Dominoes fall forwards

I know so many people who started 2020 with big plans. Some were trying to change an aspect of their behaviour: doing more of something, doing less of something, or trying something new. Others were heading in new directions with work projects. And then, because of the upheaval of the year so far, resolve and motivation have begun to flag, understandably. Many people are experiencing a ‘what’s the point?’ attitude.

There is change all around us, every day, and it can feel like a struggle. I’ve been asked so many times about how to overcome this, and here are my brief thoughts.

1. Recognise your patterns and habits and how you operate when experiencing change can shed much-needed light on murky situations. What are you prone to do? Is it different to how you are in more regular situations? How? If you are struggling to notice what you’re like, ask someone you trust to reflect back at you.
2. Keep motivation and energy levels high by doing a little bit of an unpopular task every day, or at least fairly often. Keep chipping away and you’ll notice the benefits.
3. Set yourself some achievable actions that help you get closer to where you want to be. Try not to make your actions nearly impossible to achieve. Instead, set small actions and achieve them regularly. This will help maintain your motivation and sense of achievement.
4. Factor some fun into your actions. Rather than plodding through tasks, add a bit of levity where appropriate.
5. Get others involved in your quest for motivation. If others know that you’re working towards something, they can help when things get tough and offer encouragement and support. You might need to ask them explicitly as others might not notice when you feel demotivated.
6. Reward yourself for every small gain. Take a few minutes to consider how far you have come and congratulate yourself for your achievements.
7. Be flexible and realistic. Some days don’t lend themselves to achieving much, and some actions might need to be changed mid-way through. Keep moving forwards regardless: dominoes fall forwards, not backwards.