There's No Secret To Waking Up Motivated--But This Gets Me Close

"Motivation doesn't last. Neither does a shower." - Zig Ziglar

2 quick ways to kill motivation?

Obligation and guilt.Do it because you care.Do it because you want to.That's way more powerful.And it turns out, it's way more sustainable.The only trick is that you'll need to remind yourself that you care.iOS reminders. Letters to yourself. A time capsule. Post-its on the bathroom mirror.There are a million ways--but you have to make it happen.You don't have to know all the answers right now.You don't have to have some giant epiphany.You just have to start reflecting on your values and interests.What do you like and what do you think is important?What do you find yourself NOT being able to stop doing?Start there and good things will happen.

2 Minute Action

It will take you 1 minute to write down 3 things you care about.It will take you less than 1 minute to ask Siri/Alexa/etc. to remind you about these in 3 months or to text a friend to check in on your progress in 6 weeks.The secret is that big things are actually made up of lots of small, actionable things.Everyone has 2 minutes. You can do this.

How To Get Out Of Your Non-Productive Rut

It's 5 AM.I have to catch a flight in an hour.I'm tired, groggy, and I'm about to work a lot of hours over the next few days.

I think to myself, "why am I here?"

I want to make a difference in kids' lives.I want to make this planet a better place.And when I remember my mission, it's a lot easier to get moving.When I remember my promise to myself and to the world, it's a lot easier to get out of bed and start being productive.If you forget your mission, it's easier to slip into a non-productive rut.Be clear about your mission and set reminders--and this will help you build a basic immunity to non-productivity and falling off the bandwagon.

2 Minute Action

Define:What is a goal you have and why do you want to achieve it?You may want to schedule an email to yourself, or write yourself a letter, or post a sign above your door with this "why" message to remind yourself when things get hard.Because it will always get hard and you'll almost always forget eventually.It's not about trying to make your goal NOT difficult--it's about remembering why you're going to follow through anyway. 

How To Get It Done When It Feels Like "Someday, Maybe"

David Allen's "Getting Things Done" method calls this the "Someday Maybe" list.The Agile framework refers to this as the "Icebox."It doesn't really matter what you call it, as long as you've gone one.It's a list that has all of those projects you know you need to do at some point but either aren't fully hashed out enough to be important or aren't urgent enough to make it to the to-do list.The tricky part, though, actually isn't writing the list. The tricky part is only having one list and remembering to revisit it every 6 months or every quarter, or in whatever interval you find functional.

2 Minute Action:

Create an Icebox in iOS reminders, Trello, Google Keep, Evernote, or whatever task management tool you use.This is it. This is your list. You're not allowed to have duplicate lists (not even one digital and one physical).Only one.Now set a reminder on your phone, or in Slack, or wherever you set reminders, to run through this list once a quarter.The future is much more likely to happen, now.And that's what it's all about, right? Putting the odds in your favor?