Tag: Goals

Are you struggling to keep your motivation? Perhaps you made a resolution at the the beginning of the the year or set yourself a goal during lockdown but are finding your motivation is waning.

It’s been a strange time hasn’t it? We’ve been through a stressful season and are still facing lots of change and uncertainty. I think we can all forgive ourselves if we’ve taken things a bit slower and changed our focus to get through the hard times.

Don’t get frustrated that you’re not where you expected to be. Be kind to yourself. Accept where you are, then decide that you don’t have to stay here!

Strategies to help you achieve your goals!

I’ve used the strategies below to staying motivated during my fitness journey. I think you’ll find at least one that will help you with your goal too! Here are the valuable lessons I’ve learned getting started and keeping going with a goal.

I hadn’t worked out for a while and I was feeling lazy. The problem was; I’d stopped my routine and had lost all motivation. I’d fallen into a routine that was comfortable; I quite liked being in with my family every night, hanging out in front of the TV and not having to get up early for gym classes. At the same time, I felt guilty for not doing anything to stay health but it felt like a big task to try to fit workouts into my schedule again. I didn’t really want to get out there in the cold or get up stupidly early for a class and I couldn’t really face it.

Go on, Eat the Frog!

Mark Twain

I knew I needed to get creative, dig deep and just get on with it before I regretted my decision to not take action forever! Try out the following tactics that I used for staying motivated:

Accountability

I committed to a personal trainer friend that I would follow a schedule and although I’d stopped, I recalled my commitment and this really helped. If you want to start an organising project tell someone, tell everyone, what you intend to do and by when. If you feel ok with it (you may be not be entirely comfortable) make a public declaration on social media or contact someone you know will hold you to your commitment.

Get clear on your goal

When I get stuck, I think about why I want it, what will I gain and what the end result be. I visualise the finish line, the crowds and the amazing sense of achievement I’ll feel, so that I know what I’m aiming for. For your decluttering project, you need to see the result for staying motivated – imagine the room you want to work on without the excess stuff in it. Walk around the room in your head, what will it look like, what will it feel like to be in that room, how will you be able to use that space? Why do you need this now and what difference will it make to you and your household?

Believe You Can and You’re Halfway There

Theodore Roosevelt

Get inspired

I’ve watched documentaries about amazing people who run ultra-marathons. I don’t ever intend to do that myself but if it’s possible to achieve such amazing things with the human body surely I can manage to run for 25 minutes!

Read a book, find images or quotes that make you feel positive about your process or watch a film or TV show like Marie Kondo’s Tidying Up series to see what’s possible.

Create a plan

A plan with target dates or deadlines is great for staying motivated – I decided I want to exercise 2-3 times per week but keep my weekends free. I plan ahead each week and put the time in my diary so I know when and what time I’ll be exercising. You could create a plan outlining the actions you need to take, decide what date you want to be finished and block out time in your diary for the activities (preparation, decluttering session(s), charity shop runs etc) you need to carry out to complete on time. 

Gain Support

I agree with my husband the days that work well for him to do the school run, and what commitments he has, so that I can easily plan my exercise routine. I regularly run with a friend so am committed to helping her keep fit and I ask my husband to give me encouragement when I’m tempted to cancel a session. When planning your declutter task, ask for help – ask a friend, family member or search for a ‘Professional Organiser near me’ to provide support. If you don’t need anyone to help you, you may still want someone to give you encouragement, enquire how you are doing and give you moral support when the going gets tough. It’s great help for staying motivated.

You don’t have to do this alone in-fact you’ll be so much more successful if you visualise your success and draw on others to support you. If you need expert advice or practical support, I’m here for you!

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