Meditate

Meditate.
Scattered thoughts can make any task seem more confusing or burdensome. Before beginning work on your objective, take 15 minutes to sit quietly and focus on nothing. Keep your mind as blank as possible and attune to the stillness within you. You may have to gently pull back your focus when it begins to wander, but avoid becoming frustrated about it. Simply keep readjusting your focus and stay calm, and you should feel centered and refreshed in just a few minutes.

Drink a glass of cold water.
Dehydration can result in fatigue and mental fogginess, which sure doesn’t help your motivation. Before doing intensive mental or physical work, try drinking a glass of ice cold water and watch how it refreshes you. Also be sure to keep drinking plenty of water throughout the day. One glass of water won’t be enough for a body that is more than mildly dehydrated.

Create a worry box.
Nothing is more aggravating than trying to work productively and being nagged to death by worries! Instead of letting your worries take over your mind, create a worry box to keep them in. You can use any kind of box, from an empty shoe box to a decorative wooden or glass box. Write all of your current worries on a sheet of paper (or you can use a fresh sheet for each worry). When you can’t think of any other worries, put the sheet(s) of paper into the box, close it and store it away on a high shelf nearby. If worries begin to nag at you again while you’re trying to stay focused, glance at your worry box and remind yourself that you don’t have to worry about anything right now because you’ve placed your
worries in that box. Affirm that you can pick up your worries again later if you really want to.

Empty your mind with free writing.
Similar to the worry box described above, you may have nagging thoughts that aren’t exactly worries but nevertheless irritate and distract you. Start your day by “pouring” all of them onto a sheet of paper. As you write your thoughts down (don’t worry about making them neat or orderly, just scribble them out), affirm that you are setting them aside so you can better focus on the task at hand. If you notice random thoughts nagging at you again later while working on your objectives, take another sheet of paper and repeat the process. Eventually you will train your mind to focus on the task at hand and let go of unnecessary random thoughts.

Chronicle your journey.
Begin keeping a journal about your goals and dreams, or whatever you’re working on at the time. Be sure to write down your achievements, brainstorm ways to overcome obstacles, and record solutions that worked for you. When you feel in need of some motivation, go back and read a few pages of this chronicle and let it inspire you! It’s easy to forget how good a certain achievement made you feel at the time, and this is a good way to remind yourself that you are capable of more than you realize.

Drink some tea or coffee.
While caffeine shouldn’t be relied upon for long-term energy, it can often help in a pinch because it has proven to be a mental stimulator. If you’re feeling foggy or sluggish, try drinking a cup
of tea or coffee and see if it helps (unless you have a condition that is aggravated by caffeine, obviously). However, try to avoid adding sugar, or drinking those sugar-laden caffeinated beverages. They may seem to help at first, but too much sugar will cause an energy crash later which can put you in a worse spot than you started in.

Fuel your body.
Starting the day with a healthful breakfast can go a long way in providing your body and mind with adequate energy. Try to stick with lean protein and high-fiber complex carbohydrates, vegetables and fruit, along with limited amounts of healthy fats. Likewise, keep fueling your body throughout the day by eating small meals and snacks. This will help keep your blood sugar more level and contribute to more stable energy – which can give you the stamina to keep moving forward!

Take a break.
Nothing results in burnout faster than pushing yourself too hard, too often, for too long! Sometimes we feel unmotivated simply because our bodies and minds are telling us “enough is enough!” Assess whether you need to motivate yourself, or if you simply need some downtime to recharge. If you’ve been burning the midnight oil too often lately, take some time off. Even a few hours of relaxation and fun will renew your motivation more effectively than any motivational techniques.

Take a nap.
In today’s busy world, we often get far less sleep than we really need for optimal performance. If you’re feeling sleepy and heavy and can’t seem to concentrate, allow yourself 15-30 minutes for a cat nap. Not only can this renew your physical energy, it can clear your head and improve your concentration so you’ll get more done in less time.

Smell something yummy.
Aromatherapy is a good way to stimulate your mind and body, or simply create a rush of pleasant feelings associated with certain scents. Try sniffing stimulating essential oils like peppermint, rosemary, cinnamon, lemon, or orange. If you don’t want to carry bottles of oil around with you, try putting a few drops of your favorite oil onto a handkerchief and keep it in a sealed zip baggies. When you need a little stimulation, simply open the bag, put your nose inside and inhale deeply. Yum!

Chew peppermint gum.
Similar to the aromatherapy suggestion above, chewing peppermint gum can often give a little pep to your step. Not only does it taste good and freshen your breath, the action of consistently chewing can often keep you feeling more alert.

Get your blood pumping.
Go for a walk to clear your mind and invigorate your body! Even a short 10-minute walk can do wonders for a state of stagnation and lethargy. Take along your favorite music or motivational
speaker with a headset, or simply enjoy the sounds of nature as you raise your heart rate and expand your lungs.

Wash away your woes.
A brisk shower can be a powerful wake-up call for the sluggish mind and body. (Avoid baths because we often equate those with relaxation, not invigoration.) Try using a fresh-scent shower gel or turning the water cooler than you normally would. As you wash your hair and body, scrub vigorously to stimulate your skin and imagine the water sluicing feelings of fatigue or lethargy off your body and down the drain.

Oxygenate your brain.
Deep breathing provides all kinds of positive benefits for your mind and body. Besides delivering a boost of oxygen to your brain and other internal organs, it helps you feel calmer, less stressed, and more alert. Start by finding a quiet place to relax, then close your eyes and start inhaling slowly through your nose. Feel your abdomen expand first; then expand your chest as your lungs fill with air. When your lungs are full, pause for 3 to 5 seconds and then s-l-o-w-l-y exhale through your mouth, making a “shhhhh” noise as you do so. When you have completely exhaled the air from your lungs, pause for a few seconds again and then slowly inhale using the same expansion technique (belly first, then chest). Pause and exhale as described above. Repeat this process for 5 to 10 breaths (do it slowly so you don’t hyperventilate!) and you should immediately feel very relaxed and clear-headed…yet invigorated!

Clear out the clutter.
Few things can make us feel as sluggish and confused as physical clutter can! If you can’t seem to find the motivation to get moving, grab a trash bag and an egg timer and set the timer for 15 minutes. Spend this time tossing out as much junk as you can. Get rid of empty food containers, unneeded notes and paperwork, empty envelopes, empty glasses or bottles, etc. Create a separate pile for anything that needs to be filed or sorted, and move it to another location. Don’t keep it within view unless it looks neat and orderly. After just 15 minutes of doing this, you should feel much more energized and clear-headed, ready to get started on any important tasks.

Just begin.
It’s the start of any objective that is often the hardest for most of us, because we convince ourselves the task will be unpleasant or boring. However, you can trick yourself into believing that you’re only going to work on it for a few minutes. Grab that egg timer and set it for 15 minutes again. Promise yourself you can stop working after 15 minutes if you want to, but you have to work at least that long. Most often, after the 15 minutes are up, you’re already “in the groove” so you don’t want to stop!

Push yourself harder.
If you think it will take an hour to finish a particular task or goal, make it your mission to finish it in 30 minutes. If you think you’re capable of a certain amount of productivity, push yourself to increase that output by at least half. Most of us have a terrible habit of coddling and pampering ourselves rather than pushing ourselves to be better and do better. Deciding to take it to the next
level can motivate you to keep doing that and blast through any feelings of procrastination.