They just feel uncomfortable and frustrated, especially when not being able to find something. The best solution for this problem is to spend a few minutes at the end of each workday and organize your desk. Remember that things are easier to find when they have a specific place on your desk and are not just thrown in a pile.
- Know when to give up.
There are days when you can bypass your lack of motivation; however, there are also periods when you won’t be able to work, no matter what you try. These periods of time can be a result of exhaustion, troubles in your personal life, or other serious problems. If you push yourself to work, even though you are completely unmotivated (even after trying all the tips above), then your work will suffer. You may find that your results are mediocre and that this will overwhelm you even more.
Instead, admit that you need some time off, and relax for a few hours. Do something to take your mind off work and to help you get rid of all the stress that has built up in the last few days.