When there are so many online distractions sometimes it can be difficult to motivate ourselves to be productive and get work done because let's face it watching the latest season of Dancing With The Stars is way more fun than showing up for your business. We all have those days when we aren't feeling our best and don't really want to do anything except take a nap or watch television but sometimes we can't do that and need to get stuff done. There is nothing wrong with having a lazy day because it happens to us all and it only becomes a problem when it becomes a habit and you can't come out of it. As a content creator, it can be especially challenging to motivate ourselves because most of us make little to no money so things tend to be put off. In this post, I talk about how I stay motivated to get stuff done when I really don't want to work!

Recognize you have a problem- If you have been missing deadlines because you have been watching too much Netflix and are distracted the first thing you need to do is recognize this is a problem. I know a lot of people who say they want to reach all these goals but refuse to recognize that their current habits are a problem and preventing them from reaching their goals. The first step to making a change is to recognize that you have a problem so you can fix it because if you are in denial and have convinced yourself there isn't one nothing will change. We all have different things that we struggle with and the only way you work through them is if you recognize that it is a problem for you.

Come up with an action plan-  The next step after you have recognized you have a problem is to have an action plan on how you are going to resolve it. I see a lot of people have all these incredible goals but not a real action plan on how they are going to reach their goals. Be specific with your goals and write down what your goals are and how you are going to reach them. Don't just say I want to reach five hundred followers in the next six months becuase that is not very specific and has no plan on what you are going to do to make that happen. If it's just an idea in the back of your head that you think would be cool if you reached it's just a wish that usually never happens because you forget about it. Write it down execute it because goals that have a clear vision almost always are met! 

Have to want to change-  I know tons of people who will say that they want to reach all these goals but when they find out what it takes to reach that goal they don't want to do it. People that you see crushing their goals want to change and will do whatever it takes to get there. They aren't looking for shortcuts because we know that if you do half the work of something to expect half of the results. If you want to make a change in your life you need to want it and I mean really want it because if it's just something that would be cool to have you won't be motivated to do any different. There are too many people that just want the end result but don't care to put in the work to get there and these are the people that don't really want to change!

Fuel your body- Sometimes when I am struggling to motivate myself to get stuff done it's because I haven't eaten in a few hours and my body has no energy to do so. You may be able to work several hours without eating but you won't be performing at your best because you won't have the fuel to do so. Sometimes I work long hours on a post and don't eat as much as I should of and do feel a difference when I do stuff like that. I am more tired and don't have as much motivation to do other things because my body doesn't have the fuel to do them. If you are struggling to get motivated ask yourself when was the last time I ate or drank some water? Sometimes motivation is literally as simple as eating a meal or drinking some water!

Get some sleep- Sleep deprivation can play a huge role in how motivated you are because when you are tired you are not going to want to do anything except take a nap or watch Netflix. When you have chronic pain sleeping can be a challenge becuase as much as you may try to get the recommended eight hours pain can prevent you from doing that. You have no control over whether or not your pain will let you sleep but you do have control over how late you stay up. If you know you have a busy day ahead or need to be up early try not to stay up super late binging your favorite shows! There is nothing wrong with watching your favorite shows after work but if you are staying up late every night and losing sleep that can become a problem so you aren't motivated to do anything! Prioritize your sleep becuase when you sleep well you are more productive!

Get pumped- There are days I wake up and after I have coffee I am ready to start working but there are days when it takes me three hours to motivate myself to want to work. I love what I do so I don't have a huge problem with motivating myself to work but some days I know I need to do something but the motivation just it's there. On those days I listen to music and do something fun that is not work-related an hour before I plan to start creating to get myself in the right mindset. For what I do I don't think I need to force motivation on myself but actually think it's important not to. Motivation comes naturally for some people because they really love their jobs and have mastered mindset but for others, it may be a little more of a challenge and take more work. Loss of motivation can sometimes be caused by burnout so it's good to do things not work-related occasionally to prevent that.

Shut off your distractions- There are a lot of online distractions and if you work from home like me it can be a problem! When I am creating new content I shut off my phone and close social media because as a blogger I get more notifications than most people that can be a distraction from what I am working on! Some of the notifications I get are just reminders and not important but I would be tempted to check them all if I constantly had things buzzing at me and it would take me three times longer to write something. Do what you know needs to be done to limit your distractions and if that means shutting your phone off for a few hours then do it!

Have a workplace- I still live at home so I don't have an office to advocate and have to do all my posts in the same area that I sleep. Sometimes it can be hard for me to stop working becuase I get focused and want to finish the task at hand even if I know it's not possible to finish and will take several weeks or months. Motivation can be hard when your room is your office and the place you sleep so what I do is I don't write posts in my bed because that would allow me to get too comfortable and even less motivated to get stuff done. I always write in a chair upright chair because when I am less comfortable I am more productive and am less likely to watch hours of YouTube videos when I should be making content. You have to be able to separate where you sleep from your work because if it's all in the same place you won't set boundaries and will have a very difficult time getting motivated or won't be able to stop yourself from working.

Some days motivating yourself to get stuff done is not hard because you like your job and look forward to doing it but not all days are going to be like that even if you love what you do! Every job has task that noone wants to do but has to be done to improve your business and you would much rather be doing anything but that. There is nothing wrong with having a lazy day but it's important to recognize when you have done it long enough so you can get yourself out of that rut. Motivation comes naturally for some people because they love what they do and they just want to keep going but it can be harder for others. Sometimes the hardest part is getting yourself started but once you have begun you can't stop because you're on a roll and getting started is half the battle. How do you get motivated to be productive when you really don't want to?