As I write this, my city is in its first heat wave of the summer. Houses here rarely have AC, so it’s hot. As the day progresses, it gets hotter, and I find myself daydreaming about the nice hammocks on the boardwalk downtown by the ocean. Self-motivating on days like today is hard.
Maybe you’re struggling to self-motivate because it’s so nice out and you’d rather be outside. Maybe you—like many people this past year—have struggled with finding the motivation to work in the face of a pandemic and global instability. Maybe you don’t like what you’re working on, and dragging yourself over to the computer feels like a Herculean effort.
Whatever the reason, it’s okay if self-motivating is hard. It doesn’t mean that you’re bad at your job; it just means you need a little nudge. Today, let’s explore some ways to make self-motivating easier and more consistently manageable.
Make a to-do list.
This always seems to be people’s first suggestion in posts like this, and it wouldn’t surprise me if you rolled your eyes just a little at this suggestion. I did too, for many years.
But here’s the thing: to-do lists work. Most of us are motivated by goals and accomplishments. They keep us organized and moving forward, and they remind us of all the work we've managed to get done.
I like to make my weekly to-do lists with clear due dates and nice boxes to check off. If it’s a project I want to work on daily, I’ll put five little boxes to hold myself accountable for daily work. I’ll include non-work items, too, like putting letters in the mail or organizing my closet. Staying on top of my to-do list keeps me organized and feels great—I feel so good about myself if I end the week with all of my little boxes checked off.
Stick to a schedule.
Like anything in life, self-motivating works best if you’ve incorporated it into your schedule and daily habits. I don’t have my daily schedule penciled in down to the minute, but generally, I do yoga first thing in the morning, then work for a few hours, then take a proper lunch break and go for a walk, and then I work for a few more hours before packing it in for the day.
Setting firm boundaries will help you stick to your schedule and self-motivate during your scheduled work time. I don’t work in the evenings or on weekends, and I don’t work through lunch. Breaks are important for preventing burnout and for making sure that you make time for other things in your life besides work.
Find accountability buddies to help you self-motivate.
Call them whatever you like—these are other people who will help you meet your goals and stay focused. I have a monthly call with an editor friend of mine in which we update each other on our recent projects, our wins and challenges, and our goals for the next month. One of my regular goals, for example, is to write a blog post every two weeks. If I fall behind schedule, then I haven’t met my goals for our next accountability chat. And if I do meet my goals, then I have someone to cheer me on.
I’ve also recently found an accountability group on Twitter in the form of the Lady Editors Tea Club, which does a work sprint for an hour every weekday at 11 AM Eastern time. Whatever else I may have on each day, it’s great to have a group of people that, all together, devotes an hour to working with no distractions. Maybe I’ve had a slow morning, maybe all I did that day was write emails… every day at the same time, I have other people to help me self-motivate and stay accountable to getting my work done.
Stay hydrated and eat snacks!
Friends, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been sitting at the computer, getting more and more frustrated with something I’m working on, and then realized that I haven’t eaten anything in ages. Or that I have a headache because I haven’t had enough water that day.
If you’re getting frustrated or cranky, get up, stretch, and drink a glass of water or eat a snack. If your body has needs that aren’t being fulfilled (no, not those needs ), you won’t be getting your best work done.
Remember that your worth as a person is not determined by your productivity.
If you're really struggling with self-motivation, you may be dealing with burnout. You might be exhausted, or too anxious, or too stressed, or any number of other things. Remember that you, as a person, are worth more to the world than your contribution to capitalism. And if whatever is going on in your life makes it so that self-motivation is hard, that's okay. You have more to offer than your productivity.
If you still can’t self-motivate, ask for help.
Sometimes all of our yoga and to-do lists and accountability buddies aren’t enough to overcome whatever is preventing us from self-motivating. Maybe you need help from your doctor—ADHD, for example, is widely underdiagnosed in adults and women.
Or maybe (if you’re a writer) you need a book coach or editor to help you focus on your craft and get organized with your writing. If you need help self-motivating with your writing, Rookwood Editing is here for you. Get in touch today!
Molly Rookwood is an editor, reader, tea drinker, and cat mum in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She loves Jane Austen and epic fantasy, and her bookshelves are forever overburdened. When she’s not playing D&D or taking turns about the room, she can be reached at molly@rookwoodediting.com or by following @RookwoodEditing on Twitter.