How to Motivate Yourself on "Off" Days

Lack of motivation is so common, and we all experience it at some point in our lives. We can go from 100 to 0 in the matter of seconds, and let’s face it, it’s so much easier to sit and watch Netflix instead of doing anything productive (that’s how I have spent my morning… whoops). Here’s the thing though, sometimes a rest is good, however if that’s all you’re doing then you won’t get anything done, and will feel like you’ve wasted your time. We all have off days, but the most successful people still find a way to work on them, below are my top tips to motivating yourself on an off day.

Get Dressed

As silly as this may sound, sometimes just getting dressed can make us feel more productive. It’s step one of the day, and can make a huge difference to your motivation levels. You’re more likely to get stuff done if you’re well prepared for the day. Although pajama days are nice, if you need to get stuff done just put your jeans on and get on with it.

Control Your Sleep

On your days off where you don’t have anything going on, set an early alarm, and start your day early, this way you have time for both Netflix and whatever else you need to do because relaxing can help us find motivation later on. Oversleeping can leave us feeling just as groggy as lack of sleep and as a result make us more unproductive, so make sure you get your eight hours and set an early alarm for those hard days.

Meditate

As stated above, relaxing before working can actually help you find motivation. If you meditate or do yoga I would suggest doing that before getting to work. Clearing our minds can open up new creative ideas and help us feel even more motivated otherwise.

Set Strict Deadlines

If you are struggling to get out of the relaxation stage of the day then sit down and write a plan. Plan your days out to the second, and set yourself really strict deadlines. This can be hard, but if you create a plan and stick to it every day it will become a routine, which will work wonders for your general productivity, and help you feel more fulfilled.

Incentive

As basic as it sounds, make sure you have a treat ready for yourself for after you get your tasks done. This gives you something to look forward to, while pushing through the hardest off day. Whether it’s a bottle of wine, a bar of chocolate, or even a trip out with your best friends, make sure you give yourself something to push through, for otherwise the day will feel a lot longer.

Start Small

If you start the day off with a small task that doesn’t take long it will help you realise that you absolutely can complete the rest. Start off with a morning skin routine, or a short walk, even just brushing your teeth! Give yourself something easy to begin with to warm up to the heavier stuff.