Everyone lacks motivation at some point, but if your lack of motivation and procrastination habit negatively affect your life, it’s time to make a change. Find out what it takes to stay insanely motivated every day.

Have you heard yourself saying:

“I really should be doing that,” but then end up doing something entirely different, wasting time
Or “I know what to do, but I never do it.”Or “I am so lazy and constantly procrastinate and just don’t get anything done!”

We’ve all been there, and the truth is, if you accept these things as your routine, the consequences could have quite a snowball effect on your life!

Identify the Facts:

• You studied, pulled all-nighters, and had specific deadlines back in school.
• Knowing you could have failed classes and not graduated made you push through. You were driven to succeed because of this.

Now, this pressure is no longer there. You’re comfortable, not as motivated, and procrastinate frequently.

You may find yourself guilty of the following scenarios:

• For example, you planned on working out every day, and despite the best intentions, it didn’t happen.
• You would like to get more done in your day, but you continuously procrastinate and get little accomplished despite long Todo lists.
• If you work from home, you might frequently be in front of the fridge instead of getting your work done.

It’s time to nip procrastination in the bud for good and boost your motivation!

6 Tips On How To Stay Insanely Motivated

1) Listen to your inner dialogue

Procrastination comes in two forms.

• Starting a task is challenging. You may think, “Who has time to exercise when so many other things need to be done!”
• You’re getting distracted while working on a task. For instance, when you bought food for meal prep, but then… you realize it’s already late and want to watch your favorite Netflix show.

Both patterns have a similar thought process:
You tell yourself, “I need to get started on this.” You feel stressed. You feel an urge to do something else, so tell yourself, “I’ll get started soon, but I can spend 5 minutes doing this one thing, and then I’ll get back to what I need to do.”

What’s a good-hearted procrastinator to do?
Try this next time you find yourself facing this never-ending cycle. When you’re about to start a task and hear a voice in your head telling you, “Check your email; it might be important!” or “Just a quick look at Facebook,” tell yourself you can resist the urge and the urge will pass!
But just to be sure, use this small tip: I always put my phone on silent and flip it over just in case, so I don’t see messages coming in and become tempted to respond.

2) Do you really want to change?

Set yourself up for success by imagining your life in one year if you remain unmotivated. Scary. This exercise is not intended to put yourself down but to get a reality check! Is that choice in line with where you expect to go and the future you want to build for yourself and your family?
This may kick-start your motivation to make the positive changes you crave!
The good news is that this also works the other way around! So imagine – what life will look like in 1 year if I get started, stick with it, and keep going with this change.

Here is a good example:

You want to start exercising every day for 1 hour, but you never do. Take your journal or any notebook and write the following:

1. Why do I want to start exercising (what are the benefits)?
2. What keeps me from starting (such as feeling overwhelmed by too many chores or wasting time doing pointless things)?
3. What positive result do I get if I start?
4. What would happen if I didn’t start?
5. What difference would this lifestyle change make in the lives of the people I love?
Whether it be exercising more, feeling less stressed, having more energy, losing belly fat, or toning up… think of what you really want to change!

3) Don’t try to be perfect

Success doesn’t come from what you occasionally do but what you do consistently!

Start with small, doable steps that will be less overwhelming. For example:
You plan to take Pilates 3 times per week. You feel like you’ve already failed because you haven’t stuck to that before. Let’s change that mindset to HELP you achieve your goals instead of overwhelming and driving you away. Instead, start with 3 minutes per day. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but over time you will develop a habit, which is the most crucial part of getting started.

After you have become more consistent in your new, doable habit, gradually increase your time up to 30 minutes 3 x per week.
It doesn’t sound like much, BUT it’s a massive step in the right direction. You can always do more, but you have to get started somewhere. Be open-minded and keep working on baby steps until they become a real habit.

As I always say: “Strive for the ideal and not perfectionism.”

4) Recognize when it’s time to declutter

You may feel stuck and overwhelmed, think about what’s the point, and keep clicking away on the TV instead of hitting the trails.
When you feel this stuck, it’s time to declutter your life! And I don’t mean your closet, but your todo lists, obligations at school, work functions, etc

Ask yourself these two questions:

• What would I do if I only had 30 minutes for exercise or meal prep today?
• What activities would give me energy today and benefit my goals?

Start asking those questions and see what things you can eliminate, minimize, or delegate that don’t serve you to reach your goals.
Here are some ideas to get you started: Leave work 30 minutes early to exercise, grab your family and play a game, have the kids or husband chop the vegetables while you exercise, and laundry can be a family activity or delegated.

5) When is the best time for your best work

Does your day start something like this:
You get up and drink your coffee while checking your email, but then you also want to see what’s happening on Facebook. Later you realize you’ve spent hours in an endless loop of procrastination instead of doing what you set out to do.
It happens to us all, but a surefire way to change that pattern is to determine your best time to get work done. It might be in the morning before all of the distractions or in the evening when the bulk of chores are done. Everybody is different.
Block all distractions and get started. At first, you may only last 10 minutes, but over time you can do more and for more extended periods. That is how habits start, so don’t give up and give it your best effort!

6) Get an accountability partner

Most of us need external motivation to get the less-than-pleasant things done. That is precisely why we were able to push through, and make it to that high school graduation in the first place, remember? So find someone with a positive mindset, helps you reach your goals, and keeps you accountable.
For instance: A workout buddy you meet every morning for a walk simultaneously is a terrific motivator. You know she will be waiting for you no matter the weather or your mood, so you will be MUCH more inclined to go, knowing she is counting on you.

Remember: The small things add up little by little and create enormous effects in the long term. So be proactive and take charge of where YOU want to go!