Self Motivation…It can be hard!

Soooo a lot of us are spending a lot of time inside, whether that is still by choice or because everything is closed and we are being asked to do everything from the comfort of our homes.  Seems like a dream, right!  Maybe being confined to your house is lovely for now but it might get old quick.  It also might be hard to self motivate to keep yourself working and keep yourself active.  So how do we keep up a workout routine, keep ourselves on track with our jobs and not just binge watch trashy tv or get sucked into social media all day. 

Here are a few tips that have worked for me.
 
Create a routine.

Get out a pen and paper and Write. It. Down!  This will help it look and seem real and you can hold yourself more accountable, also it will give you a better understanding of what you can actually fit into your day if you add a timeframe. 

A basic outline.
8am - Wake up and get ready for your day
9am - 12pm - Work
12pm-1pm – Lunch break
2pm – 5pm – Work
5:30pm – 6:30pm - Workout/yoga etc.
7pm – Prepare and make dinner
9pm – Relax (Netflix)
11pm – Bedtime
 
Have some at home workouts ready to go so that you don’t spend 30 mins looking for one.  Your local gym or yoga studio might have something posted, especially if they are closed right now.
 
What if you aren’t working right now? 

What if your job can’t be done from home and you are at home for 24hrs a day right now?  It is almost more important to keep busy without too much Netflix if you aren’t working from home. 
Some things that you can add into your day to keep yourself sane and busy.

• Meditate
• Journal
• Start a free course
• Learn a language
• Workout
• Yoga
• Read a book
• Deep clean your house
• Go through your closet and do a purge
• Create a vision board with old magazines
• Learn or practice an instrument
• Colouring books (or printable pages)

A basic outline for filling your day up.
8am - wake up and get ready for your day
9am – 10am – workout/yoga etc.
10am – Breakfast
11am-1pm – Do a course
1pm – Lunch
2pm – 4pm – Learn an instrument
4pm – 5pm – Meditate/journal
5pm – 6pm - read a book or colour (yes as an adult)
6pm – 7pm  - Call friends and family
7pm - Prepare and make dinner
8pm – Relax (Netflix)
11pm – Bedtime

Add these things into your daily plan and save the Netflix for end of your day when you have already been productive.  Again also have some at home workouts ready to go so that you don’t spend 30 mins looking for one.  

Hold yourself accountable.

You have written down your daily routine and have workouts/books/courses ready to go but are still worried that you might not.  Create a check list and tick off things as you do them, this will make you feel like you are achieving them.  You can do this for lots of things, working out, drinking enough water, and getting your actual work done. 
You can also set a timer.  If you want to read for 30 mins each day, then set a timer and do it for 30 mins.   A timer can help with work too.  I find that I am more productive with a quick 5 or 10 minute break every half an hour and then 50 mins of straight uninterrupted work.  This might not work for people that are still very connected via wifi and phone to their ‘office’ and attending ‘meetings’ etc.  If you aren’t working or if you primarily work alone, this can be helpful.
 
Plan fun at home activities.

Have some fun activities planned for each day or a few per week.  If it is a movie that you have wanted to watch on Netflix, plan a time to watch it (maybe with someone that you live with). That way you will have something to look forward to.  Some fun things to plan would be movie nights, nightly family dinners or board games nights.
 
Reward yourself.

If you struggle to self motivate, then a rewards system can often help.  Think about what you want to get done, plan it, do it and then reward yourself for actually achieving it.  A nice hot bubble bath, save tv time until after you have done everything and use it as a reward or a phone call with a friend, tell them that you will call them after you have done a 30 min workout or finished your work for the day.

Get outside

If you are able to get outside and go for a walk or sit on your balcony or anything to get into some fresh air.  This helps with your mental health.

Keep checking in with your own mental health as well as your loved ones, phone calls, emails, social, FaceTime.  It can be hard for some to be stuck at home, so take care of each other.