Motivation. Sometimes you have it; sometimes you don’t. And sometimes, you just have to go out and find it.

Even the most motivated of people have days when they struggle to be productive, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you haven’t been feeling motivated lately. Hey, I haven’t written a blog post since September because I haven’t had the motivation, and my whole blog is based on motivation! *Insert embarrassed emoji*

The best way to drag yourself out of a rut is to take tiny baby steps. So I’ve broken this blog post down for you to help guide you in the right direction. (I’m too kind, I know) I’m not saying you’re going to be Mr Motivator by the end of it, but you’ll definitely be on your way! So grab a cuppa, notepad and pen, and get ready to climb out of that dark hole you’ve been hiding in called your comfort zone.

Step 1. List Your Goals

Did you know that you have a better chance of achieving your goals if you write them down? So what are you waiting for? All you need to do right now is take the lid off your pen and begin scribbling on a piece of paper. Whether your goals are baking a cake for a friend or climbing Mount Everest, it doesn’t matter. All that matters now is that you have a hard copy of them, so you can look at them every day. If you’re struggling to think of any goals, find inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram – just type in a hashtag of something you’re interested in, and scroll scroll scroll.

Step 2. Find Things that Interest You Within the Goals

Your goals may not be the most enjoyable but try your best to find a positive within every goal. For example, if one of your goals is “Clean the whole house,” the positive could be “I will be able to find things easier once the house is clean,” or “I will feel much happier if the house is clean.” If you focus on the positives rather than the negatives, you’ll notice a big difference in your stress levels. Nobody wants to be a “Negative Nancy.”

Step 3. Break Up Your Goals

Breaking up your goals into steps will trick your mind into thinking they’re much more achievable. Make a checklist under every goal of how you are going to achieve the finished product. For example, “Create a Gingerbread House” could be broken down into these steps –
“1. Buy the ingredients from Tesco
2. Follow Grandma’s recipe
3. Wash up the pots and pans
4. Invite family over to see the masterpiece”

You get the drift.

Step 4. Make Your Goals Public

Telling someone your goals will make you more motivated to follow them through, as essentially, you’ve made a promise to someone that you will achieve them.

Step 5. Reward Yourself

There’s nothing like getting a prize when you’ve won a competition, so treat your goals like a competition. The only difference is, you are in competition with yourself. Get out of your own way and make sure you win! Treat yourself to something you enjoy after you’ve completed a goal from your list. It doesn’t need to be big – just a little something you can look forward to. (I’m treating myself to a Diet Coke after I’ve published this post – it’s the little things, eh?)

And there we have it; 5 steps to get you on your way to being motivated. Do you have any tips for finding motivation? Let me know in the comments.