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Even the most motivated people feel unmotivated at times.
It’s only human.
But, just because you have moments of low (or no) motivation does not mean you just get to sit and do nothing, hoping that you’ll get fired up by random luck.
Your motivation is so important that you cannot leave it to chance.
You need to know how to get yourself motivated when you need to.
Here’s exactly how to do it (in 2 minutes or less):
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Let’s face it.
You cannot do anything unless you have at least a minimum dose of motivation to get started.
If it’s Tuesday afternoon and you need to sit down and finish a report, but your motivation did not get the memo, you are in trouble. No amount of productivity apps, time management tricks or lifehacks can help you. You need to get yourself motivated.
No reason why = no action.
It is a simple relation that can either help you reach new heights with your productivity, or keep you chained to the pole called procrastination.
Your motivation is so important that you cannot leave it to chance.
You need to arm yourself with the right tools so you can get motivated on demand.
Here’s a super simple technique that I use every time I need a little “pick-me-up” in the motivation department. It literally takes just a few minutes to implement, and it will ignite the spark in you.
The Power Of “Creative Brainstorming”
Your brain is a brainstorming machine.
Just think of the last time you procrastinated doing something. Your sink was full and you had to do the dishes for example.
But…
You didn’t feel like it. Naturally, you came up with a justification for not doing it.
“Maybe I’ll get my shirt wet” – sounds reasonable enough.
But, you didn’t stop there, did you?
Nope.
Your brainstorming superpower probably kicked in.
“Maybe my shirt will get wet and I won’t be able to record that video I have planned for today… if I don’t do the video, I cannot post it on time and my customers will get disappointed and start leaving… my business will be ruined…”
Of course you are not going to do the dishes if that will cause the demise of your business and your life would go up in flames!
It might sound silly when you read it, but if you ever put off something, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Every time you procrastinate you come up with a whole line of reasons why it makes more sense not to do something than to do.
Here’s the good news though:
You can totally take the same process, flip it on it’s head, and use it to get yourself motivated!
I call this “creative brainstorming”.
Here’s how it works:
1. Find One Benefit Of Taking Action
Next time you need to get motivated to do something, close your eyes and think of a single benefit of taking action.
What is one positive result that can come from this?
It can be anything. Big or small. Immediate or in the future.
If you need to finish a blog post, for example, the benefit could be that there is yet another marketing piece online that promotes your business. Or, that you’ll feel good about yourself when you are done. Or, that you don’t have to write another one for a week, so you can concentrate on something else.
Just come up with one reason for taking action.
2. Benefit Stacking
Here’s where it gets interesting.
Come up with a second benefit, connected to the first one.
If you finish that blog post, maybe it will go viral for the next few days.
Keep on going and add another benefit connected to the previous one.
This is called “benefit stacking”.
You just need a few benefits stacked on top of each other before your brainstorming kicks in and takes over. All you have to do is get the ball rolling with the first 1 or 2 benefits and then sit back, and watch your mind’s natural brainstorming tendency do the rest.
If your post goes viral, maybe it gets picked up by a major newspaper or a magazine… imagine the exposure… maybe you get to do an interview with [insert favorite TV host]… wow… $$$… your business is so popular now that investors want to buy you out… you sell the business, buy your own island and can now surf all day, drink cocktails with tiny umbrellas in them and never have to write a blog post again…
Phew!
You went from a single blog post to owning your own island!
Now do you feel like getting back to the writing?
You betcha!
Somewhere in that benefit stacking brainstorming session you are going to feel the scale tipping and your motivation picking up. It might be in the first few benefits, it might take a few more, but you are going to feel it when it happens. One of those benefits will light up your fire and get you motivated.
You’ll go from “why bother” to “I cannot wait to do it” in a matter of a few minutes.
3. No Need To Keep It Real
The point of this simple exercise is to get motivated, nothing else.
There is no actual need to be realistic. Chances are that you are not going to retire at the age of 25 because of a single blog post. That is perfectly OK. The whole idea is to get yourself fired up to take action.
Plus, it is way more enjoyable to come up with over-the-top benefits so have fun with it.
Not to mention that a little bit of daydreaming has been proven to improve your working memory.
So forget about keeping it real for a change. Go all out!
Over To You Now
A simple process to get motivated on demand that takes just a few minutes and uses your brain’s natural ability. It might sounds unbelievable, but once you do it, you’ll be hooked.
For the first few tries, you’ll be conscious about it. But, like any other habit, the more your practice, the easier it gets.
It doesn’t take long to turn this into an almost subconscious process. Whenever you need an extra kick of motivation, you just close your eyes, start stacking benefits connected to each other and let your brainstorming do the rest. Somewhere along the way, you are going to feel the spark (or even the fire). Open your eyes and get to work!
It is like having your very own “easy button” for motivation!
Question: what other techniques to get motivated do you use? Share in the comment section below:
