My 7 tips for finding motivation when times are tough
I’m not going to sugarcoat it… this year has been rough. Amidst a global pandemic, major social movements, a surreal election year for the US, and an economic downturn that has hit small businesses particularly hard, we are all trying to adapt. On top of all that, being an entrepreneur already comes with its own unique challenges since it can be isolating and requires you to hang on through periods of extreme highs and lows.
It’s only natural that from time to time we are going to hit a wall and feel completely uninspired. So just in case no one has told you this recently, it’s OK to feel tired. It’s OK to feel burnt out. It’s OK to want to curl up under a blanket and binge watch the Office for the second time this year instead of working on business development.
These are completely normal responses to completely abnormal circumstances. But we also know that long-term, we need to find ways to keep going so that we can deal with the realities of life like paying our bills and being able to eat (although, if anyone knows a way I can make money while eating ice cream and watching Netflix, ignore this post and please let me know ASAP).
In light of all 2020 has thrown at us, here are my top tips to help keep you motivated and moving forward when times are tough.
1. Create a routine around your existing cycles of creativity and productivity
Establishing a routine for yourself is essential to making sure you’re staying on track and getting the work done that you need to. But a monotonous routine that forces you to work at the same pace from 9-5 without variety doesn’t really inspire much creativity throughout your day.
Have you ever noticed that at some points in the day you consistently seem to be much better equipped to handle certain tasks? Maybe you’ve realized that in the mornings, you actually look forward to answering all of your emails. Or maybe you’re one those night owls who hits their creative stride after everyone else has gone to bed.
Personally, I’ve noticed that I’m most productive in the morning, so I make sure I get my booty out of bed early to crank out a good portion of my work for the day. That way I can prioritize tasks like sketching logos or wireframes for early on in the day, while saving more of the busy work that doesn’t require as much mental energy for the afternoons when I start to lose creative steam.
You can also revive your motivation by scheduling in breaks when your energy overall seems to be lower. Do you get that mid-day energy crash right after lunch where you find yourself checking social media or basically doing anything but your work? I combat this by taking a short walk or workout break around that time. While mentally I may feel drained by 2 pm, physically I’m ready to move around a bit, and the mid-day workout usually helps me create the momentum I need to get through the rest of my work day.
Practice: Building my schedule around my existing energy levels throughout the day has been a game changer for me and my business. If you are working from home or have at least some autonomy over your schedule, try capitalizing on your existing energy levels by building your schedule around when you feel most productive. For one week use the worksheet above to track your own energy levels throughout the day. At the end of the week, write out how you might be able to organize your day in a more mindful way based on your observations.
2. Set realistic goals and manage your expectations
Alright, so you’ve just launched your business and you’re hoping to sign 20 new clients, gain 10k followers on IG, hit $100,000 in earnings, and stop world hunger… all by next week… uh huh… good luck with that. I know I’m not the only one who’s been there.
This may seem somewhat obvious, but oftentimes, we set wildly overambitious timelines or goals for ourselves. And unfortunately, we aren’t doing ourselves any favors when we do this because every time we watch another unreasonable deadline fly by, we attribute it to a perceived flaw or failure within us, which leaves us even more unmotivated and upset than we were before.
It’s so tempting to see the entrepreneurs we look up to making a huge impact on the world and aspire to be where they are. We have lofty goals for ourselves and our businesses, which is wonderful! But we need to have patience as we make our way there because that kind of perceived success doesn’t happen overnight, or in one year, or even in five years!
Practice: Are you feeling unmotivated because you are constantly perceiving missed milestones and deadlines as “failures”? It might be time to make sure your goals are actually SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based). Pick one of your main goals and check to see if it meets all of the criteria. If not, try adjusting them a bit.
3. Ask yourself: “How can I make this more fun?”
You know that one task on your to-do list that seems to keep getting pushed off? It’s the little thing you look at and say “eh… I’ll do it later.” Or maybe it’s a more general sense of dread you feel when you think about the work day ahead. Whenever I’m feeling particularly avoidant or unmotivated to complete a project or get started on work, I always ask myself this one magical question:
How can I make this more fun?
It’s so simple, but it works wonders! Could you take that one task and decide to snuggle up in your coziest blanket, make some tea, or light a new candle? Or maybe you need to generate some energy to get yourself through a mind-numbing project. Try putting on a playlist that is sure to make you dance, and have a mini dance party as you knock out each task on your to-do list. Get creative with it!
I used to avoid going over my finances, but I’ve started scheduling in a solo happy hour where I splurge on ingredients for a killer cheese board and a bottle of wine to make it as fun of an experience as possible. Now I actually look forward to the one day a month where I get to treat myself and get organized.
Practice: What’s one thing on your to-do list that keeps getting ignored because you are dreading it? Write down 3 possible ways you could make that task more fun! Momentarily shift your mindset (just humor me) and think about how you could make it a treat to GET to do that thing?
4. Celebrate even the smallest wins!
There’s a well-known saying from Tony Robbins: “energy flows where attention goes.” All too often we focus on what isn’t going well and on what’s not working in our life. And while it’s important to notice those aspects so that we can evaluate how we might want to change our approach, we can’t let that be the only side we see. If we are only focusing on how unmotivated we feel, how deadlines seem to be blowing by, and how we feel we are failing, then we are just going to keep perpetuating that cycle. That’s why we need to remember to also celebrate what IS going well so that we can call more of that energy into our lives.
It’s basic psychology! You can use a little positive reinforcement to help you associate a certain behavior (your work or whatever task is at hand) with a new desirable stimulus (your celebration), making it more likely that you will actually want to do it again in the future.
I find myself so much more energized and excited about what I get to do everyday when I celebrate my wins, even if it’s doing a mini happy dance when a meeting goes well with a new potential client. So as you begin to check off all of the goals you’ve set for yourself, make sure that you reward your progress and take the time to celebrate your dang self!
Practice: Create three buckets of rewards that you can draw from every time you accomplish a goal. And make sure you actually take the time to celebrate them!
5. Reconnect to your values and vision
Sometimes we get so lost in our day to day tasks that we forget to think about how the work we are doing right now ties in to our bigger picture goals and dreams. And sometimes we also get so attached to where we want to be that the process of getting to that point seems insufferable. That’s why I think it’s crucial to remember that our life and our ideal version of where we want to be is a process, not an end point, and it’s constantly in motion. There will always be ups and downs, periods of rapid growth and periods where we may not be moving as quickly as we anticipated.
Rather than waiting to enjoy our life until we achieve some lofty goal, recognize that any progress in the direction we’d like to move in is valuable if we can learn to enjoy the process. Take some time to think about your purpose. What are you here to do, and how does the work you’re already doing at this moment serve that purpose?
The journey is so much more fun when we make decisions and live our lives in a way that ultimately aligns with our core values. I know I recently had to sit myself down to take stock of where I was heading. I blocked off an entire day to just dream about what my business could look like and then came up with a solid business strategy with realistic timelines and actionable items to help get me back on track.
Practice: Pin down your top 5 values using this list created by Brené Brown and take 15 minutes to free write on whatever comes up for you after reading the following prompt: What is your purpose in life and/or what direction do you want to move in?
(psst! Stay on the lookout for a workbook I’ll be releasing soon where you’ll get to dive even deeper into these kinds of questions!)
6. Give yourself permission to rest and explore other passions
I’ve talked about how toxic and unsustainable “hustle” culture can be before in my blog. If you’re feeling totally burnt out and unmotivated, it may be a sign that it’s time to step back and prioritize rest. That means actually giving yourself permission so you don’t feel guilty about it. Sometimes that looks like finding ways to incorporate your other hobbies in your daily routine like I mentioned before about scheduling intentional breaks. Or it can be taking a vacation and resting over a longer period of time.
Earlier this year I was feeling completely lost and uninspired by my work. I couldn’t remember why the stress and uncertainty of owning my own business was worth it when I could go get a regular salaried position somewhere else. But when I actually allowed myself to focus on other passions of mine, taking a four-day long camping trip where I couldn’t check email, I had time to reconnect with my other loves like reading, writing, yoga, hiking, music, and meditation.
I know it seems counterintuitive to rest or step away from work when you are already lacking motivation, but by taking that time for yourself and following your curiosity in other areas, it allows you to open up the energetic space in your life to reconnect with who you are outside of your career and the various identities that might be weighing you down. Taking the time to come back home to yourself can help you rediscover your creativity and curiosity that you can then redirect back into your work.
Practice: Many of us have super busy lives where we just can’t fathom taking a vacation, but I guarantee that you can prioritize at least a small amount of time for your own mental and physical wellbeing. To help get you started, for one week create just 15 minutes each day where you have nothing to do and nowhere to be. Write this time in your calendar (it could be in the morning before work, in the evening after work, or in the middle of your day). Maybe it’s taking a walk, cooking a meal, trying a new hobby, going outside, or staring into space. Whatever it is, resist the temptation to distract or consumeーlike scrolling through social media or watching TVーbecause the important thing here is that you are participating in an activity that allows you to just be with yourself. At the end of the week, journal about how you feel after taking that time for yourself and see if it might be worth incorporating into the following week.
7. Connect with community and consume content that inspires you
OK, I didn’t want to say it, but you are what you eat! That’s why we need to make sure we are consuming content that motivates us in a healthy way. Notice if your social media feed, the books you read, the shows you watch, and the podcasts you listen to make you feel expansive and energized, or do you find yourself feeling small or less than?
Surround yourself with beliefs and ideas that lift you up. Be intentional about who you choose to follow and what you invest your time in. That might mean unfollowing certain people who you regularly compare yourself to or who encourage unhealthy mindsets and attitudes about what your life “should” look like.
You can also do this with the people that you physically surround yourself with. In addition to prioritizing my time with friends and family, something that was a game changer for me was connecting with a community of growth-minded female entrepreneurs through a Meetup group in Denver earlier this year. (Shout out to my queens Nandi Camille and Jessica Jacobson!) Obviously, with the Covid-19 pandemic, our ability to meet in person has changed, but there are still a variety of online groups and forums that you can explore! For example, I’ve joined virtual book clubs and Facebook groups like Freelancing Females, the Creative Ladies Collective, and the Bucketlist Bombshells so that I can connect with other women in my industry.
This sense of community is crucial because you get to share your struggles and successes with others who are going through something similar. Your community can offer wisdom, insight, and support in a way that motivates you to grow and trust in yourself no matter where you are in life.
Practice: Take stock of the kind of content that you are consuming and the people you spend time with. What are the resources that lift you up? Which ones make you feel crappy and need to go? What can you start incorporating more of into your feed or daily life?
Remember, it’s totally normal to have periods where you feel less motivated and uninspired, especially considering the whirlwind of a year that we’ve been having. Make sure you’re showing yourself some forgiveness, and take it one day at a time. Trust that through cultivating healthy practices like the ones listed in this post, things WILL get better and your inspiration WILL return. A new season is always just around the cornerーbut I guess it’s alright if you finish the season of whatever show you’re binging on Netflix first.
