I did something today that I haven’t done in months – I decided to clean out my home office and work there (where I am as I write this). Prior, I’ve been doing work in my living room, in front of the TV.
What I’ve come to realize is that moving into this space, and ‘changing the scenery’ has led to feeling more inspired and motivated; not that I wasn’t before but this feels different. This simple act has me taking more ownership and having a different outlook on goals and tasks I’ve set. I no longer have excuses or distractions that have led to procrastination, which I know recognize. It’s easier to watch TV or pick up the phone when in a ‘lazy’ environment.
Even as I sit looking out the window in front of me, I am not finding distraction but thinking more about my goals and the reasons I set them in the first place, or my ‘why.’ I am finding more peace about them, which is leading to getting excited, again, about them; I am also coming up with more ideas to reach them.
What I realize now is that those distractions cost me, in terms of results but, more importantly, it affected my spirit; I now understand why I have felt confused, at times, on what to do and why I often felt anxious, worried, and down; knowing I ‘should’ be doing more only led to more confusion and guilt, and I recognize I started to withdraw, preferring to stay in my own safety net. Not good when you run a business.
These feelings can occur in your job – feeling uninspired, bored, and discontented, leaving you in the low-performing category. Or, you could be working at higher level but feeling emotionally drained at having to put in the effort to act as if you’re feeling satisfied; I’ve coached many who fall in this category.
Boredom and monotony can zap your motivation, energy, and desire, leaving you to focus on things that do bring pleasure, such as looking at social media, shopping online, or, as in my case, watching TV, which increase dopamine levels that lead to feeling happier and more engaged in those activities. It also conditions you to seek out those activities when you feel bad, thus putting off or avoiding more stressful activities.
If you find yourself in a position as I have been, here are a few tips to begin to change this around:
- Take some time to sit and assess your thoughts, feelings, mood, etc. – understanding what you’re feeling, and why, is the first step to making any kind of change
- Reevaluate your goals – are they still important, are they compelling enough, what is the outcome/benefit that will happen when you do; if they’re not, then either rewrite them or delete them
- Develop a to-do list, or the action steps you will work on daily – yes, daily -as this will start to create more focus and habits that will positively serve you
- Change your scenery – if you need time to think, to write, to dream, to get inspired, move to a different place, such as outside or in another room, as I did. If you can’t, you can still change things up by bringing in a plant or a picture of your favorite thing (kids, pets, vacation spot), burning a candle (as I am now), moving things on your desk around as they will make it feel different and trick you brain to accepting something new which leads to more motivation
I am finding it amazing at how such a simple act of moving my scenery can be on my mindset, mood, and motivation. I encourage you to the same and see what effects it has on yours. Starting small doesn’t activate the fear center and stopping you from working on that to-list, so choose one item from it and start, using the steps I outlined above, and see what happens. It can’t hurt, right?
I encourage you to take time in this process to recognize your thoughts and mood for subtle changes, as this is where growth is occurring so you can appreciate them and feel more accomplished. This will, then, lead to new and better habits and your productivity will soar every time.
If you’d like help to increase your mindset, mood and motivation, let’s talk! contact us today at https://cyscoaching.com
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