Having HUGE Motivation Issues

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I read a lot on here that many people struggle with motivation issues. Maybe I'm just me, but I feel like I'm having a harder time than many people.

Every single day I wake up with the things I want to accomplish for that day - yet I never finish my daily tasks.

I can't seem to focus and it's driving me nuts. I have so many projects and goals that I think about achieving 24/7, but I can't stay focused.

I'm sure there are many threads on keeping motivated, but I'm looking for help with severe lack of motivation. This is something I NEED to tackle in the new year and I'm looking for books, strategies and especially personal stories with ways you've been able to overcome.
#mind warriors #huge #issues #motivation
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  • Get with an accountability partner who is not afrade to tell you the truth.

    Commit to telling them / emailing them your accompmlishments each day (or every few hours, or whatever works for you) and if you don't get stuff done, they will hold your feet to the fire.

    I see that you're a writer, I am as well, and motivation can be difficult sometimes, but you MUST figure out a way to get through it. Each person is different and there isn't a one size fits all solution. If you don't figure this out though, you'll never become successful and you'll find yourself in 10 years writing this same thread, but with a few more wrinkles.

    Good luck!

    Michael
  • Buy a white board. It's the best investment you will ever make. Write down your goals for the day. Keep the whiteboard somewhere where you will see it throughout the day.

    Sometimes having your goals in front you is all that it takes.

    Focus on one task at a time and do not jump from one to another. Once that task is completed, check it off.
  • I think your issue is more of lack of focusing than lack of motivation... you need to clear out all the distractions that come across your way when you need to be focused... this is something you would personally know better on what those distractions are and how to deal with them......
    Good luck with it
    • [1] reply
    • Pretend you are standing in the lobby of a hotel.

      This lobby is U shaped and across one wall is a bank of doors. Each door is labelled with potential projects/dreams/goals etc.

      As you stand there admiring all the possibilities, these doors all open and you can see what awaits you on the other side. You are excited by what you see, You want more, you desire what awaits you behind each and every one of these doors.

      You move towards one of the doors labelled "riches". As you begin to step through the door all the others slam shut. You recoil in horror as you realize that once you step through a door, you are closing the doors to the other projects/dreams/goals etc.

      So, instead of moving through one of those doors and claiming your prize, you wander through the lobby just looking at what waits for you in the beyond.

      You tell yourself, "It is better to be able to keep an eye on all of the wonderful things that await me on the other side of those doors than to close the rest and choose one to have."

      This is how 99% of people live their lives. This is why so many people waste away on their couch watching TV instead of getting up and doing something. They would rather be casual observers of EVERYTHING than get tunnel vision and achieve SOMETHING.

      You can't have it all. I am sorry to say.

      Mastery requires dedication and focus - and mastery is the key to success.

      Since I write fiction for a living I will give you some examples:

      James Patterson
      Stephen King
      Nora Roberts

      These three authors are some of the highest paid people in the world (not just highest paid authors - but highest paid PEOPLE) in the world. Do you want to know why?

      Because they focused their career around mastering 1 thing. In this case their genre:

      Stephen King - Horror
      Nora Roberts - Romance
      James Patterson - Mystery

      Do they sometimes write in other genres? Yes. But hardly ever.

      The same goes with the business world:

      Steve Jobs
      Bill Gates
      Zuckerburg

      All of these people chose one thing and they stuck with it UNTIL they became the masters of their domain.

      If you have a plan, don't do the backup plan first. Do the plan that you want to become a master in.

      Your focus is your light. When you have multiple projects/businesses going on your light is like the sun. Yes, it is warm. Yes, it sustains life. Yes, it is good. People get by juggling multiple companies. But when you focus your light and intensify it into one tiny spot of focus, you become a laser and lasers can tear through sheet metal in just seconds. This kind of precise power is what will deliver results.

      Put your blinders on. Put your head down. And work on mastering one thing. It will break your heart to give up everything else (it broke my heart to give up copywriting) but it will be worth it - I promise.
      • [ 1 ] Thanks


  • First...I agree with the whiteboard comment, it's one of the most important and least expensive assets in my business. I have like 12 haha

    But two things...

    1. I'm willing to be you aren't even close to being at the bottom of the motivation spectrum. It's one of the hardest parts of being a lone internet entrepreneur...staying motivated and getting stuff done, productive stuff done. So it's something almost everybody deal with when they are new. So use that as motivation that you aren't behind others.

    2. For me, the biggest transformation occurred when I started making very detailed action lists the night before. The more you can break things up into actionable steps, the easier it will be to do them. Some days I would literally have 50 Action Steps to do the following day...that's how I got things done when I started.


    And lastly, once you start seeing success, it sort of lights the fire under your bum and it's far easier to get out of bad habits. So for now, just focus on getting those initial successes!!
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  • I used to struggle with focus but now its become a lot easier since iv been working on my mindset. Iv been feeding my brain with positive information through books and audios, and that's made all the difference that i needed.

    I think its important to channel the positive energy around you, and you need to connect with your passion.
    Find someone that will hold you accountable if you don't complete your daily task, someone that you know can be brutally honest if they have to lol

    Get into the gratitude attitude and find something to be grateful for everyday, that will really help you to connect to the happy feeling frequency. it most definitely works for me. and i hope it works for you too.

    Wishing you great success
    • [1] reply
    • this is great. feeding the mind good food is the key..
  • I tend to be very mobile throughout the day and one thing that helps me really stay on task is Trello. Look it up, most Project Managers in software use it and it's super simple great for visualizing your goals - from daily to broader, and has a to-do list type structure. Oh and it's free and there are no ads or weird signups (it's not an IM thing, it's mostly used by engineering types).

    One of my downfalls is too many shiny objects also, so actually designating a certain and specific time for WF et. al. really works wonders. That and maybe try to focus on one opportunity at a time so you can give it your all. The signal-to-noise ratio in IM can be really high so you have to work superhard to stay focused. And pat yourself on the back for the "baby steps". Most IM is really really involved and we get so caught up in these ridiculously convoluted steps and loopholes that sometimes it's hard to focus on endgame. And always remember why you're doing this, for your future health happiness and wealth!
  • I think you need to try to relax a little and try moving your focus away from achievement and onto improvement or progress. Improvement and progress (no matter how small) can be scored as a success every day but achieving a solitary goal (be it a daily to do list or a yearly must do list) only has one good day and that's the day that you achieve it. You need to celebrate more. The fact that you're even worrying about it is awesome.
    • [2] replies
    • are you into reverse psychology?
      and from experience.

      seems the people that are self-starters are rare (less than 20%)

      most, like me , have to have what I call for myself the "back against the wall" motivation.
    • I don't remember where I found this advice, but I've found it helpful. Take a couple mental health breaks during the day. I take one every two hours during the work hours and one again at the end of the day.

      I recommend three of them daily -- one at mid-morning to make sure I haven't gotten offtrack right away, one at lunch time, and one at mid-afternoon -- completely dedicating at least five minutes to each one. (Sorry, multi-taskers -- listening to sports radio, texting, or listening to cell phone messages would not qualify for completely dedicated.)
      During those few minutes, do three things. First, remind yourself why you are grateful to be giving the opportunity do whatever it is you're doing/working/striving for in life. Second, lift your horizon for a moment. Call to mind some crucial personal objective, or your deepest sense of purpose, or the values you stand for. Third, mentally review the last few hours and extract some insight that might help in the next few hours. If you were agitated, what was going on inside you? If you were distracted and unproductive, why? After each break you can refocus and attack your tasks with a new sense of purpose.
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
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  • What helped me to bring focus and clarity was to realize that you DON'T need motivation as much as you think you do. It is an important factor, but you don't need as much of it as people may claim.

    Try not to think about what you have to do or how to do it perfectly. This was a huge problem for me since I'd just be stuck analysing the situation rather than getting things done.

    The trick is to just show up and start doing whatever you have to do regardless of your mood. Try it and you'll see that working on your projects is what will create the motivation.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • You need to find out the reason WHY you are doing what you are doing.

    WHY do you have to do it?
    What is the WHY?
    What happens if you don't do it?

    If your WHY is strong enough, you will do whatever it takes to complete it.
  • Finding out the Why would be the best start
  • Hi, To have focus or motivation it is very important to be positive. Your best investment will be to buy "The Secret" dvd. Once you watch that you will start thinking differently about every issue in your life. This will help you to focus and you will start to feel motivated as well. Meditating is also very helpful.

    Once you have positive energy, then it will be easy to focus on your work. Most of us get better result if we do one task at a time.

    Wishing you a very successful future.
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  • Hi NBSEO, I noticed something you wrote that might be at the bottom of your not being able to finish business related daily tasks:

    "This is something I NEED to tackle in the new year. . ."

    I would suggest to you that right now is the only time you will ever be afforded to "tackle" anything in your life, ever. Best of luck with all your research. Hopefully it will suddenly turn into direct and immediate action on your behalf.

    LLS
  • I just have to say that this thread is awesome and I have already got lots from it. I didn't start it but I am sure glad the OP did!

    Thanks!

    Ruth
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    Having HUGE Motivation Issues

    I read a lot on here that many people struggle with motivation issues. Maybe I'm just me, but I feel like I'm having a harder time than many people. Every single day I wake up with the things I want to accomplish for that day - yet I never finish my daily tasks.