Winter always seems like the longest season of the year. It starts to get chilly in the evenings in September and doesn’t start to get warm until spring in April. Well the last half of April technically because let’s face it, there’s always one last snowstorm mid April every year. So let’s just say April 17th to be safe. So, that’s a long time. We are on the home stretch since it’s almost March, so I think we can all agree that we are ready for the days to get longer and the sun to be around more often.
Which is why winter is the hardest time of the year to find motivation. We all just want to stay inside our houses and hibernate under a mountain of blankets. We find it hard to find motivation to do even the simplest of tasks around the house and avoid going outside whenever possible.
Which is why spring is basically my favourite time of year. The flowers start to peak out of the ground, the trees start to grow new leaves and everyone is always in the happiest mood when a nice day finally rolls around. It’s also the time of year when energy just comes out of nowhere. On a nice day, you find yourself motivated to go for that new hike at the park around the corner, go for a long drive with the windows down and maybe finally getting your butt back to the gym.
That being said, spring could be tomorrow or it could be 2 months from now, but i’m determined to get jump started on that motivation aspect a little early. I want that spring motivation today. Here. Now. Looking out the window, the sun has chosen to peak through the clouds and it looks like such a beautiful day, but winter is deceiving. The cold with the wind chill today is about -15. But, that’s okay because there are so many things to do inside when you’re motivated. Laundry, cleaning, cooking, reading, and in my case, I study nutrition on the side. I am working on this master nutrient chart for the most common foods. Yes, I know I’m extra and I could look all of this up online, but for some reason I have to always find more than one chart to get the information I’m looking for. The amount of information on the internet is insane and I want to create a database that is accessible at my fingertips with information combined with all my websites and knowledge. So, as I sit here writing this, the motivation I have for making this database is overwhelming. I have that spring level motivation right now to get started on this chart. Because this chart will probably take me months to perfect as I have to sift through hundreds of online research and websites. But, for now, I have my mini goals of what I want to complete today while I have this motivation.
I have a few tips for things to do when you feel motivated of course or if you just have too many things to do that you don’t feel motivated.
- Make a list of all the things you have to do for the day (yes, I said day not week, month or year)
- Now, put a time frame next to each item indicating how long it will take to complete
- Now, scratch off the things that realistically won’t get completed today
- Start the list, What are you waiting for?
Sometimes, the lack of motivation is disguised as the excuses we tell ourselves. You don’t feel like it, or you will get to it after …. We tell ourselves that whatever we are currently doing is more important than the things we have to do. Problem is, that we don’t find chores or our to do list fun or entertaining. But, who says it cant be? Sometimes when I want to get some cleaning done, I will put on a really upbeat playlist so that I can sing and dance while I’m doing it. Because why not? Or maybe you have to cook something and you feel super lazy and would rather order something in for dinner? So, why not look up a really yummy recipe and next time you’re doing groceries, go pick up those missing items so you can make it. Healthy home cooking doesn’t have to be really boring and bland like people think. My favourite recipes always include my favourite foods like sweet potato or avocado and my favourite spices include rosemary, thyme and garlic powder. Some of my favourite foods are ones I have made at home. Because that way I know what’s in them and I can eat them without guilt or worrying about feeling like crap afterwards.
So, stop making excuses and just do it. I actually had to stop writing this post so that I could just go throw in a load of laundry I forgot I had to do. 😊
