My Top 5 Ways To Get Motivated

We all have those moments, phases, seasons in life where motivation is scarce and we just can't seem to get anything done.

Don't get me wrong, I think there are times where it's really important to stop, rest and re-energise but it can sometimes lead us down this slippery slope where we stay getting nothing done, and in turn, lose all motivation to get going again.

Today's post offers 5 things that I find help me when I'm lacking motivation, and hopefully it might be useful for you too!


1. Do Something You Enjoy

Now, whilst this might sound unfocused and unproductive I do think it's really important. I know that when I'm unmotivated it often coincides with having not got out of the house much or seen any friends for a while. Sometimes to get ourselves back to being motivated we need to start with feeling a little happier in ourselves, so find what you enjoy and spend some time doing it. It could be going to the gym, hanging out with friends, taking a day trip, baking or practising guitar. If you don't know what you enjoy send some time trying different things out and see what works for you.

2.  Eat Well, Sleep Well
At the risk of sounding like your Doctor, or worse, your Mother... it's hard to be focused and motivated if you're tired and fuelling your body with rubbish. In the same way as making sure we're OK and, generally speaking, happy we need to make sure we're giving ourselves the best chance and properly looking after ourselves holistically if we want to reach those goals or achievements. If you're not in a good sleeping pattern this might take some time to adjust to but you will reap the benefits. They say anything between 7-9hrs sleep a night is good and the way our bodies are made it helps to sleep when its dark and wake when it's light (for those of you who get 8 hours sleep from 3am-11am) - there's lots of research about it, you might want to check it out.

Fooooooooood mmmmmmm, Food is great, especially the treats and the convenience that microwave meals and takeaways bring but I think we've all experience the post food slump, and the sugar lows when these equate to the majority of our food intake. I'm totally not saying to go super healthy, but to just think about what you're eating in terms of brain food. Don't have a big scrumptious Sunday roast that's covered in a rich creamy gravy and then expected to get your to-do list done - you're going to have a nap, we all are.





3.Get Inspired
Now that we've got the basic take-care-of-yourself sorted and we're feeling happier in general it's time to get inspired. I think one of the easiest ways to do this is to watch, or talk to, someone who inspires you - and this could be just in general and might not have anything to do with whatever you are wanting to be motivated for. So it might be listening to a TED talk or watching your favourite YouTuber, it could be talking to your friends or a mentor. Find out what makes you leave feeling excited for life and ready to get going. Thinking more specifically for those of you who have something specific you want to find the motivation for; it might be to become better at your art-form or sport, it could be that you want to set up a business or blog. In this instance I would recommend walking to or watching those who are a little further ahead than you are in the area you want to improve. By looking just a little further ahead you can really get inspired by the possibility and reality ahead of you and should make you want to get working. Avoid looking at someone who is much further down the line or has been doing it for much longer, this can sometimes be overwhelming, know what you need to see, and not see.

4.  Listen to "That Song" 
I grew up in a musical family, but I think everyone, even the least musical of humans absolutely love a 1 or 2 songs. We talk about getting party music on to get us ready for a night out, but I wholeheartedly believe the right song at the right time can get things change. Therefore, my advice to you is keep a mental note of a few songs that make you feel invincible. You know what I mean right? Those songs that by the end you genuinely feel like you could take on the world. No problem is too big, no person too intimidating for you to do whatever it is you feel you were born to do. When lacking motivation go and get your headphones and listen to that song...

5. Plan & Step
And finally, make some plans. It sounds simple, but if you aren't motivated plans are hard to produce. So now that you're super motivated write down smaller goals that will take you to your end goal! Be realistic and commit to a time frame that you want to work to. Once the plan is in place...
...take the first step. It sounds simple, but so often what stops people going for the things they want is not being able to take that first step. Keep hold of what you want it to look like years down the line but accept that it won't be like when you start, and that's how it should be. Whether training in a sport or starting a business the time in between point A (where you are now) and point Z (where you want to be) is crucial for learning, discovering, adjusting and growing. You will improve, but not until you start.



So get motivated, get inspired and GO FOR IT. Give it everything you've got, and on the way, encourage others to do the same.

I've always been one of those people that has loads of cool ideas but never does any of them. I fail before I start. Starting up this blog took me 3 years, because in my head I saw it a particular way and knew it was going to take time to get there but I got fed up of only having ideas. If you're anything like me then talk to a couple of people you trust about your idea and let them ask you how it's going every now and then...sometimes the pressure of not wanting to say "I haven't done anything" every time they ask is enough to make that first step...

I'd love to hear any tips you have for getting, or staying motivated. I'd also LOVE to hear what song makes you feel you can take on the world!

Yours faithfully,
Jen
x


(All photos taken from Pinterest. I do not own them)

Capsule

I've recently moved house, which has meant that I had the awful task of packing up and sorting out my things (does anybody ever really enjoy packing?!). 

Whether you're moving house or just sorting a room it's usually a surprise to find just how much stuff you've managed to accumulate...

Why do I have 5 pairs of scissors in my bedroom? Why have I kept an old, out of date pair of prescription glasses? Why have my "white" (brown) trainers not just been thrown out?

Then there's the wardrobe full of clothes, of which you probably only wear 40% of...

If you're anything like me then you're not a hoarder, but you are sentimental and you're forever giving your clothes a second chance...and a third, and a fourth.

(Pinterest)

I've also recently become quite intrigued by the idea of a Capsule Wardrobe. In brief, a Capsule Wardrobe is where you limit your wardrobe to 37 items (excluding underwear, formal wear, gym clothes, coats) that can work together to create a large number of different outfits with the different combinations. It's meant to help keep clutter down and live in a more minimalist way. You can Google it, Youtube it or Pinterest it - I think it's pretty interesting. I gave it a Youtube and watched as a number of people tried it and showed the contents of their wardrobes and the many outfit combinations they had put together. I loved it, and it was definitely an indulgent nosey into other people's styling choices, but there was something that stood out to me in one of the videos. This particular Youtuber had read up on the Capsule idea and said that you were encouraged when sorting out your clothes to ask yourself if you loved the item, if not, that it was just taking up room where something you did love could go.

 

We keep things for all sorts of reasons; sentimentality, wanting to give it second chance to be worn/used, not really ever sorting through stuff or even just forgetting it's there!

I started to think about this idea of keeping things in life, whether that's clothes, habits, hobbies or even relationships and wondered if, actually, it would do us good every now and then to de-clutter our lives and not just our wardrobe.

If we look at those reasons for keeping things through the idea of capsule wardrobe, and we do it honestly, we might find some interesting pieces...

(Pinterest)

1. Sentimental things - 

Some sentimental things are fine to keep, but some aren't. Sometimes these are things close to our hearts but we know they stopped being any good to us a while ago. Whether these are physical or emotional be honest with what you need to throw out. 

2. Second chances - 

Some things we keep in our (heart) wardrobe because we want to give them a second chance, that's fine, but be honest if it's not the second chance, but actually the third, fourth or fifth time. You aren't a bad person for cutting things from your life if it's not doing you any good.

3. Forget - 

Life gets busy and a lot of the time we aren't even aware of what we do without thinking, or what is going on inside unless we stop, look and re-evaluate. Something happens when we become intentional about things. Start being intentional about habits, mentality, and you time and you will start to see a real difference. It's also good to assess what we're holding close and whether we need to any more. Being intentional about these things can help us to keep what we want and get rid of what we don't...

(Pinterest)

I don't want to just have a wardrobe of things I love, I want a life I love. Of course, we will all have things in our lives that we can't just change, drop, or get rid of, and some of those will be things we find really really hard. But have a look at what you can change, and what can help you to feel the best you can in your circumstances. And if things don't need to be there, work on chucking them out of your life...

... to give that place to something else that you will love, that will fit, that will be positive, that will empower you and give you confidence and freedom.

My plan to is to attempt this capsule wardrobe idea; to use what I have in my wardrobe more efficiently and challenge myself in getting rid of what I really don't need anymore. I'm also going to think about my inner chest wardrobe and give that a de-clutter, so I can try to keep only the good stuff in there and wear it well.

Yours faithfully,

Jen

x