When Wednesday arrives, your motivation to keep getting things done may be significantly reduced.
I know that’s the case for me at least sometimes.
So in this week’s post, I’d like to share the top 20 tips and habits that will help me refuel my motivation to get past that weekday hump and stay focused on working until Friday afternoon rolls around and the weekend awaits.
I hope you find something here to make your Wednesday even better.
1. Start small (or small).
If a project, task, or next step at work or school today seems difficult or intimidating and you end up procrastinating, break it down into small steps. Steps that only take 5-10 minutes each.
Then get started with that first step to move forward again.
I find that doing this not only helps me get out of procrastination, but also replenishes my motivation and makes the next few steps forward easier and more enjoyable.
If breaking down what you’re going to do into small steps still puts you in procrastination, divide your task into small steps. Steps that only take 1-2 minutes.
And then get started with the first small step.
The most important thing is to just get started and move forward, however you do that. So make sure you take small or small steps regularly to get started and get ready.
2. Play music that boosts your energy/changes your mood.
One of the easiest ways to boost my motivation right now, as I write this, is to take a 10-minute break and play some songs that are upbeat or inspire me in some way.
Such a break often helps to change my perspective to a more open and inspired one, and it becomes easier to move on after the break is over.
3. Compete kindly (with others or yourself).
One way to make things more fun, even if the task itself is boring, is to make it a friendly competition.
If you want, you can add a small prize for extra motivation, such as if the winner gets a free ice cream or can of soda from the other person.
Or you can compete with yourself. See if you can complete a task faster than last time – and still get a good result – to get some motivation flowing.
4. Remind yourself of what you’re working towards.
When motivation is low on Wednesday morning and you just want to go back to bed, it’s easy to lose sight of why you’re doing anything in the first place.
So take a few minutes and write down your top 3 reasons why you do this work at school, work or with your company.
Put that physical note somewhere you can’t avoid seeing it every day, or turn it into a reminder on your smartphone that shows up once a day so you can easily access that motivational boost.
5. Let other people’s motivation flow.
This is perhaps the easiest and simplest to use when you’re feeling unmotivated.
Simply allow the motivation, enthusiasm and energy of other people into your mind, day and life.
I often do that these days by reading a chapter or so in a book on my Kindle. Or I watch a video from some of my favorite motivational Youtubers, like Ali Abdal or Mike Boyd.
6. Declutter and create a workspace that adds a little more motivation.
When my workspace is cluttered, I find I have trouble concentrating, so it’s easy to get stuck in procrastination due to a lack of motivation.
If that’s the case for you, take 5 minutes right now to tidy up your workspace. Throw away the things that shouldn’t be there, such as old notes and coffee mugs. Put the things that are important back in the house.
Once the workspace is tidy and to change your working environment a little by adding some motivation:
- Hang a note with an inspiring quote or a photo of a loved one on your desk.
- If possible, add a little greenery, such as a small plant (this may not be for everyone, but helps me connect a little with nature and relax when I work).
- Add a new and inspiring desktop wallpaper for your computer and also one for your smartphone.
7. Use gratitude for what you do have.
In my experience, when you’re tired and in a motivation slump, it’s easy to see just about everything in your life through a negative lens. And so your motivation may linger or even drop lower.
One of the quickest ways to get yourself out of that headspace is to tap into gratitude.
So I wonder this:
What are 3 things I sometimes take for granted but can be grateful for in my life?
My answers when I asked myself this last time were that I don’t have to go hungry, I have a roof over my head, and I have an emergency fund if I need it.
8. Mix things up.
A rut can keep you mentally stuck in negativity. So mix things up today.
Sit in a new place when you do your work. Listen to different music or podcasts than you normally do. And go for the lunch option that feels most new or different to you.
In my experience, this simple variation can help renew that motivation.
9. Take a 3-minute meditation break.
When my mind is overloaded and a bit tired (especially in the afternoon) I often take a 3-minute meditation break to clear the mental clutter and inner tension and regain clear focus.
Here’s how I do it:
I sit on my comfortable couch and close my eyes. And then I slowly take my belly breaths and concentrate 100% on the air going in and out for 3 minutes. And that’s it.
10. Find the optimism.
Pessimism can be a major drain on energy, creativity and motivation.
Optimism and a constructive perspective, on the other hand, can fuel your motivation and help you find a way forward.
So when I’m in a negative situation, I like to ask myself questions like:
- What is one thing that is good about this situation?
- And what is a hidden opportunity here?
11. Be kind to yourself when you have a setback.
It’s all too common to be hard on yourself when you fail or stumble.
Avoid the pitfall of self-criticism, which doesn’t help but only makes you feel worse, by asking yourself this when you’ve just had a setback:
How would my friend/partner/parent support and help me in this situation?
Then do things and talk to yourself as he or she would.
12. Learn from your mistakes and stumbling blocks.
We all make mistakes and have setbacks. It’s just a normal part of a life well lived.
But when you’re in the middle of a situation like that, it can feel tough. A good way to get back into action and find a motivated perspective again is to see what you can learn from what happened.
I like to ask myself this:
What can I learn from this setback?
Then I write that lesson down or keep it in mind as I go along.
13. Compare yourself to yourself (instead of to other people).
If you have the habit of always comparing yourself to other people and their achievements, it can easily become something that brings you down and undermines your motivation.
Because there is always someone smarter, richer or more successful than you, no matter how much you have or achieved.
A healthier and smarter way to compare is to compare yourself to yourself. To see how far you’ve come and what you’ve overcome.
Do this to keep your motivation and self-esteem stable and to let go of the often toxic habit of always comparing yourself to others.
14. Reduce that overcrowded to-do list to just one item.
One look in the morning at a long to-do list can cause everyone to procrastinate for a long time.
I know, I’ve done that many times.
So here’s a better way I use a to-do list these days.
I take a piece of paper and write a list for my day with just one task I need to complete. Usually the one that’s most important to me right now, or sometimes the one I’ve been putting off for a while.
Then I get to work by taking a small or small step.
And I have another list in my to-do list app of other tasks I need to do later. But I don’t look at that list until the task I wrote on paper is completed.
15. Exercise.
Training doesn’t just affect your body.
I’ve discovered over the past 15 years that perhaps the biggest benefit of just 20-30 minutes of lifting free weights is that it releases inner tension and stress and makes me feel more focused again.
16. Don’t skip your breaks.
I know, it’s tempting to skip a break and just keep working to get more done.
But that’s a very short-term solution, as your energy, focus and motivation will decrease and you’ll be more likely to do lower quality work, make more mistakes and start procrastinating.
So don’t skip the breaks.
They are just as important to continue to deliver consistently good work and keep your motivation high day after day and week after week.
17. Look back at your successes (and let them wash over you for 2 minutes).
Sit down and close your eyes.
Let your greatest successes – in whatever area of life they happen – wash over you for two minutes and let those positive memories and feelings boost your motivation.
18. Start slowly.
If you see in your head that you have to get started on something now and that you have to do it quickly, quickly, quickly, this can sometimes lead to the task feeling too heavy and you therefore procrastinate.
So start slowly instead.
It’s better to get started and do something slowly than not to start at all.
Additionally, when you work at a slower pace – sometimes to just start and sometimes until the task is fully completed – you tend to make fewer mistakes and that can ultimately save you both time and effort.
19. Remember what Michael Jordan said about failure.
If you see failure as something big, as a big blow and often as the sky falling, you can easily develop a fear of failure.
And so you try to do something once or twice and then you stop doing it. Or you don’t try at all.
A better way to look at this in order to make many of the dreams we have come true is to see failure as a stepping stone to the success you want.
As valuable feedback that may stick for a while, but in the long run is more of a learning experience than something that will hurt a lot or that we should be afraid of.
I often think about what Michael Jordan said about this when I’ve failed or just want to strengthen my own motivation to keep going:
“I’ve missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I was trusted to make the winning shot, but I missed. I have failed over and over again in my life. And that’s why I’m succeeding.”
20. Just get started (and let the motivation overtake you).
An important reminder for me is that I don’t actually have to wait for motivation to get started.
I can just get on with what I need to do. And some days this is simply what works best to keep consistency high in my work.
But the funny thing is, after I’ve worked for a while, after I’ve taken a few steps forward, things feel easier, lighter, and more fun. And so the motivation to continue, to complete my task or project, overtakes me.
Want more Wednesday motivation? Check out 111 motivational wednesday quotes. And if you want more motivation to start the week, check out this post.