This is a guest post by Nathan Hangen.
The other day my alarm went off around 8am and I didn’t feel like getting up. I’d stayed up late the night before, and I was tired.
I was trying to pull myself together long enough to roll out of bed when it hit me…
I don’t have to get up if I don’t want to.
I love this job!
Coming from a life where I had to get up every morning at 5:35 AM to drive to work and exercise with my unit, I’ve become so wired to accept being miserable that I didn’t even think about the fact that I’m in control of my life now.
Seriously, I can sleep in as long as I want without worrying about a boss riding my ass, or a co-worker waiting on me to complete a project. It’s just me baby…me. With freedom, comes responsibility. But then I thought about the other side of the coin.
I’m responsible for my income now, and if I get comfortable being lazy, then that attitude is going to bleed over into other areas of my business.
Sleeping in one day becomes 2…2 becomes a week…suddenly my traffic is dead and I haven’t sold anything for a month…I’m toast.
That’s why I wanted to talk about something we don’t talk about often enough…which is how important it is to stay motivated and keep your edge.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe strongly in taking a break to get some R & R, but there’s a difference between rewarding yourself for effort and starving yourself of it.
You don’t have to work all the time, but it’s the work that keeps you from getting sloppy.
Getting up with focus
Have you ever had those days where you can’t wait to wake up?
That’s a great feeling isn’t it?
I’m a firm believer that if you’re doing what you love…with what you’re really passionate about at the core level, then you’ll wake up like that almost automatically. Motivation is secondary because you’re doing what you love, which brings me to the best way to stay motivated:
Do what you love
When you’re doing what you love and love what you’re doing, then motivation is a natural by-product of your work. If you don’t love doing what you’re doing, then stop wasting your life away and find a way to make it happen. Doesn’t have to be immediately, but it should be a priority. The minute you lose focus is the minute you rationalize being unhappy.
Get into a routine
My routine is like this:
- Open the browser
- Turn on Pandora
- Check for any urgent issues on either Twitter or the inbox
- Check Things (Great app for Mac users)
- Get to work
The music is essential…it keeps me bobbing my head all day long, which helps me get into that zone of productivity. I know that I’ve solved the urgent issues, and that I’m on track with my projects because Things tells me everything I need to do. I don’t have to think about it, I just do it.
Hang out with successful people
How can I rest when guys like Michael are killing it on a daily basis?
How can I stop guest posting when Dave Navarro’s got that Boom Boom Pow?
How can I stop hustling when Naomi Dunford makes 5 figure days look like making pancakes?
I purposefully surround myself with successful people so that I’m never satisfied and so that I know when I’m losing my edge. I don’t see how you can be successful any other way. There’s a side benefit too, which is that in some cases, I find common ground with talented people and we create something awesome.
It’s not an option
This is just a start really, because there are going to be days when none of the regular stuff works…when you’re burned out or exhausted. It happens.
However, having resources on stand by, such as a great book or an awesome music playlist, can help you get back to the top of your game.
And that’s what’s really important I think…not so much staying on top of your game, but knowing when you aren’t. Learn to recognize the cues and take action before you build bad habits, because when you’re the one paying your own bills…you can’t afford not to.
Nathan Hangen builds Digital Empires and is co-creator of the Beyond Blogging Project and Blogger Beats, two products I highly recommend. You can also follow Nathan on Twitter.
Dead on Post Nathan,
It's Monday morning I'm doing my thing from home. So getting what you're saying. (I've been up since 4:30 am)
I've come across so many people who are looking to “get motivated” when the fact is motivation is a byproduct of inspiration. Doing what you love inspires you to take action. You're dead on!
If you're looking for someone or something to come along and turn you on or to motivate you, you could waiting a LONG time. Or as Jim Rohn says, “What if they don't show up?”
I also just blogged about having systems in place to ensure your consistency of activity (Which I notice you have in place) Systems don't give you time to “rationalize” why you can't do something.
Rationalization can't be used as currency to pay bills or buy dreams.
Good solid stuff man. Thanks!
Systems are essential, and it's something that I probably waited too long to implement. Lately, that's where I've been spending most of my energy…setting up systems that keep things going with or without me.
One of the things I like about that is I can get up early, get some stuff done, take a nap, etc
I'm a slacker by nature so I have to come up with all sorts of little tricks and bribes to stay productive. I'm so pathetic I have to set a timer to keep my focus and then give myself at least a few minutes of slacker time after every single one of these work periods. I tend to rebel at schedules but wander around in an unmotivated state if allowed too much time off leash. The timer thing really does work out well for me though.
It's one of those things I think that goes in phases. Sometimes I'm really motivated, and others I just don't want to do anything at all. Luckily, I have wife that doesn't pull any punches, but I try not to let it get there
Great stuff Nathan. This is the third post I've read this morning on Motivation. I think the Universe is trying to tell me something.
I dig this: “And that’s what’s really important I think…not so much staying on top of your game, but knowing when you aren’t. Learn to recognize the cues and take action before you build bad habits, because when you’re the one paying your own bills…you can’t afford not to.”
Noticing and paying attention to our cues is vital I think. It moves us towards being fully invested in our game – and that brings it's own motivation.
Yep. Sometimes if you aren't on your game you might just need a break, while at other times, you could be getting lazy or too casual.
Knowing how to roll with your body rhythm is supremely important, and has allowed me to stay focused long-term, rather than burn out short-term.
“Knowing how to roll with your body rhythm is supremely important…”
YES!
Great post, Nathan. My official Gen-X slacker motivation is the Beastie Boys. Cuz I'm old like that.
I remember seeing my first Beastie Boys album at Video Town years ago. Was a cassette in one of those huge packages they used to come in. Was hooked ever since.
Nathan – I don't know you but you must be single or not have kids if you don't have to get up
I don't have a choice on most days and usually by the time I am done with my morning family routine, I'm ready to start working.
3 kids actually and a wife actually, but we've all learned how to give each other breaks in the morning. Before the baby came (2 months ago), we could afford sleeping in a bit. That part has changed a bit, but we keep things pretty casual around my house.
Oh gosh
A two month old … I can barely remember those days.
Neither could we, which is why it hit us like a ton of bricks this time lol.
My other two are 6 and 8, so it had been a while
I am a work-a-holic so most times I don't need motivation. What I do need sometimes is focus. I get too many “ideas” going through my head sometimes and have trouble deciphering which are great and which should hit the file 86 box (trash can).
Most days I am up at 5 or 6am and work until wee hours of the night. But I do occasionally take time to myself, no internet, no phone, etc… It really helps me to come back with a real fire burning to be productive!
I am too, but there are times when I either get burned out or take too much of a break and lose focus.
There are times when I have a lot of crap to do that I don't want to do…like edit ebooks, tackle the inbox, write guest posts, etc.
Those are my weak points…procrastination. I've also had to learn how to pace myself…well, try to learn
Of course, there was NOTHING Nathan would rather have done than write this
guest post.
Damn straight
I'm pretty there as well, 6 hours sleep is pretty good. I hot fire burning under my butt, and I can't usually stand to sleep in.
Never been a slacker. Probably ought to try it.
Cool reminder Nathan,
when you're your own boss you can't slack off for long – and if you luv what you do you don't want to.
I set myself daily structures too and surround myself with successful people as well, at least digital-wise – can't find them in the offline world
The thing about doing what you love is that there are always going to be things you want to put off. For instance, this morning I put off my podcast because I wasn't sure what I was going to talk about near the end and I didn't want to take the time to think it through.
It's the little things like that that end up holding me back.
Like virginbloggernotes I'm a slacker at heart but trying to find something that works. I'm realising I don't want to ditch the slacker attitude completely (it's part of who I am) but I do need to up my productivity game. So on the days where I have to get up to commute at 6am I'm getting up a 1/2hr earlier. The bonus – I can get a seat on the train which gives me some extra “reading” time (usually involves falling asleep holding a book) and I get some extra time to work on stuff before the day job starts. I also feel less pressured on the days when I can take it easier in the morning and help with kids a bit before working.
I spread my workday throughout the entire day because that's what works best for me and it allows me to split it up and hang with the family. It is definitely hard when you're working full-time somewhere else too.
I don't think there's a right or way to do things here, as long as you keep the hustle alive
Nathan,
I've more or less got the same routine, but I think you're a much harder worker than I am
. I know you're a fan of 24 so you'll appreciate my Jack Bauer guide to productivity. I personally love the use of music. I try to put on some good techno since the words don't distract and then we just rock and roll from there. If there's anything great about blogging it's that it gives you access to a bunch of like-minded successful people. I love that and can't get enough of it. Surrounding ourselves with successful people is easier than it has ever been. Even if we don't have access to them directly,we have access to their thinking. That rocks 
Well, work is my middle name, and I'm getting old so I have a lot of catching up to do
It's the passion for what you do that keeps you from slackin' for too long IMHO. Some days I do slack and others I crack the whip into the wee hours to get something done. That's the beauty of a self driven occupation right?
Passion certainly helps, but there are some days when I feel “passion-less,” so I just take a break at that point. That being said, I love having those options.
Great post. I woke up feeling just like that this morning!! I'm no where close to a 5 figure day, week or even month and everyday is still kind of scary for me but a few pages from one of my favorite Gitomer books got me up and motivated. I'm constantly fighting not to lose focus and not worrying about not being successful because I don't want to take away from what I'm building. As soon as I find a few more successful people who don't make a funny face when I tell them I'm taking on the likes of Suze Orman for the web I can start to hang out with more successful people as well
haha, why not have big goals right?
One of the things I like about that is I can get up early, get some stuff done, take a nap,
I also suggest exercising at the start of the day. It helps me become both physically and mentally active and motivated.
I try, but right now I'm stuck with baby duty. Maybe in a few months
A-men. I'm learning this the hard way… in six months I went from compulsive slacker to frantic overworker. Now I have to seek the balance between the two.
Well, AFTER the product launches of course.
balance? what balance?
[...] The Slacker’s Guide to Staying Motivated over at Remarkablogger [...]
Getting really late is a perk that I enjoy. But I try my best to make up for the lost time For instance, it is now 9.08 pm on a sunday evening. It is the hours that most my friends (the ones with office jobs) stay away from anything work-related because they will be getting up early tomorrow to go to work. But hey I'll be staying up working because I love it!!!
As for motivation, I haven't made that 5 figures yet so that's motivation source #1. Oh, and my playlist is all rocknroll ranging from AC/DC to Motley Crue. OK, it doesn't range that much. It is full of rock bands that energize me.
I also want to add coffee to the playlist and that inspiring book. My latest favorite is Mitch Joel's Six Pixels of Separation.
Mitch is awesome. I haven't read the book, but love his blog and podcast.
Mitch is awesome. I haven't read the book, but love his blog and podcast.
balance? what balance?
I try, but right now I'm stuck with baby duty. Maybe in a few months
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