I’ve had a lot of questions lately about motivation and just getting started. It seems that a lot of people are having trouble getting going on things that they know they need to do for their business. I have several ideas about this, and I think that it gets tougher in the summer because we have so much time that we want to spend outside, plus our kids are home and we have so many other obligations that seem to come up. I don’t actually think this has to do with procrastination as much as conflict of desire!
As I think about this, I have a few things that might help.
Set a TIME TO WORK
For me, I work later in the morning and early afternoon because I like to be outside when it’s cooler out. For you, you might love to be outside in the afternoon, so take advantage of the morning to get work done while you’re fresh and before the house gets going. It doesn’t matter what time you work, just set the time and commit to it!
Set a TIMER
You will be amazed at how effective setting a timer is. Our brain sets to work because it knows we have a finite amount of time that we’re working on something. 20 to 60 minutes on a timer will get you going, and you will get a lot done in the time if you use it like a little competition.
Do ONE thing
If you get started and choose one thing, it will likely lead to another. I do not mean a whole project, but simply the first step of a project. Sit down, open the computer or a notebook and do ONE THING and see where it leads you. The other choice is to pick a category that you want to work in—marketing? Client outreach? Finances? Follow-up? Responding to Emails? Project launch? Pick something specific and start there. Ditch the overwhelm and do one thing.
Here’s a little more on using that timer and why it’s worth giving a try. Check out this article.
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