One of the great things about being self-employed is that there is no boss looking over your shoulder and telling you what to do. One of the tough things about being self-employed is that there is no boss looking over your shoulder, telling you what to do. That is why it is imperative that you are disciplined and self-motivated–you are the boss of you!

Some days are better than others when it comes to motivation and accomplishment. Don’t you love those days when you practically fly to your office, dive right in and knock out task after task? If the days were all like that, you could rule the world! Unfortunately, there will also be days when you have to force yourself to get to work. Or worse, maybe you don’t force yourself and you just don’t do anything.

Although some days will always be more productive than others, you can get the most out of each day with some simple motivation techniques.

Have a routine. I like having a routine I follow first thing in the morning. For one thing, I am not really a morning person, so having a routine means I don’t have to think about what I am going to do, I just do it. Your routine can also build momentum, leading you from drowsily getting out of bed to getting down to business and tackling the day.

Do the thing you hate to do first thing in the morning. If I have to do something I do not like to do I can find all kinds of ways to avoid working. So if there is a task you have been dreading, do it first. Once it is out of the way I can enjoy my day. (When I was a kid I developed the habit of eating my vegetables first. I hated them, and by eating them first I could enjoy the rest of my meal. Same idea!)

Have some fun scheduled into each day. The fun might be a special treat, such as lunch with a friend, or it might just be time devoted to a project that excites you. You need something to look forward to.

What rewards motivate you? Maybe it is a feeling you get when you actually finish a task instead of just “working on” something. Or knowing that you made a difference to someone. Or earning money. Whatever it is, when you feel stuck do something that will give you the reward you want.

Get a co-worker. If you are working on your own every day (as many solo-preneurs do) it can be lonely. Having someone else around, at least now and then, can be energizing. You may work together or just bounce ideas off each other and give feedback. I do monthly co-working days with friends and it always motivates me to get going on projects new and old.

Share your goals and objectives with someone who will hold you accountable. Just speaking your goals out loud or putting them in writing will go a long way toward motivating you. And when you have told someone you are going to do these three things this week, you will make an extra effort to actually do them.

Spend some time away from work. It is easy to get wrapped up in work to the point where you don’t leave it behind. Make sure you take time with friends and family, and just doing things that you enjoy. The time you spend away from work helps you to be more effective and productive when you are working.

Trigger your motivation. Have an activity or other signal to your body and your brain that it is time to get to work. Maybe it is looking at a picture on your wall, listening to a favorite song, taking a walk through the park, jumping on your trampoline, reading special quotations or something else that motivates you to accomplish great things.

Try these tips in various combinations until you find the mix that works best for you. Then get out there and take on the world!

When you talk about what you want to achieve, are they goals or dreams?  If you’re not sure of the difference, here’s my definition: 

A goal is specific and measurable.  A dream is a “wanna-do” with no timeline or specific actions. 

Your goals should include (1) a specific, measurable result, (2) a timeframe and (3) the steps you will take to get the results you want.

For example, saying that you want to appear in a national magazine is a dream.  On the other hand, if you target a specific group of magazines you want to reach and say that you will appear in one or more of them within one year, that’s closer to a goal. 

Add the steps you will take to get there (e.g., “I will send a press release to each of the targeted publications at least every other month.”) and you have defined your goal.  Actually do it, and hey, you might even reach your goal!

If you are wondering why you never seem to reach your goals, take another look at them.  Are you setting goals or just dreaming?

Each year I choose a theme that helps me to focus on accomplishing more and reaching my goals. My themes are typically one or two words that sum up an area I need to work on during that year. Examples of themes might be “Productivity,” “Revenue,” “Visibility,” “Service,” “Health,” “Relationships,” etc.

I use my theme to help me choose the actions I will take during the year, and where I will put my efforts. Each week I choose at least one thing I will do that is related to the theme. For example, if my theme was “Visibility” I might send a press release, or write an article for publication, or submit a proposal to speak at a conference…you get the idea.

Another way to use a theme is to evaluate opportunities that come up. When deciding if something is a good use of my time one of the questions I ask myself is if that activity is consistent with my theme.

This year’s theme is “Systems.” That means that I am looking for ways to streamline, standardize and automate as many functions as I can. Setting up systems will help me do more in less time, which means I can make more money while having more free time. I like that!

If you have never had a theme, why not give it a try? My themes tend to be annual, but your theme can be monthly, or quarterly, or until you get the results you are looking for.

Start by asking yourself some questions. What are your most important goals? What are the obstacles that stand between you and your goals? What changes would make you healthier, wealthier or happier? What is one broad term that encompasses what you need to do to get from where you are to where you want to be?

Make it positive. “Stop procrastinating” is negative. I would probably choose a theme such as “Now” or “Do it now.”

Here are some additional examples of theme words:

Authority

Influence

Time

Adventure

Happiness

Freedom

Love

Fitness

Good Habits

Confidence

Connections

Forward

Calm

Courage

Yes

Once you have selected your theme word, make up some cards with the theme word. Put them on your laptop, your desk, your bulletin board, in your wallet…anywhere you will see your theme word often and keep it in mind.

Then live with your theme in mind.

What is your theme going to be this year?

In this article, you will discover how to avoid the trap that causes most people not to keep their resolutions. Ready? Here we go!

Last week we talked about making New Year’s resolutions that will work. (If you missed it, you can read the article at https://idealady.com/article/new_years_resolutions_you_can_keep/ )

In the previous article, we said that in order to make effective resolutions we need to focus on ACTION. We took our example list of resolutions from:

• Make more money.
• Lose weight.
• Spend more time with my kids.
• Get more things done.
• Be happier.

To:

• Hold one teleseminar every month.
• Walk at least 10,000 steps a day.
• Outsource the maintenance of my website and blog.
• Maintain a daily gratitude journal.

Your list will be different, and probably longer, but it should include a series of things you are going to DO.

By now you may have figured out the main reason why people fail at this. When you look at your list you may think, “I can’t possibly do all of that!” You’re right, if you try to do it all at once.

Resolutions fail because people try to make over their entire lives in one day.

Start by creating good habits. First decide what your highest priority is, or which steps should come before others. For example, writing in a daily gratitude journal could change your outlook in ways that will give you the energy and confidence to tackle new challenges. Get a journal and make writing in it a habit.

After a week or two, as you have gotten used to writing in your journal and it is becoming a habit, start on another task. That might be buying a pedometer and working toward your 10,000 steps daily, or it might be putting your family game nights on the calendar and planning the first one.

Put your action steps on a schedule. Let’s say that for your goal of making more money you identified several tasks such as holding one teleseminar a month, publishing a monthly email newsletter, distributing monthly press releases, creating a new report or other product every other month, etc. Give yourself a schedule of when you will do each thing, rather than playing it by ear and trying to cram all of the monthly tasks into the last two days of the month. Send a press release in the first week of the month, put out your email newsletter in the second week and hold your teleseminar in the third week. In the fourth week, work on your product. Put these on your calendar, and treat each one as an appointment that you will keep.

Got the idea? Do not make all of the changes you want to make at once. Take small steps, build habits, and get yourself on a schedule.

What happens when you get off schedule or break your new habit? It can happen that something throws you off. Do not let that be the excuse for stopping. Start right back up as soon as you can. The longer you stay away from your new good behavior the harder it will be to get back to it.

As each new action becomes a good habit, look for additional good habits to start. January 1st is not the only day you can make positive changes. Make them all through the year and multiply your success!