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?
Finally: The Source of Motivation Explained
It's like a shower.It's like brushing your teeth.It's like your morning coffee.
You've gotta do it every day for it to work.
If you wait for motivation to strike, you're going to be out of luck for a long time.The real-world lesson here is that it's up to you to understand what motivates and activates you.
My motivation comes from 3 main sources:
- An incredible sense of urgency to act now.
- Daily reminders like posters, automatic iOS reminders, and emails to keep the shortness of my life front of mind.
- An incredible sense of care for this planet and all the people on it.
Sure, we can talk about the personal differences that make my list different from yours, but that's not the point.The point is to take ownership of you motivation."I'm just not motivated" is an excuse that is totally within your control.
2 Minute Action
Maybe you already know what motivates or sustains you.If you don't, think of the last time you felt alive. What were you doing?When was the last time you felt the most dead inside?What's something that has bothered you about the world since you were a kid?Let's take these questions and turn them into action, today.You have more control than you think.You've got everything you need at your fingertips.