Inspiration and ideas for how to get motivated

In light of the financial crisis and the weather and when we're stuck inside working, I thought I would give out let slip some ways that I motivate myself.

1. Change your scenery. Get on a train and go somewhere else for a weekend. Get on your bike and go for a spin for a couple of hours.


2. Get out of your comfort zone. It's a difficult one to do but normally feels great afterwards. You can get out of your comfort zone by doing something you fear or making things less comfortable!


3. Meet up with other people. Being with other people is energising and stimulates ideas.


4. Do some exercise. Getting the blood moving is guaranteed to awake you from stagnation. Go out for a run.


5. Get outside. There is no substitute for getting outside for some fresh air.


6. Set yourself a goal. Tell yourself that you are going to finish something you really want to finish by the end of the day. Don't stop until it's done. Set the time scale realistically for any task otherwise you risk being disappointed but always aim to push yourself. You will be surprised at the results.


7. Get organised. Do everything you can to remove distractions in your life. Sell useless things on Ebay. Remove all online addictions like Facebook. If you work on a computer; take time to make sure it runs properly. Organise your files and folders and back it up so you don't lose your work. Get your tools in order, whatever they may be in your life.


8. Read about other people doing the same stuff that you are interested in. I often read the blogs of people doing adventurous things and I  study design websites  to get inspired in my work.


9. Focus. Trying to do to many things at once just dissipates your energy. You need to focus on one, max two tasks.


10. Finish one thing before you start another. There is nothing more demoralising than having a load of loose ends and nothing properly finished. Everything is a process but learn to know when something is finished and when it needs perseverance.


11. Get angry. Look at your life and if you're not living your wildest dreams, understand why you aren't, and then start to take actions to change things. 'Angst' is a word in Existentialism that describes the anxiety or energy that is felt through a dissatisfaction with life and the need to 'make the big leap' and commit yourself to your goals.


12. Help others. There is nothing more rewarding than helping people in need and contributing to a worthwhile cause. If you can't get motivated by a social project then you've got problems.


13. Read philosophy. Philosophies are ideas about how to live life. In the past a lot of clever people have pondered the reasons for existence and come up with various conclusions. Many of these can provide relevant ways to live life today, and some can't, but that's up to you.


14. Watch films, go the the theatre. Acting is an important part of human culture. It allows humans to step out of the rigid structures of societal etiquette and go nuts. Acting is all about energy. Energy is what you need to get motivated. If you are energetic other people will thrive on that energy.


15. Collaborate. There is nothing better for getting motivated on a goal than sharing that goal with someone else. If you start to get demotivated, chances are someone else in the team will still be buzzing off the idea, and can lift you up, and vice verse. Human brains work through free association. One idea leads to another, and another etc etc. More brains mean exponentially more ideas. Ideas are exciting and what you need for the process to achieve your goals.


16. Learn lateral thinking. Lateral thinking is different to vertical thinking in that it is concerned with the generation of ideas. Vertical thinking is the logical linear process of one train of thought. It requires you to be right at each step. Lateral thinking doesn't require you to be right at each step and in fact it's possible to jump steps. Being wrong is not bad in lateral thinking.


17. Clear your mind. Take some time out. In the western world we wind ourselves up something chronic and we can't tell why we're all crazy. Take a day to do NOTHING. See how you feel the next day. NOTHING doesn't include vegging out in front of the telly, grrrrr!


18. Make the most of the situation. If it snows, take a leaf out of the book of the Swedish (book?). Run a hot bath, then run out into the snow, roll in it and then get into bath. Repeat. If that doesn't wake you up...


19. Procrastinate usefully. If you can't do something you really want to do right now for circumstances out of your control or you are finding yourself unable to concentrate on something you should, do something else you can do and focus on that instead.


20. Look. Observe the greatness around you. Take up photography and spend some time looking closer at things. See the world from a different perspective.