One of the questions submitted in my ‘Ask Me Anything‘ form was this: “How do you stay motivated and focused on a project, in particular when there is that critical voice in your ear asking why you bothering etc. Do you stick to a routine or do you take each day at a time and see how your mood is that day?”

I have to pull out every trick in the book to stay motivated and get myself over the finish line with projects. Here’s how I handle it when my motivation inevitably wanes.

Heck Yeses

Before I even begin a project, I make sure it’s a ‘heck yes’. If I’m wavering or have reservations before I’ve even begun, then it will get tricky, quickly. The projects where I’m keen beans to get going, the ones which light-me-up, the ideas which seem to fall into my head and expand there without any conscious effort or push, the stuff that feels like fun – those are the kinds of projects I value. Anything less, then it sits on a list of things to come back to. Sometimes, some ideas sit on that list for an awfully long time but it only takes another complementary idea to come along and change the energy of it.

Having the right motivation from the get-go helps me to stay motivated as does having a clear vision of what I’m hoping the end goal will be.

The Inner Critic

Gah, we’ve all got one. Especially, when we’re doing something outside of our comfort zone; something new, something different, something which requires us to stretch and grow to get it done. I’m really sorry if yours is being a right scamp. Here’s a compassionate guide to ditching self-doubt which might help.

Mine is particularly ferocious when I’m writing and I think that’s because I hold the art of writing in high esteem. I’ve always loved the written word, in all forms. Without a university degree, I often feel like an imposter.

What helps is to make sure my writing environment is supportive. I’ll have drinks aplenty, snacks lined up, spare pens and notebooks, a blanket, and if it’s really cold, a hot water bottle. When my surroundings are comfortable, I find it easier to ignore my inner critic.

I do think that we often expect perfection of ourselves even when it’s something new. Instead, I try to aim for ‘done’, knowing I can edit and refine my work with fresh eyes. Self-kindness is crucial at all times, it’s that soft, gentle, encouraging, graceful tone you’d take with a loved one. Apply that inward and your inner troll will quieten down.

Teamwork makes the dream work

Projects where I’m working within a team, even if it’s mostly solitary until a deliverable deadline, are where I excel. The accountability of it helps me. Understanding the impact on a project and the people involved if I deliver something late, is a motivator and a half!

Where there is no team, I’ll create a loose version of one. That might include my family, collaborating with someone, working in co-working spaces, or body-doubling. Anything where other people can help hold me accountable and encourage me to stay on track, helps me to get the work done. We don’t have to do these things alone.

Bribery, Every Time

Hey, if it works, it works… I’m the queen of self-bribery. There will always be a reward involved if I’m working on something that’s a bit taxing. Always. The rewards aren’t ever huge, they’re small things like ‘if I write 3,000 words this morning, I’ll have a middle-of-the-day bath with those lush bath salts’. New pens, a new notebook, a book, earrings, nail polish, chocolate, BBQ Proper Chips, a chai latte, a pair of earrings, or a bunch of flowers, are all carrots I dangle in front of myself to get moving. It honestly doesn’t take much but it takes something!

Discipline

The word ‘discipline’ makes me come out in hives but it *is* what it is. When I’m working on a project, I’ll create a mindful routine around it that takes into consideration when I do my best work and I think about how I can manage my energy to help me manage the work. Then, I just show up. Even on the days that I can’t be bothered, even when I’m tired, even when there’s something more exciting happening around me. There’s an exception if I’m unwell or someone I care for is unwell.

Most of my projects are writing ones so I’ll give myself a reasonable work count. When I’m writing a book, it’s 3,000 words, then edited. If it’s a book proposal, a TV treatment or creating a product, I’ll settle on 1,000 words a day until it’s done. When I’ve got that momentum going, it’s relatively easy to keep it going.

Closed Loops

As someone who has all the ideas, I find it incredibly easy to ‘start’ things. Then, another idea pops in and I can get derailed by it. Once I learned what a stressor an ‘open loop’ can be, i.e. a commitment, a task, a project or a problem that’s not yet fulfilled, completed, or resolved, I make sure to finish something before starting something else. These ‘loops’ are a concept I first read about in Getting Things Done by David Allen. Working in this way has made me surprisingly more productive and much, much calmer. There’s also something in the pride and achievement we experience when we work through to completion, it helps us to feel more confident in ourselves.

That said, there’s merit, too, in knowing when it’s the right time to not complete something. It’s okay to tinker with possibilities and find that they’re not what you’d hoped for. Life is about experimenting and trying new things. If the vision you first held changes and is no longer something you want for yourself, don’t be afraid to put it down. You’ve not failed, you’ve just found out something new about yourself that will serve you going forward.

Rest, Rest, More Rest

It’s true, that magic does happen when we step outside our comfort zones but I feel as though we forget the magic that happens inside them, too. Often, my biggest and best ideas come when I’m not at my desk typing away. They come when I’m inside my comfort zone.

It’s all well and good pushing and striving but to properly thrive, we need to rest and recover. Often. More than we might think.

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