Have you ever woken up lacking clarity and motivation? Don’t worry you are not alone. Even the most dynamic and successful people suffer peaks and troughs.
I am fortunate to coach some extraordinary, high achieving entrepreneurs, and every one of them at some point or another has asked me to help them ‘lift the fog’. They have found themselves lacking motivation and or clarity and have reached out for guidance.
So here are three simple, tried, and tested steps that will help you clear that fog.
One of my coaching clients created a vision-board modelled on the Walt Disney’s Strategy flow chart from 1957. The board identifies the various elements of the business he wanted to create and how they all inter-relate. He has printed and framed the graphic, so it has pride of place above his desk. He then shared the vision board with his team, which has helped motivate them as well.
Each day he ‘checks-in’ with his vision board. In doing so, he reminds himself about his longer-term goals, which helps him prioritise his day. He asks himself ‘what will I do today that will contribute to me achieving one or more elements of my vision board?’ This helps him focus on the big issues, sometime known as Quadrant 2 activities (Covey), ‘Big Rocks’ or ‘Strategic Imperatives’.
Creating a vision-board is a great tool. I took the idea and created my own! But sometimes this daily check-in with the vision-board isn’t enough. My client admits that on occasion he looks at the board and still feels lethargic and unmotivated, what then? When the fog descends, it is all too easy to do the easy things (like checking emails) or worse still do nothing constructive (like checking social media).
Once you have checked-in with your vision board, identify one key task. Now sit down and write about it. Writing is a brilliant way to clarify your thinking. You might start by answering these three questions:
- What is the problem you are addressing?
- Why is it important?
- What steps are you going to take?
The next step of your morning routine is to walk. During the lockdown months, many of us discovered the profound physical and mental benefits of walking. At first, I felt guilty leaving my desk to ‘indulge’ in a walk in the middle of the working day. I have since learned to use walking for both motivation and reward.
However, what if you are still struggling with clarity and motivation when you return form your walk?
Sometimes the most difficult thing to do is to get started on those important big projects. A useful approach is to set yourself a tiny goal.
When writing my first book, I was plagued by writers-block. My intent was to write 2,000 words a day, but that goal soon proved overwhelming. Although our brains love problem solving, when overwhelmed they will resort to procrastination and inertia.
So, I set myself a tiny goal – to write just 100 words. By setting such a tiny goal I effectively tricked my brain into overcoming that inertia and getting started. When I achieved my 100 words, I felt good. I had achieved a goal, but more importantly I had become fully immersed in my work. Before I knew it, I had written 2,000 words or more. Tiny goals can be applied to any key project that might seem overwhelming.
Even if you only complete your tiny goal, make sure you reward yourself. For me this might be a cup of tea or coffee, another walk or an update to my vision board