When you need to do something, but don’t want to, how do you get motivated to do it? Or, when someone wants you to do something but can’t motivate you to do it, how do you motivate yourself? Following are 11 different things that you can do to get motivated. Just pick what works for you in the moment and then get busy doing what you need to do.
1. Watch Someone Else Doing What You Need To Do
If you follow people focused on planning, organization, or success on YouTube, you will often see videos with ‘motivation’ in the title. Cleaning motivation, cooking motivation, working out motivation, etc. Their videos are meant to get you pumped – or at the very least interested in doing what you need to do.
For instance, cleaning is something I would rather not do. Once I finish it, I feel good about it, but it’s getting started that’s hard. I can’t count the number of times a good cleaning motivation video got me up and cleaning. When I see them doing a good job and making things shiny and clean, I get motivated to do the same to my surroundings.
So, whatever you need motivation in, get on YouTube and look for someone who is doing what you need to do and seems to be enjoying it. It will help you see the benefit of getting up and getting things done.
I get motivated by other people accomplishments. Success is real and it’s available for everyone.
— NMB Savior (@FloKid88) May 6, 2018
2. Look Up Quotes About What You Need To Do
There are so many quotes that have powerful bits of wisdom and inspiration that will motivate you. All you need to do is search for quotes on the topic of what you need to do.
For instance – sticking with the cleaning topic – quotes on cleaning can really help you understand how cleaning can impact your life.
Or you can just find quotes that motivate you to keep going, despite what it is you have to do.
Once you find quotes that motivate you, you can write them down, cut them out, or paint them on something, and then you can get them into the places where they consistently motivate and inspire.
My husband and I put quotes on our bathroom mirror. We pick quotes that currently motivate us to focus on what needs to be done. His current quote is one by T.D. Jakes. It’s cut out it a zombie font, which is why it looks like it’s dripping everywhere. (It should be red!)
It helps him to remember that no matter how shitty his day gets, he shouldn’t give up on what he’s doing because of the temporary situation. And, it keeps him motivated despite the obstacles that come in his way.
3. Think Of Someone Else
This is a big motivator for me. I run my own business, so when I don’t do what I need to do, I’m hurting myself, but I’m also hurting my husband. And I love my husband more than words can say.
I want to allow my husband the freedom to do what he wants to do, rather than him feeling as though he is limited in options because he is responsible for all the income. I also want him to be the happiest version of himself. And, I want him to live a life worth living.
It all motivates me to get up and do what I need to do each day to make that happen. It’s important to me to make at least as much as him so that he can have the freedom to make his own choices as he moves along in life, just like I do.
4. Create Or Look Over Your Life Goals
If you don’t know what you want out of life or where you are going, then it’s going to be hard to get motivated to do things that you need to do. Having life goals that are created by you ignite a passion into your day-to-day activities. And that’s motivating.
If you don’t know what your life goals are, I recommend learning more about Lifebook Quest. It’s a challenge through Mindvalley, done by Jon Butcher. It helps you take a very close look at your life, what’s going wrong, what you want to get out of it, and what goals you need to create to make that happen.
Once you have a vision for your future that you want to reach, you can write it down and look it over every time your motivation fades.
5. Write Down What You Will Get Out Of Doing It
Whether you are a writer or not, sitting down and listing out the things that you will get out of doing what you need to do is powerful.
First, it will make the thing you need to do less painful. As humans, we seek pleasure and avoid pain, so if something feels painful to do, then you are going to do your best not to do it. By writing down what you will get out of doing it, you will start to feel less pain towards what you need to do and more pleasure.
Second, it helps you see the benefits clearly. They are not just passing thoughts in your head. They are there for you to see, and there is no denying them or shoving them to the back of your mind and ignoring them.
6. Get Into A Positive Mood
A positive attitude is essential for getting things done.
It’s easier to get up and do what you need to do when you feel good. I can easily get a week’s worth of stuff done in a day if I’m feeling on top of the world because I have a ton of energy and desire to live my best life.
Things that may help you get into a positive mood.
- Practicing gratitude, which helps you shift your focus from negative to positive things.
- Talking to someone who makes you feel good about yourself and your life.
- Watching someone who is fun and uplifting on YouTube.
- Being kind to other people.
- Listening to music that makes you feel good.
- Going for a walk in nature and giving yourself some time to unplug and be present.
- Being intimate with your partner.
- Doing something creative that you enjoy.
For me, all of these can work. What will work for you?
7. Think Of What Could Happen If You Don’t Do It
Another way to work with the pain/pleasure principle is focusing on what could happen if you don’t do it.
For instance, if you don’t do that particular project today, what’s the worst that could happen? Could you:
- Piss someone off?
- Hold someone else back?
- Feel regret at the end of the day?
- Be short money, food, or something else?
- Miss out on a once in a lifetime opportunity?
- Keep yourself stuck in a situation you don’t want to be in?
Think about how you would feel and how others would feel if you didn’t get up and do what you need to do. This is often a huge way to get motivated to do what you need to do even when you can’t work yourself up to feel positive about it.
8. Find The People Who You Don’t Want To Be
Sometimes a great motivator is a person who reflects everything you don’t want to be.
For instance, if you want to be a great mother, being around a horrible mother can motivate you to do what you need to do to make sure your kids feel loved, secure, and happy.
When I see people online doing crappy things that make me angry or upset, I try not to stew in those emotions. It doesn’t change them, and it just makes me upset and unproductive. Instead, I use their laziness, arrogance, selfishness, or just plain hate to inspire me to get things done so I’m not like them.
9. Look At Motivating Pictures Or Short Clips
While writing down what you will get out of doing what you need to do will usually motivate you, sometimes you can make more of an impact by adding in pictures that inspire you.
For instance, if you need to work, and know that by working you will be able to go on the vacation you want to go on, then get on Instagram or Pinterest and find pictures or short clips of the place you want to go. Looking at the pictures and imagining yourself there because you did what you needed to do will help stir up some motivation inside of you quickly.
And if you find that there are things you constantly don’t want to do but feel motivated to do after looking at pictures, create a vision board for yourself. It’s going to play a huge part in your motivation to get things done.
10. Look At Your Past Where You Didn’t Do What You Needed To Do
I don’t like to focus on my mistakes because it does no good for my present or future. But looking at my past and where I went wrong can help me get motivated to do what I need to do now. I’m sure it can do the same for you.
For instance, if your relationship is going down the toilet, and you know you need to work on it, then take a look in your past where you dropped the ball in your relationships and remember how things went bad. Feel the pain of losing relationships. Feel the regret of not doing what you needed to do to make them stronger and healthier. And then use that to get motivated to work on your relationship now so you don’t have to feel that pain again.
Or, for me, looking at people who are succeeding in a business I gave up on is a great way to get motivated and not to give up again. It motivates me to keep doing what I need to do on a day to day basis so that I can be where they are and where I would have been now if I had just not slacked off, skipped work, and dropped the ball over and over again.
11. Talk To Yourself Differently
Lastly, talk to yourself differently.
Instead of saying, “I don’t want to do that,” say, “I’m going to do that so good that it’s going to be amazing!”
The way you talk to yourself can be very discouraging or motivating, depending on what you say. That’s why positive affirmations are so important. You are talking to yourself anyway, so why not affirm positive things that encourage you to get up and get things done?
Every time you say something that makes you not want to do what you need to do, try to find an affirmation – a statement – that feels better.
For instance, “It’s going to take too long to do what I need to do,” can be replaced with, “I’m going to feel so accomplished after I finish doing that task.”
