Hey guys, it's Laura. You may have noticed that we are very goal motivated here at ABM. We love to challenge ourselves to new ideas or ventures and encourage you guys as well to achieve your own “reach for the stars” ideas. While the first step to reaching new goals is deciding on what you want to accomplish (new business idea, read more books, create new art, eat healthier, etc.), the next part is figuring out a pathway to making that dream a reality. Sometimes the steps to that goal are clear, sometimes it’s a learn as you go approach, but either way there is one giant thing that you need to know in order to reach your ultimate goal—what motivates you? By that question I don’t mean, “What gets you out of bed in the morning and drives you to succeed?” but more so the question of, “Now that I know where I want to end up, how do I keep myself moving from point A until I get to point B?” I’ve talked about this question a lot with different people as we’ve shared different strategies (and struggles) to stay motivated, and I’ve learned that there is certainly not one motivational trick that works for everyone. That being the case, I thought I’d ask a few others on our ABM staff to share the ways that they personally keep on track when working towards a goal, and hopefully, if you’re struggling to stay on track you’ll find that one of these ways will work for you too. Emma is up first to share what works best for her! Take it away, Emma!
I'd like to say that staying motivated is only tough in the middle of a super hard task. But the truth is way worse. Staying motivated is ALWAYS tough. Whenever I'm dreaming up my next big thing, I'm usually daydreaming about the end result. We all long for that moment when you cross the finish line, when you launch that new website, when you publish that book, when you land that promotion at work, etc. The end of the story is so exciting; it's what you are striving for! But all the rest, which is basically 99% of the task, is sometimes really tough to get through.
I love that feeling of accomplishment. I know I keep sort of throwing in running analogies here, but it just seems to fit. And here comes another, although this is more of a personal story. Did you know that last year I ran my first half marathon? I am NOT a runner. I am pretty un-athletic all around. But Elsie and I wanted to run a half marathon, so we trained for months and months, and then we did it. My time was nothing to brag about, at all. But I remember crossing the finish line with a few tears streaming down my cheeks because I felt SO proud. I know I was so glad I had sunglasses on at the time because I was really embarrassed of those tears. But there were moments in the race when I didn't know if I could do it. There were so many times during training when I thought, "What am I doing? I can't run this far!" But I did it. And crossing that finish line was such a great feeling.
I love making lists – colorful ones at that! It is such a simple method to stay organized and feel effective. I do notice, however, that excessively long lists can get cumbersome and more stressful leaving you wondering where to start. I read a wonderful tip in how to be more effective to make daily lists that are a subset over your overall list. To do this, you would pick a manageable number of tasks that you believe you can accomplish to that day and stick to those. This forces you to prioritize what might be a very long list of things to do, kepe you focus and feeling effective.
Thanks for the post!
– Sugar & Roses
http://www.sugarandroses.net/
OMG I so relate to this! Actually been writing a few posts around the same subject earlier in my own blog here: http://moietelisabeth.blogspot.fi/2014/10/bon-plan.html
and here
http://moietelisabeth.blogspot.fi/2014/10/be-your-own-hero.html
..Sometimes I do have to wonder how can a person manage without one (or two)?
xx
http://moietelisabeth.blogspot.fi
I love this list, especially deep cleaning one room! Whenever I clean I feel like I need to clean the whole house and I always hold if off until we have guests coming over, and it takes my whole day and all of my energy! I need to start getting more organized, perhaps I should make a list of my Days Goals! Very inspiring, thanks for sharing!
www.passionandparanoia.com
I have always believed in lists and they have kept me moving forward most of the time…. until I have too many… then I have to rewrite them
I LOVE lists! If I’m having a particularly un-motivational day, I often write things on that I’ve already done or that are super easy just to get me going haha. Todoist.com is great for lists and gives you points as you complete each task 🙂
I love Google Keep for my to do list!!! You’ll love the colorful boxes Emma!
I love a list too, and you’re right that they really keep you on track. I’d love to see a post about MAKING the goals, if that makes sense. Not in the sense of making a list, but more in the sense of setting out to work out exactly what it is that you really want to achieve? That would be really helpful and interesting.
Owl Girl | A London lifestyle blog
Thanks for the list-making tip! After I read this I went home after work with my what-to-do-after-work list and got everything on my list done! I usually get home and feel scattered with things I want to do in my free time so making a list kept me on track and it was actually very enjoyable! Great post!
Emma, ah well let me know what you think! I love the interface. And me too, but its funny I only use the notepad app because it literally reminds me of writing with pen and paper for the pure sake of the lines. I’m a purist at heart I guess 🙂
xxL
What a great post! I am an avid list maker so I totally agree with Emma on the benefits of a structured list. I also ran my first half marathon in 2012 and was a sobbing mess when I crossed the finish line! Congrats on your accomplishment and thanks for sharing this.
Totally agree! List are the best.
www.blacklongline.blogspot.com
I love making lists – colorful ones at that! It is such a simple method to stay organized and feel effective. I do notice, however, that excessively long lists can get cumbersome and more stressful leaving you wondering where to start. I read a wonderful tip in how to be more effective to make daily lists that are a subset over your overall list. To do this, you would pick a manageable number of tasks that you believe you can accomplish to that day and stick to those. This forces you to prioritize what might be a very long list of things to do, kepe you focus and feeling effective.
Thanks for the post!
– Sugar & Roses
http://www.sugarandroses.net/
I am a fan of to-do lists.
I couldn’t live without them anymore!
Definitely! I love a good old fashioned to do list, I always list at least 3 things a day and don’t finish work until they are complete – great feeling!
Really cool post, I needed this 🙂
Thanks for the tips ladies!
Gypsy Plunder Vintage
I’m pretty much constantly making lists. All day, every day.
Ahhh seriously though, why is list making so addictive. I started writing daily ‘achievement’ lists about three months ago because I always found myself to be a real scatter brain and I would get annoyed at myself for getting side tracked and when I started writing daily lists of what I wanted to achieve that day, it made me so much more focused!
thisandthatplease.co.uk
It’s so great to read your tips, Emma! And also to see how everyone who has commented makes lists (or not) – I’m a serious list maker too. Anyone else do that thing where you do something and then realise it’s not on your list, so you have to write it on just so you can cross it off?! Just me…? Here’s to feeling motivated! 🙂
The list making is a great idea, it truly is addicting to cross things off a list.
http://touchofcollege.blogspot.com/