How to motivate yourself to work when you don't feel like it

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As I started working on this post, the irony was not lost on me--I had just come back from an intense swim session and was feeling so exhausted that all I wanted to do was sleep or watch a movie or while away my time on social media--in other words, I was just not in the mood to use my brains even though this post was scheduled to go out today. As soon as I was about to sink in this unholy state, I quickly picked myself up and switching off my greatest distraction--my IPhone 6SPlus, started working on another post that did not require so many brains. After working 2 hours at a stretch and battling with dryness and lethargy, I felt positively good for having done the right thing. Later in the evening, after a quiet period of meditation and introspection, I began to get my energy and enthusiasm back alongwith my brains, so that I was able to think clearly and write this post!

From my own experiences in life, here are some of the practical things that I am learning everyday to motivate myself to work especially when I don't feel like it and I hope my readers will also benefit from this post.

1. Cut out the root thought

Don't let the seed of the first negative thought take root in the mind. As soon as the first thought that tells you to take it easy comes to the mind, immediately cut it out and throw yourself into your work without thinking about it! For eg. this morning after I came back from my swim, I really didn't want to work but as soon as the first thought of watching a movie came to my mind, I immediately opened my laptop and started going through my to-do list for today.

2. Start with something small and simple

When you really don't feel like working, even something as simple as opening your laptop may draw your interest to accomplishing your goal for the day. Even then if you are not inspired, start with doing something that does not require so much effort--it may rekindle in you the energy needed for performing bigger tasks.

3. Don't break the chain

Do anything but don't break the chain! Also called the Seinfeld's Productivity Secret, in simple words it means to spend some time everyday in doing that thing in which you want to succeed. For e.g. If I want to become a good content writer for my blog, I have to practise writing everyday whether I feel like it or not. On days I am not inspired, I still write, it may not be my collective best but it is still my best for the day. The point is not to wait for the day when I can write my best but to keep writing everyday, day after day and gradually emerge as a winner. The periods when I have been either unable to write or have given into bad habits of procrastination, my interest in writing has also dwindled and it has always taken me a superhuman effort to get back to it. This simple principle can be applied to accomplishing anything worthwhile in life whether it is writing or meditating or loosing weight.

4. Live Consciously

Anybody who is determined to succeed in life will also start living a very conscious life--he or she will start becoming aware of those habit patterns and tendencies that are acting as hindrances to realizing his/her worthwhile goals and ambitions. In my own case, I know that there are particular periods during the day, when I start feeling passively content about accomplishing my goals and if I don't make an extra effort during these periods, I may end up wasting a lot of precious time that could have been otherwise used to bringing me closer to my goal.

5. Break bigger goals into smaller ones

When you break bigger goals into smaller ones, the accomplishment of each small goal will fill you with a sense of fulfillment and purpose in life and boost your energy to work for your next goal. For e.g., when you start a blog, your bigger goal is to make your blog a success but for success to happen, you need to start working on smaller goals like creating great content for your blog, posting articles and updating your website regularly.