From Funk To Action: A Case Study!

I’ve woken up this morning in the doldrums, this is at best inconvenient (I have a blog to write today and a myriad of domestic chores to finish before the working week descends once again), at worst it could potentially leave me moping, lethargic and unproductive all day.  My only salvation is that I hate to let people down, and, although for the most part I can probably pass up the domestic chores without it causing too much damage (although it will result in lots of rushing around to catch up as the week progresses), I cannot avoid addressing the issue of writing the blog.  This is a *good thing* I tell myself…

So today will be about tricking, cajoling and generally compelling myself to complete the work.  This won’t be easy, but it will get the work done and I also know that by the time I finish, I will be feeling much better!  What I don’t fully understand is why I feel like this in the first place, although I guess we can’t be upbeat, enthusiastic and raring with energy 365 days a year…I just wish we could!

So, with Wayne Dyer’s words ringing in my ears… “Be miserable.  Or motivate yourself.  Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.”  it’s time to get to work.

First port of call is to sit down at the computer, open the page, and start typing.  Unfortunately for my readers, today it’s the trials and tribulations of a would-be writer, but hopefully I’ll be forgiven for baring my oh-so-human weaknesses.

Part of my problem today, I realise is that my mind is distracted.  Yesterday I began the long overdue project of de-cluttering my filing cabinets.  I made good progress, safe in the knowledge that it was going to take days if not a few weeks to complete the task successfully.  I also knew that it was unlikely that I would tackle any further de-cluttering today as the blog post would have priority.  But I still hear it calling me!

Ignoring the call, I’m using an age-old tactic to progress the blog – chunking.  Luckily, writing the blog lends itself well to chunking the work down.  I always aim to write a minimum of 700 words for each blog, although as you will already know, they tend to be longer, usually over 1,000 words.  However, in my mind, once I reach the 700-word mark, I’m on the home-stretch.  So with this in mind, I use the tactic of ‘write 100 words, take a short break’ and repeat 7 times!  (As you read this, I’m at 440 words!)

There’s another benefit to chunking too.  Since I take short breaks between each chunk of work, my mind has an opportunity to sift through what I’ve already written and it tends to offer up new ideas.  Typically though, these ideas are not sequential and I find myself writing the end long before I’ve finished writing the middle!

So here’s the end!  What strategies and techniques have I applied today?

Be Committed

Are you really committed to the task that’s troubling you?  If you’re not, then your progress will be painfully slow…or just painful!  Before you even embark on the task, reassure yourself that it’s going to be worth the effort.

Use Mantras, Quotes and Youtube!

You’ll notice that I used a quote at the beginning of my post.  I deliberately looked up the quote before starting as a means to prompt myself into action.  Mantras, quotes and Youtube are excellent resources for all sorts of things, but are particularly useful if we’re lacking motivation.  Go to Youtube and search for videos on ‘discipline’, ‘focus’ and ‘motivation’.  Pick something short and punchy and then just get into action.

Avoid Distractions

Ah yes, the infamous distractions!  They were there for me today, but I chose to acknowledge their presence and then ignore them in the knowledge that I can pick up with them later.  Don’t let distractions override your intentions; you too can choose to ignore or delay them.

Prioritise

You’ll always know what your true priority is for the day because it will either be the task that is literally screaming out to you, or it will be the task you’re trying hardest to avoid!  Brian Tracy tells us to ‘eat that frog’, in other words, do the hardest task first, get it out of the way and then you can enjoy the rest of the day knowing the worst is done.  Do you recognise your frogs?

Chunk Down

Every project or task can be chunked down into smaller, more manageable parts.  Making progress on each part creates its own momentum which in turn encourages us to keep moving forward to tackle the next chunk.  If you’re ever procrastinating over a project or task, take a little time to identify a small chunk that you can tackle and do this first.

Apply Discipline

Once you’ve identified your chunk, don’t allow yourself to move until you’ve finished it.  The trick to this is to ensure that it’s small enough that you’re not setting yourself up for failure.  As I’ve mentioned above, you will create momentum (and therefore motivation) if you make small, regular improvements.  It’s far easier to discipline yourself in these circumstances than when faced with an overwhelming task.

You don’t necessarily need to work in a sequential order

Chunking allows you to pick off the tasks you want to do first; they don’t necessarily need to be in the right order.  This can be especially useful if you don’t know where to start – it gives you permission to start anywhere you want!  For some people this is important because starting can be the hardest part.

You CAN break the Funk through Action

Taking action lifts the lethargy, the mopiness and tendency to dally.  Whilst it’s not always easy to make those first steps, it’s only by doing so that you break the funk-chains.  I know I’m going to be much happier looking back at my day now that I’ve done the work than if I’d had to look back knowing that I’d let myself and other people down.

Finally, drink lots of tea, coffee, water…

…well, what else did you think I was doing in my short breaks!

So there you have it; my blog is now written!  The best part is that now it’s complete, I’m free to use the rest of the day as I please, which includes doing some more de-cluttering.  Hmmm, now what else can I do instead?!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this light-hearted look at motivation techniques.  It’s usually not easy to motivate ourselves out of a funk, but with the right tools and a little application it can be accomplished.  Next time you find yourself a little less than motivated, why not give some or all of these techniques a try?

Please let me know what you think of the blog, or maybe let us know of any other things that work for you when the doldrums hit.  I look forward to reading your comments!

Photo: gnuckx