Everyone has things that they need to get done. Whether it’s summer homework, work, or projects that need to get done, everyone has something. I often find that when I have something I need to get done, I spend more time stressing and obsessing over the task than I do actually working on it. Because of this, I have come up with all kinds of ways to motivate myself to get things done.
One way I like to motivate myself to do things is to set a specific time for me to get something done. I tell myself that I can do whatever I want until then, but once the time comes, I have to get to work. This system is pretty effective, except that I often make the set time far later in the day than it should be. And, when the time comes, I have an abundance of excuses for myself why I should put it off just one more hour. This makes it exceedingly more hard to get things done.
If that doesn’t succeed, I sometimes try my reward system. I tell myself that once I get my work done, I get some kind of reward. For example, sometimes I will tell myself that once I write my article, I get to watch an episode of Criminal Minds. This system, like the last, works fairly well. Until, however, I start thinking about the reward, and how I’ve worked pretty hard, and it wouldn’t be bad to take just a little break… And before I know it, I’ve watched five episodes with only the beginning of my article written.
To-Do lists are another method of mine. There is nothing like the pressure of a long list to get you scrambling to finish your homework and chores. However, the pressure is the one part that I truly dislike about writing To-Do lists. If I’m feeling too stressed on a particular day, and I try to motivate myself with a list, it only freezes me up, and I end up binge watching TV shows to try and distract myself from the stress.
However, sometimes none of these methods are enough to get me working. There are some days where all the To-Do lists and rewards and set times couldn’t get me moving. It is on these days that I have to take a deep breath, stand up, and just do it.
I watched a motivational video a few weeks ago, and it was pretty short. It was only a minute or two long, but it has stuck in my head ever since. One of the key phrases in it was “Just DO IT!” The speaker emphasized not putting things off any longer, and just getting them done. Watching that video, I tried to think about how easier things might be if I just did the things I needed to get done, rather than procrastinating and putting them off, over and over.
Motivation is a difficult thing. Self-motivation is even harder. There are some days where some methods will not work, and others where none will prevail. It’s on these days where you will need to get it done quickly, and without putting it off another second. There may be plenty of things that you need to get done, but there will be one less item on your To-Do list if you choose to just do it. See you next week!
“Reprinted from Hagel Publications, Inc. dba as Courier Newspapers”