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This post is by ProBlogger expert Ellen Jackson of Potential Psychology<\/span><\/p>\n Have you ever uttered the phrase, \u2018One day I\u2019ll\u2026\u2019?<\/p>\n Of course you have. We all <\/span>have.<\/p>\n One day I\u2019ll schedule my social media<\/span><\/p>\n One day I\u2019ll improve my web site<\/span><\/p>\n One day I\u2019ll organise my images <\/span>(a personal favourite)<\/p>\n One day I\u2019ll start a podcast…<\/span><\/p>\n Next we say, \u2018When\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n When I have more time<\/span><\/p>\n When I have more money<\/span><\/p>\n When inspiration hits<\/span><\/p>\n When I\u2019ve developed my skills<\/span><\/p>\n When I feel more confident<\/span><\/p>\n When life is easier\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s a thought: What if life is never easier? What if you never find more time, money or confidence?<\/p>\n What if tomorrow and the day after and the day after that are no different to today? How will you ever achieve your goals and get those \u2018one day\u2019 tasks done? What if \u2018one day\u2019 never comes?<\/p>\n Procrastination researchers<\/a><\/span>\u00a0have discovered that our tendency to put things off is a self-delusion designed to make us feel better about today.<\/p>\n \u2018We think that our future self will be better able to handle feelings of insecurity or frustration with the task,\u2019 psychologist Dr Fuschia Sirois says. \u2018That somehow we\u2019ll develop these miraculous coping skills to deal with the emotions that we just can\u2019t deal with right now.\u2019<\/p>\n Oh dear.<\/p>\n Recently I challenged my audience to see if together we could make some progress on our \u2018one day\u2019 goals. Science tells us that public accountability<\/a><\/span>\u00a0can help motivate you to achieve your goals, so we teamed up and made a commitment to work together.<\/p>\n We each picked a \u2018one day\u2019 goal \u2013 something that had been on the to-do list for months or longer. Tasks we\u2019d been avoiding \u2013 important but not urgent. Goals that languished in the backs of minds, niggling, without ever launching forth to a point of urgency.<\/p>\n Our aim?<\/p>\n To follow five simple, science-based steps over five days to make major progress on our \u2018one day\u2019 goals.<\/p>\n The goals were diverse:<\/p>\n \u2018Make a plan to buy my first home\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018Digitise my client files\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018Tidy my spare room\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018Write my ebook\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018Build my potential client base\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n We were all filled with enthusiasm, posting images to Instagram each day to share our progress.<\/p>\n The results were gratifying.<\/p>\n \u201cI am well on the way to finishing my ebook. I produced 65 pages of a 100-page book, created the template, designed the cover AND worked out a distribution plan. All in five days! Prior to this I had done… not much for two years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI have officially ticked off everything I set out to do this week. Feeling chuffed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n And the steps to get there?<\/p>\n Let me share the five science-based steps to making your \u2018one day\u2019 today.<\/p>\n \u2018Fix my web site\u2019 is a goal too overwhelming to contemplate. What does \u2018fixed\u2019 look like? How will you know when it\u2019s fixed? Will \u2018fixing\u2019 one piece break another one?<\/p>\n No wonder you never start.<\/p>\n When you pull a goal apart and specify exactly what you want to achieve, you do two things:<\/p>\n A clear, specific goal is necessary but not sufficient if you want to achieve your \u2018one day\u2019 project. You need to know where you\u2019re going, but it\u2019s action <\/span>that will get you there.<\/p>\n Step two involves two tasks.<\/p>\n Task One:<\/strong> Write it down. Did you know you are 42% more likely to achieve your goal<\/a><\/span>\u00a0if you write it down? It\u2019s not clear how or why this works, but the evidence confirms that it does.<\/p>\n Task Two:<\/strong> Work on your \u2018Why?\u2019 For many of us, motivation comes not just from what <\/span>we\u2019re trying to achieve, but why. <\/span>Studies have shown that if we connect our goal to something larger and more important (\u2018I want to make money blogging so I can spend more time at home with my children\u2019) we are less impulsive, less likely to give in to distractions, and more likely to plan and execute the required actions to reach our goals. When you\u2019ve articulated your goal, spend some time thinking about why <\/span>you want to achieve it. Who\u2019s involved? How will they benefit? How will achieving this goal improve your life?<\/p>\n Motivation: We’re all looking for it. Somewhere along the line someone convinced us that when we find <\/span>our motivation, goal success will be effortless. We just have to find it<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>and then making client calls will be easy. We\u2019ll sit at the laptop and schedule our social media. We won\u2019t procrastinate\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span>be distracted<\/span>. We\u2019ll just get stuff done. Simple.<\/span><\/p>\n But motivation isn\u2019t \u00a0‘thing.’ It can’t be found. Motivation, in simple psychological terms, is the desire to do something. You won’t find the desire to do something hiding anywhere. You have to create it.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a tip from\u00a0the world\u2019s leading researchers in goal-setting<\/a><\/span>: Make your goal difficult<\/span>.<\/p>\n Challenging but realistic goals \u2013 goals that stretch us but not quite to breaking point \u2013 activate motivation. They push us, encourage us and reward us when we achieve them. If a goal is too easy we don\u2019t get the get up and go to… well, get up and go. If they\u2019re too difficult we\u2019re too overwhelmed to start. A stretching, challenging but achievable goal is like Baby Bear\u2019s porridge \u2013 just right.<\/p>\n It’s called \u2018The 15-minute rule\u2019 and it rocks. I know because I use it all the time.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how it works:<\/p>\n If there’s a task on your list that you’re avoiding, commit 15 minutes to it today.<\/p>\n It could be:<\/p>\n Why does it work? Because getting started is the hardest part of any task. The good news is that once you’ve started, you’re likely to push on beyond the 15 minutes you committed to. It’s called the Ovsiankina effect<\/a><\/span>. Your brain doesn’t like starting a task and then stopping partway through. It will linger on your unfinished business, niggling at you until you get the job done. Get started and you’ll find the motivation to do more.<\/p>\n What do you do when you finish a project or task? Do you tick it off the list and move straight on to the next one? Do you get on a roll, morphing into a task-completion machine? How long can you maintain momentum before you collapse on the lounge with the remote and Netflix?<\/p>\n A critical step in making progress towards difficult goals<\/a><\/span>\u00a0is celebrating the steps along the way. Yes, a big win feels great. But it\u2019s the small wins \u2013 the incremental tasks you nail each day \u2013 that sustain your motivation and keep you happy and engaged for the long run.<\/p>\n Day five is all about reviewing your progress and celebrating your successes. Make a list of every little thing you\u2019ve achieved on your \u2018one day\u2019 goal so far. Every little tiny thing. Give yourself a mental high five and put your feet up for a while. You\u2019ve made a big start on a long-time goal. That deserves a reward. What\u2019s more, you\u2019re set up to rock on into next week.<\/p>\n Ellen Jackson from Potential Psychology<\/a><\/span>\u00a0 is a workplace psychologist, consultant, writer and speaker. Her mission is to help others to live, learn and flourish. You can join her next free Quick Win Challenge to nail your \u2018one day\u2019 goal here<\/a><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Quick Win Goal Challenge<\/h2>\n
Step 1: Know EXACTLY What You Want to Achieve by the End of the Five Days<\/h3>\n
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Step 2: Take Conscious Action<\/h3>\n
Step 3: Stop Looking for Motivation<\/h3>\n
Step 4: Use my Favourite Productivity Tip<\/h3>\n
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Step 5: Celebrate Every Step<\/h3>\n