Leahey.org

Lack of motivation is the real problem behind procrastination. If we were motivated, we would have no desire to put off until tomorrow what we could do today. You could go so far as to say procrastination is actually a symptom of the illness, motivation deficiency.

Snapping out of a funk can be tough if done improperly, but there are a few things you can do to make it as easy as possible:

1. Set concrete, but achievable goals. This is a running theme through just about every article I have thus far written. Setting too high of a goal is daunting, and will lead to hopelessness, which is the polar opposite of motivation.

Goals should be concrete, and not move in either direction. If you set a goal and find it ‘too hard’ to achieve, resolve to set your next goal lower, but don’t give up on this one. The same goes for goals that are too easy, if you set your concrete goal as getting 1/2 of a project completed in an afternoon and you find that you can reach the goal in twenty minutes…resolve to set your next goal higher.

Keep your promises to yourself, if you promised yourself a few hours of free time, make sure you get the full reward.

2. Let others know your intentions. If you plan on remodeling your kitchen, let all your family and friends know you’re doing it. You know that you’ll be asked how its coming, which is motivation to keep working.

Same goes for more serious goals. Resolve to stop drinking? Let your family, friends and trusted coworkers know. They’ll likely be more supportive if they know what you’re going through and, just like with the kitchen, they’ll check up on your progress. It’s much harder to go back on a resolution if you feel you’ll have to explain yourself to everyone you know.

3. Build your schedule around your goal. There are some blocks of time that you have little or no control over. However, you do have control over your free time. Your free time schedule should be built around your goal, not the other way around. Stick to your schedule.