How To Get More Motivated

Do you want a quick, easy shortcut to feeling more motivated? Who doesn’t! Motivation is something that ebbs and flows for all of us, and the more motivational tips and tricks you know, the better chance you have of reaching your goals. But our super simple solution to being more productive may surprise you. Ready to hear it? Here goes.

Buy a notebook. Yes, a notebook. No, your phone won’t do.

Why?

No matter what goal you’re working on, inspiration can strike anywhere. If you’re focussed on business, you might think of a great marketing slogan. If you’re a parent, an idea for something you’d like to teach your child. Working on your relationship? You might need to note down a great idea to surprise or delight your partner. Training? You might recall how if you researched a particular exercise in detail, you’d gain the confidence to try it without worries about injuring yourself. Almost any goal you can think has many tiny elements that if added in, would make you more likely to reach it.

But if you don’t have a way to catch your idea straight away, you’ll either: a. Forget or b. Silently repeat the idea to yourself until you can write it down. If you choose a, then the opportunity to make reaching your goal easier, is gone. If you choose option b, then the act of repeating pulls you out of the present and blocks further inspiration until you write the idea down (or end up forgetting anyway). Neither a. or b. are great options. Enter option c. the notebook.

Why the notebook? Why not just use the notetaking function on your phone?

One – It’s too easy to get distracted from writing your idea down when you see you have a new email/ message etc. Even if you don’t check the notification, the fact that you have a notification will start to pull you out of the zone of inspiration and into the realm of socialising, planning, etc. Even seeing an app for something like a weather forecast sparks off a train of thought about the washing on the line, what you’re doing on the weekend, or when you last saw a sunrise. With a notebook, none of those interruptions occur. You encounter: a blank page. And all that’s waiting for you is the space in which to capture, and perhaps expand upon, your inspiration. And when you expand on inspiration, you expand your motivation levels.

Two – Even if you do stay focused and write your idea down on your phone, as soon as you’re done, the next thing you’ll do is check that email/message etc. Whereas when you use a notebook, you’re not aware of the notifications yet. Instead you remain focussed on your original idea, and open to further inspiration, and so even more motivation! Inspiration is a funny character who likes to hang out with itself rather than play with the other kids – one inspiration tends to lead to more inspiration, if you can stay focussed on that line of thinking.

Three –  A notebook is a physical reminder you’re working on something and looking for inspiration. This keeps you focussed and alert to opportunities. If you carry a notebook with you you’ll be reminded, each time you see the notebook, that the reason you’re carrying the thing around is because you’re open to, and looking for, inspiration and motivation. This primes your mind to be on the look out for ideas and recognise inspiration and motivation when you see/think/hear new things. And if other people see the notebook, they might ask you about it. As you explain, you bring even more focus to your goal and any achievement towards it. That person might ask you about it later, and won’t it look bad if you’ve forgotten all about your project or have to admit you’ve given up on it?

This is the complete opposite of your phone, which reminds you that there are a million other things happening in the world right now and you’re missing out on some of them and you really should know about them, shouldn’t you? A phone encourages you to scroll or surf with a short attention span and discourages focus and finishing projects.

Four – If you’re not convinced yet, then consider the fact that writing in a notebook won’t get you in trouble with the police when you do it at traffic lights. It’s more socially acceptable to use at a park while watching your kids, and slightly less jealousy inducing for your partner to see you writing in a blank book rather than wondering ‘who are you texting now?’

Five  – Keeping all your ideas in one place where you can see them all together is a great reminder that ideas do come, and more will come. This is helpful to remember when you’re feeling flat. In fact, when you’re uninspired, you can leaf through the book and immediately be inspired and motivated by what you wrote before. Remember, inspiration likes to hang out with inspiration, and a new idea for your current project can turn around your day and increase your motivation levels tenfold. Inspiration has that power. Catching the idea is essential to your happiness!

What if I don’t have a goal?

All of the above is only relevant if you have something that you are passionate about that you’re choosing to actively work on and get better at – aka, a goal! Whether it’s a business goal, a creative project, being your best parent/ partner/daughter self or whatever you personally enjoy, having goals and working towards them is a powerful way to ensure you live a fulfilling life. The feeling of achievement, which comes when you watch yourself improve in an area of your life you care about – is strongly linked to a sense of self-esteem and a positive mood and more motivation to continue growing too.

It’s also important for your overall mood to have a sense of control in some areas of your life. Having a goal gives you a sense of control when things aren’t going so well in other areas of your life. This improves your mood and feelings of living a meaningful life, particularly if you work on your goal throughout an otherwise difficult day/time.

Now get to a stationary shop, quick!