How To Blast Through Barriers And Get Your Motivation Back, by Gary Korisko

See if this sounds familiar.

As you begin your day, you sit down and mentally survey the work that lies ahead of you.

You review the scheduled tasks on your calendar – and that gets you thinking about the short and long term goals you have for yourself. What should you do today to move yourself closer to completing those?

 

What should you do first? Second? Third? If you start project A – you might run into scheduled task B… which would totally throw off your momentum… so should you even begin project A?

 

And then the emails and phone calls start… further throwing off any hope you had of mounting an organized, linear effort to get things done.

Before you know it, you’re stuck. Confused… with no clear plan of how to move forward.

It’s horribly frustrating – and it kills your momentum. What’s worse is that it can kill your desire to tackle tasks, be productive, and grow your business.

You think to yourself, “I’m smart, I have the desire and the potential. How did I wind up here? What’s wrong with me?”

 

Why You Shouldn’t Be Too Hard on Yourself

If you’ve found yourself feeling that way (and I’ll bet you have), you probably blame yourself for these ‘stuck’ moments. Maybe you feel like you’re not getting enough done, or you feel like you really don’t know what you’re doing.

 

And while I’d give you brownie points for taking it on your own shoulders and not being a ‘victim’ by blaming someone or something else – I’m also going to tell you to ease up a bit.

 

If you’re here on Wire Yourself For Wealth, you’re actively working on something bigger and better for yourself. Lazy people and dumb people don’t hang out here. So if that’s that case, and you’re the smart, driven person I think you are… then something else is at work, isn’t it?

 

You Can’t See the Forest and the Trees

Have you ever seen those reality cooking shows on television? Think about how quickly and seemingly effortlessly those chefs cut food, mix it together, season, and cook  it. They work on large quantities of different dishes simultaneously without even blinking.

 

They’re ridiculously productive – as if they’re on auto-pilot.

 

Now imagine that I threw you into that environment and immediately expected you to cook at that same level and at that same pace. Aside from some cut fingers and burnt food, how productive do you think you would be?

 

Not very?

 

Why is that?

 

Because in that situation, you don’t know what you’re doing and you don’t have the right perspective on how to tackle the tasks associated with preparing food at that level.

 

After many years of observing my employees, my bosses, and myself – I fully believe that most of us have a perspective problem – particularly with regard to productivity.

The problem is that we tend to look at long-term tasks and goals with short term expectations. In other words, the higher you are on the “go-getter” scale, the greater your tendency to want to take everything on at once and stride from step one all the way to the finish line.

 

When it’s put that way, it seems ridiculously obvious, doesn’t it? You’d tell a friend or associate they’re crazy for trying to do too many things at once. And yet – let’s be honest… you have that expectation of yourself, don’t you? Is it any less crazy for you to think you can pull that off than it is for your friends or associates?

 

(The answer is no)

 

When you’re advising someone else, it’s easy to see the high level picture and the details – or the forest and the trees. But when you’re assessing your own situation, it’s really difficult to see both. And that’s where the perspective problem takes its toll – in the intersection of the forest and the trees.

 

How to Reboot and Re-Focus

But it’s not always managing tasks and to-do lists that freezes you in your tracks. Sometimes it’s overwhelm and information overload. In these cases, you find yourself mentally blocked – and you need to reset and reboot to move forward. Here are five ways that you can use to reset your perspective, see your situation from a new angle – and gain back that clarity that motivates you to drive on.

 

1: Lose the Technology

This is a tough one. I’m not going to lie to you. The idea of logging off, walking away and being completely unplugged makes me a little queasy too. But the truth is that when I do force myself to shut everything down and focus on a particular project – the clarity it brings in astounding.

 

The lack of Twitter updates and emails is almost magical. In addition to not being distracted by all those interruptions, you will be absolutely be blown away by the amount of extra time you gain by not stopping to deal with those things every few minutes. Try unplugging for one day – or even a few hours. Once the withdrawal passes, you’ll feel brand new and more productive. I promise.

 

2: Go Sweat it Out

I know everyone and their brother tells you to exercise for greater mental clarity. But do you know why that is? Because it works! Take some time for a walk, a run, or even some physical labor around the house. There are heaps of scientific studies that show exercise to be a powerful ally to your mental state as well as your mood.

 

3: Vent on Paper

Whether or not you consider yourself a writer, a twist on an old writer’s technique called free writing can be useful in these situations, too. When you’re having trouble finding your mojo, pull out a pad of paper and a pen and just start venting about everything that’s frustrating you. Pay no attention to penmanship, spelling, grammar, punctuation, or vocabulary.

 

Complain, blame, and whine to your heart’s content. Write down all those things you’re not supposed to say and vent all those thoughts you’re not supposed to be having. This is the one time in your life when no one is going to come down on you for being negative.

 

At some point during this exercise, a couple things will happen. First, you’ll get all that frustration out of your system and feel wonderful. Second, at some point you’ll likely write something that solves your problem and shows you the way forward. Keep your written tirade for as long as it’s useful to you – and then throw it away.

 

4: Muscle Through It

Tips and tricks aside, sometimes the best way to deal with an obstacle is to just blow through the damn thing. As Miles said in the movie Risky Business, “Sometimes you just gotta say What the f*ck. Make your move.” So when you’re having trouble starting or feeling unmotivated, just choose a task and go commando on it.

 

People instinctively look for ways around problems or for processes that will smoothly get them from point A to point B. And I get that. I’m a process guy.

 

But I also know that there’s a time to roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty. There’s a mental liberation that occurs when you finally beat down something that’s been bullying you. And that can’t always be done cleanly.

 

The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed with your work, consider setting all your thoughts and emotions aside and just blowing up a couple things on your to-do list. Here are a couple of different routes to take in deciding which tasks to decimate first:

 

a) Do the Two Easiest Things

When you’re having trouble gaining momentum, try picking the two easiest tasks on your list and knock them out before anything else. The theory being that regardless of how important they are (or aren’t), completing something right out of the gate helps you build momentum – and dials in your focus for the rest of your work.

 

b) Do the Two Things That Bring the Most Return

Another great way to gain momentum on those slow-start days is to appeal to your own sense of accomplishment. You can do this by asking yourself, “Which one or two tasks will move my business forward (or generate the most revenue, or get the most exposure, or whatever you measure yourself by) with the least amount of effort? Then knock those out first.

 

In either case, your goal is to manufacture a small win that creates momentum and gives you a sense of accomplishment. And once momentum starts rolling, it’s hard to stop.

 

5: Get To Know How Your Brain Works Best

Someone you and I both know well  (someone who happens to own this blog) would tell you that if you know what makes you productive – and if you know what gets you stuck then you’re halfway home.

 

If you’re a person who likes to work a room full of people, but you spend most of your time working with spreadsheets and analytics… well, nothing good will come from that.

 

The problem is that most of us are pretty unaware of our own “digging style” as Laura would put it. Luckily, you’re in the right place. If you haven’t seen Laura’s Get Unstuck Action Program yet – you need to.

 

You’ll be amazed at the clarity and focus it brings you.

 

You Control Your Momentum and Motivation

Feeling stuck and unmotivated happens to everyone. It doesn’t mean you’re defective. But it does mean that you need to take action when you notice those feelings setting in.

 

When you’re felling a lack of clarity and momentum, you have to manufacture some. Try using the tips above to quickly blast through a few things off your list. If you still feel stuck, try to reboot by exercising, complaining on paper, or freeing yourself from all the bings and dings of your technology for a few hours.

 

Soon you’ll be seeing things in a different light, working on what’s important to your business, and forging ahead with newfound clarity.

 

What do you do to get your momentum back when you feel stuck and unmotivated?

Let’s talk about it in the comments!

 

Gary Korisko teaches how to grow a business through The Art of Genuine Influence on his blog, Reboot Authentic. Download your free copy of his eBook, How to Influence All the Right People – a guide to breaking away from the herd and doing something special.

 

 

 

 

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