You know those moments when it's time to start cooking dinner and you don't feel like it?
That was me last night.
I did not feel like cooking dinner.
Everything in me wanted to curl up on the couch and take a nap. It's been a full week!
I had all the ingredients in the house.
It was an easy throw-it-in-the-pot soup recipe.
And still.
No motivation whatsoever.
Do you ever feel this way?
Whether it's...
>> Cooking dinner
>> Exercise
>> Grocery shopping
>> Cleaning the house
>> Running errands
or whatever else...
If you're feeling the lack of motivation this week, I thought I'd share what I did last night.
I had a little internal conversation with myself... which literally took 20 seconds.
How will it feel in an hour if I still have to do this? >> Ugh, please no.
How will it feel in an hour if I take 10 minutes right now and pull it together. >> Better. I just want it done.
Jill, can you give yourself 10 minutes to cut this all up and throw it in the pot?
All you need is 10 minutes.
Just take out the onion and start chopping the onion. You'll be done in 10 minutes.
And I did. I started chopping an onion and about 10 minutes later, it was simmering on the stove.
Finding motivation seems like a big task when I'm feeling so tired.
But I know things like cooking a meal, taking walks, keeping the house somewhat picked up and weekly grocery shopping are all bare necessities for my health and well-being.
Asking myself for just a small amount of time for the process (10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour)...
and taking the first step (start chopping the first ingredient)...
allows the moment to feel doable.
Maybe the thought of a workout seems so un-motivating.
But, what about going for a short walk... for 10 minutes... just around the block?
Ok, first step... put on the shoes, get the dog leash. Once I'm out there, I might even find I'm willing to go 2 blocks... or even three.
Grocery shopping... How will it feel in an hour when it is done? How will this feel next Tuesday or Wednesday when I know this is done.
Can I give myself one hour to get the necessities right now? If I left now, I would be back in one hour.
Ok, first step... get the keys, grab the grocery bags & walk out to the car.
Dirty kitchen... Can I give myself 2 minutes to empty the dishwasher?
Just open it up and put the dishes away.
Now can I give myself 2 minutes to load the dishwasher and clean the counter?
2 minutes always feels possible to me.
Find the small places you can take action without overwhelming yourself with the big picture.
Try it out and let me know how it goes.
