Achieving your goals in life requires a great deal of motivation, we all know that. But, it is difficult to be motivated in the morning when all you want to do is to get more sleep. I have always struggled with getting up in the morning and would hit the snooze button as soon as the alarm clock on my phone went off. When I finally got up, I wasn’t in the mood for anything; it killed my productivity.
That was when I realized achieving goals also depends on the way I handle mornings. Once I made a few changes to wake up motivated with a desire to move one step closer to accomplishing my goals, my productivity increased significantly. It made me feel so much better and now you can feel the same with the following useful tips that helped me.
Never underestimate the power of writing things down.
Never underestimate the power of writing things down. Why? Because your brain needs a reminder of what you want to achieve in your career or personal life. Also, the method of writing down your goals creates a shift in your mind, makes your dreams more tangible and achievable. It’s not imagination any longer, but a clear and vivid goal.
I have a big whiteboard right next to my desk and use it to write down not only my goals but some motivational quotes as well. Also, I write those goals on my phone and keep them as wallpaper. That way, they are the first thing I see every morning after waking up. Suddenly, you don’t want to be in bed anymore, you want to get up and achieve those goals.
While it’s always practical to have the big picture in your mind, try focusing on today only. It’s easy to dwell on the past or frustrate over the future, but this can be overwhelming and you don’t want to leave your bed. Remember, while you’re worrying about these things, someone else is working and achieving his/her goals and you could be doing the same.
While I’m having my morning coffee, I tend to think about my current projects and things I have to do that day. Focusing on daily tasks relieves stress and allows me to finalize them successfully. You should try the same.
Remember, every task or project you complete that day brings you one step closer to the main goal. Needless to say, you won’t feel overwhelmed in the morning, but motivated.
Regular physical activity isn’t just beneficial for your waistline and health, it makes you feel better and more energized from the minute you wake up. Sports coach Thomas S. Dunigan once said in an interview that exercise relieves stress, improves concentration and memory, enhances your creativity, and allows you to learn faster. Plus, it improves your mood which is also important for productivity. All these things make you want to get pumped up and put all that energy into good use. I strive to go to the gym two-three times a week, but every morning after waking up I do some simple stretching exercises.
Music is the best way to beat a grumpy attitude and say hello to a new, productive day. It’s practical (and incredibly fun) to create a morning playlist that you can listen to while getting ready. The choice of songs depends on you and your preferences, of course. Ideally, you should opt for happy, upbeat songs that will induce the same mood. Ballads would just make you sad, which isn’t the goal here.
The sheer idea that I would have to leave my bed, figure out what to wear, then prepare my work files and other things in the morning made me very lazy. I didn’t want to deal with those things and, of course, getting up would take me ages. Needless to say, I was often grumpy, not organized properly, and I got behind with everything.
Not anymore!
Every night before I go to bed, I plan my outfit for tomorrow and prepare all my files so that after waking up, I don’t have to stress about those things. Life is much easier that way.
There’s no hassle.
And the best thing of all, I don’t have to hurry up or wonder whether I will be late. This is also a major timesaver! It’s easier to focus on your goals and stay motivated on achieving them when you eliminate things that drain your energy or affect your mood.
When you’re not passionate about something, you’ll find any excuse you can not to work towards achieving that goal.
If you really want to get up pumped to achieve great things, then have goals you’re excited about. What I learned from my experience is that sometimes we have certain goals only because of assumptions that we should have them, not because we really want to achieve them. These goals are usually associated with things that society expects from us.
But let me tell you something. When you’re not passionate about something, you’ll find any excuse you can not to work towards achieving that goal. Take a few moments to think about goals you have now. Are you really passionate about them?
If the answer is yes, then divide that goal into smaller, easily achievable milestones. Why? Because completing one milestone will motivate you to do the same with the next one and so on.
You’ll wake up in the morning ready and willing to do your best and make a progress.
If the answer is no, then think about different ways to make that goal more exciting or create a new goal, something you’re passionate about. It is never too late to set out goals that you really want.
This way, you won’t keep finding excuses to stay in bed. Instead you’ll feel like your life got its purpose once again and your entire perspective of productivity, mornings, and motivation will change too.
Although we realize that motivation is important, it’s difficult to be motivated in the morning. Staying in bed seems like a brilliant idea, but there are many ways you can get pumped up to achieve your goals from the moment you wake up. These tips helped me and I advise you to try them and they may help you too. Keep trying different things and, soon, you’ll find your own winning formula for an instant motivation boost to get up, work hard, and achieve your goals.