Procrastination.... and motivation tips.

This is somthing I am far too familiar with, I do it everyday and funnily enough I am doing it right now. I am currently procrastinating from working on an assigment that is due on Sunday, yes... the Sunday that is about 48 hours away. Most of my procrastination comes back to uni related tasks, coincedence? I think not.
Lol.

I look for any excuse to procrastinate from doing my uni work until the absolute last minute. The only bonus of this is that my home (caravan/annex) is nearly always spotless during the "school term" because I EVEN choose cleaning over uni. My fridge and freezer becomes topped with baked goods, our linen is all fresh as a daisy and cleaning my floors even miraculously makes its way to the top of my "to-do" list.

Don't get me wrong, I stay up to date with my work every week, its just the assignments that I put off until the end of the day, every day. I work on them when I have absolutely run out of anything else to use to procrastinate from them. At this point my husband and son are tucked into bed (bellies full of intricate dinners and baked goods that "coincedently" took all my uni hours to make). Then I sit down and admit defeat! Its not that I don't love uni, I really do. I love what I am learning about (Bachelor of Applied Social Science - a counselling degree) but I can't work on it unless it is my only focus and I know I wont be interrupted, so until that point of the day, I avoid it.

I've been looking online for some "motivational tips" so I thought I would compile a list of a few I have thought of and a few I have found. If you're anything like me and always seem to be procrastinating these may help you:

Motivation tips

Up and At 'em:

Hop up and go for a quick walk around the block, a bit of fresh air and free flowing endorphins might help a little. This also clears your mind and "refreshes" you. This one is great for people who are studying and have spent too many hours on the one thing and need to see the content with "fresh eyes".

Move to the beat:

Wake to a motivating sound. Use a clock radio or timer on a CD player or computer so the first thing you hear is music or an uplifting song. Or you could use music to motivate you during the day by playing the radio. I love music and nearly always have the radio playing in the background so somtimes I will gie myself a challenge, like "for the entire next song, sweep the floor". You could also use this for exercise motivation - do a different type of exercise for each song (eg: star jumps for the first, squats for the second and sit ups for the third).

Give yourself a reward:

Perhaps even "bribe" yourself with the promise of a reward. For example: When I get all of the floors swept and mopped I will sit down and relax with my book for half an hour as a reward.

Catch up:

Ring a friend, family member etc. Whenever I ring my mum (we talk for hours somtimes) I will find that I potter around while I am on the phone. I pick up random bits of washing and put them where they belong and just keep pottering until I hope off the phone. Usually by the end of the conversation the place is quiet tidy. If it doesnt work that way for you, simply having a nice conversation with someone you love might give you a little kickstart to get stuck into things when you hope off the phone.

To do or To dont:

Write out a "to-do" list the night before. Write all of the items on it in order of importance and sit it somewhere you will see it first thing in the morning. While you eat your breakfast/drink your coffee etc - read over the list. For some people watch the list shrink in front of your eyes as you cross items off it is enough motivation, for others just having it all there making you feel even guilter about not having done it, can be effective (lol). Whatever works for you..

Have a shower:

I find that on the days I get straight out of bed and into a refreshing (hot or cold, dependent on the season) shower, my motivation levels skyrocket. I suppose that physically it's like a "jolt" from zombie-land waking you both physically and mentally. By the time I get back from the shower I feel ready to have a crack at the day. This one is especially effective on those days where you REALLY feel like you'd rather stay in bed for a month than get up and make breakfast for the kids.

If All Else Fails:

As a last resort I turn to a caffienated drink eg. Diet coke! Somtimes it's just what I need and because I dont drink it very often it has a fairly strong effect on my energy/motivation levels.


and then some days..

Id love to share with you a wonderful and article I found on self motivation, follow the link for a brilliant inspiring read.

http://sidsavara.com/personal-development/how-to-get-motivated-tips