I enjoy writing and exploring new topics to write about however I struggle massively when it comes to actually sitting down and writing something. Its finding the motivation to actually sit down and start writing and getting that first paragraph done, once the first paragraph is down everything flows well and I can just sit put some music on and get stuff done.
So much time goes by as I procrastinate clicking on and of tabs, thinking of an idea writing the title then getting distracted by anything, walking round the house doing pointless tasks or scrolling through social media. My interest then fleets and I think okay lets get something done only to stop before I really start.
What makes us motivated?
Trying to use willpower on its own is not quite enough to regularly motivate yourself to get things done, studies show if you have to use your willpower to say not eat a bar of chocolate before you go to the gym during you gym session you will not have the will power to push yourself as far as you could go, due to you previously using it to not eat the chocolate.
We get motivation from the chemical dopamine, so to help get motivated you need to find ways to make your brain produce dopamine. You may think how do i make my brain produce a chemical? Well it is actually a lot easier than you may think. The brain is just a biological computer, you are born with many pre-settings, so its just a matter of playing on the settings in your brain that are just waiting to be used.
How do you produce dopamine?
Exercise and diet are big factors towards being motivated, if you eat lots of foods packed with sugar then your energy levels will be all over the place, after consumption they will very high however after an hour or so you energy levels will crash massively. If your energy levels constantly have these dramatic changes you will find it hard to stay motivated as you just won't have the energy to concentrate properly. Healthy food makes a big difference and eating healthy is only a chore if you make it one.
Tell yourself if I eat this unhealthy food I will feel unhealthy, it will make me look bad, attach negative emotions to unhealthy food. Then tell yourself if you pick the healthy option you will feel much better in yourself. it will make you happy and it will taste so much better. This will all aid in the production of dopamine and get you in the habit of staying motivated.
Exercise is also a big help for motivation because if you regularly push your body, whether that be running that extra 100 meters or doing a few extra push ups, it strengthens will power and if you can physically push yourself in such a way it generally strengthens your mental fortitude. When your body is healthy it also helps your mind stay healthy so good physical health naturally boosts good mental health.
Being Truthful:
Telling the truth is also a surprising way to boost your motivation, people often convince themselves to not exercise or not get work done because they lie to themselves. It is often simple lies such as; I don't have enough time, I will do it later, I need to do something first and so on. These lies only attach a negative connotation to the activity being put off making you less willing to do it in the future.
That is where telling the truth comes in, ask yourself is there anything stopping me from getting this done now?
Likely the answer will be no and if so do what you need to do and you will feel good about it thus boosting dopamine and motivation.
If you look at what you do enjoy about the task you need motivation to complete, find those good things and focus on them rather than the negative, so you enjoy what you are doing more, from that you will be more motivated in the future. You should also focus on the feeling you get when you finish a piece of work and how satisfied it makes you.