Do you struggle to get motivated? Even the most proactive among us can find themselves struggling to get that project started, begin a new exercise program or overhaul their diet. The day to day of our lives takes over and its easy to find excuses not to make changes we dont have enough time, we cant find the extra cash right now, well do it when the kids are older, or when we have more energy. And then we find that that extra cash never materialises, our time continues to be filled with other things, our energy levels only seem to decrease, and so our plans stay firmly on the back burner. Not only do we not achieve what we want and need to achieve, the fact that these plans stay unrealised causes a niggling sense of failure that contributes to an overall lack of wellbeing we can feel lazy, inadequate and unsuccessful, not to mention exhausted, overwhelmed and stressed.

But dont despair! There are some easy and effective ways to increase your motivation, achieve your goals and create the life youve always wanted.

Eliminate the negative self-talk

If you focus on how youre not getting this, that or the other done then youre using vital energy on doing yourself down not the best way to get motivated! Think about it, if your boss wanted you to complete a task would you feel more motivated, enthusiastic and capable if they continually berated you for past failings or if they focused on your specific skills and strong points, perhaps noting something youd done particularly well in the past? Likewise, we probably wouldnt use harsh language and insults to ask a friend to help us out, yet we often think nothing of calling ourselves some incredibly demeaning names, and refuse to focus on anything that weve ever succeeded at.

When you notice yourself engaging in this kind of negative self-talk firstly, dont beat yourself up for beating yourself up! Simply notice that youre having the thought, and then question whether its helpful for you at this point. Think about whether you would say this to your partner, friend or child. If the thought isnt productive then you can just allow it to pass by. Consider an alternative that might be more useful, perhaps its the exact opposite to the original thought? Or maybe you will choose to remember a similar event in your past that you dealt with really well?

Theres a good chance that youve achieved a heck of a lot in your life, so be kind to yourself and appreciate all youve done.

Write it down

Having a tonne of vague ideas and must-dos floating around in your head is a great way to increase your stress levels, but thats about all its good for! Grab a notebook and just get it all down on paper (or the digital method of your choice, if thats more your thing. Or cover all bases and use both, like me!). Chances are theres a lot less than it felt like there were when they were occupying valuable brain space.

Next you can add some order to your list by prioritising the items based on their importance. Consider what needs to be done RIGHT NOW, what can wait but needs to be addressed in order to make your life easier and more enjoyable, and what isnt really important at all. In this way you can start to break down your list into manageable chunks, making it easier to handle, and less anxiety inducing when you glance over it!

Schedule some time for each task. There may be some things which wont take long at all, anything that is achievable in a few minutes can be done right now. You get the satisfaction of crossing things off your list, which boosts your sense of achievement and gives you more motivation to tackle the larger things. Bigger projects may take a little more planning but think about whether you can do half now and half this weekend when the children are visiting friends. Maybe you could book some holiday from work and spend a whole day working on it? Think creatively and youll be surprised at what you can achieve!

Prioritise

See if there is anything you can cross off your list completely, anything that doesnt gel with your personal values or goals can go. Sure, your sister might have just moved to a bigger house, or bought a swanky new car, but if these things arent important to you, thats OK. Accept that they are to her and be happy for her, then focus on what YOU really want.

Get the boring-but-urgent, cant wait, life-or-death stuff done that bill wont pay itself but the sense of relief youll feel when you do it is huge. When thats out of the way you can spend your time on the tasks that are maybe more of a commitment, but will improve your life, health, happiness and wellbeing exponentially. This might mean shelling out for a gym membership or cancelling the gym membership you never use and hiring a running coach instead! Or perhaps youll begin a mindfulness course, or book an assertiveness workshop; sign up for evening classes, or devise a healthy, delicious meal plan so you wont need to resort to takeaways or grabbing fast food on the go.

Making concrete plans gives you something to look forward to and, again, increases your sense of achievement and motivation.

Call in a favour

Do you find it difficult to ask for help? Perhaps you feel that true success must be accomplished by yourself, or you worry youll appear weak or needy if you reach out? Let me tell you, no-one, repeat, NO-ONE achieves everything by themselves (even if it looks that way)! Think of that super-successful wonder woman you work with, who manages to be a fabulous mother and rise through the ranks in the office. She couldnt have achieved what she has in her career if she didnt use childcare, and she couldnt be involved in her childrens lives if she didnt delegate at work. Everybody needs help in one way or another.

The people who love you are usually more than happy to help out here and there, and you dont need to feel like youre doing all the taking. Perhaps you could organise a reciprocal babysitting arrangement with another couple, so you could each enjoy a night off now and then. Or maybe you have a particular skill that you could barter with, some help with your website in exchange for a yoga lesson, for instance.

Is there someone you know who you help out a lot? Perhaps your best friend is great at asking for favours, and youre happy to jump in. Asking them to return the favour shouldnt be a problem, theyll probably be more than happy to oblige. Dont worry if they havent offered to help out of the blue, we tend to be pretty good at keeping our struggles hidden (even if it doesnt feel like it) and your friends could well see you as that Super Achiever!

Seek professional help

If you feel that you need more of a boost than friends and family can provide then asking a professional could be the next step. Motivation is affected by many aspects, and there could be some underlying issues that are stopping you from achieving what you need and want to. Perhaps your self-esteem is low and youre struggling to believe that you deserve success? Maybe youre a chronic procrastinator and find it difficult to envision yourself operating in any other way.

Hypnotherapy works with the subconcious mind the place where all of your experiences, habits and learned behaviours are stored so its perfect for overcoming those mental hurdles and roadblocks that are preventing your success. It can help to halt and change those unhelpful thought processes that impact negatively on your life, and allow you to build a healthy, positive picture of yourself. Your hypnotherapist will also provide you with a toolkit that you can use to overcome any bumps in the road, or setbacks that may come your way so you continue to reap the benefits of hypnotherapy for life!

Id love to hear from you so please do get in touch via social media, or comment on this article and let me know how these tips have worked for you!