Don’t you wish you could take Nike’s advice and “Just do it.” whenever you’re feeling resistant to taking action?
If only it were that easy.
Sometimes, we’re wading through an army of excuses, a chronic lack of time and an even more chronic lack of energy.
How could I possibly ‘just do it’?!
I have a thousand reasons to “Just couch it” (or sofa, bed, or other favourite resting place).
I understand the thinking behind this philosophy…The slogan is telling us “Enough with planning/dreaming/excuse-making… Just take action now.”
I do think that just springing into action, no matter what, can be useful sometimes.
However, I think it can be very challenging to stay in this mode day-after-day.
“Just do it” requires willpower every time.
What’s an effective alternative?
Here are a few brief ideas. They are more effective when they are worked on together on a daily basis.
1. Increase your motivation.
If you have several strong reasons why you should take action, it will be easier to keep taking action.
What will be the present and future benefits if you take action?
Imagine how good it will feel when you finally reach the end result of what you’re working on. Picture this in your mind and think about it on a regular basis.
Motivation doesn’t happen casually or by accident.
You’ve got to be an active participant in feeding your motivation on a regular basis.
Build up “your case” and tell yourself a really good story about why you need to take action on your goals, projects, tasks or habits.
2. Boost your energy.
It’s easier to take action when you’ve got extra energy.
Boost your energy through eating healthy, exercising/moving every day and by prioritizing deep, restorative sleep.
If you ignore even one of those areas, it could be one of the main reasons why you’re finding it hard to take action.
3. Simplify areas of your life.
When your life has been simplified and your daily and weekly routines are efficient, this creates extra time for you.
Sometimes, we can’t see how we could possibly simplify our lives. Here are a few questions to help:
What activities could I stop doing?
What activities could I greatly reduce?
How could I do this faster/better?
Do I really need to do this at all?
What objects, events, and people in my life take up my time but don’t add much value?
When you run a quick analysis like this, you’ll find that it’s definitely possible to simplify your life so that you can free up your time/energy to take action on anything that’s important to you.
To take action, invest in yourself
“Just do it” can be used once in awhile but it probably won’t help you consistently every day, month-after-month.
Instead, invest in your motivation, in boosting your physical/mental energy and in simplifying your life.
Got a question or comment? Just reply in the comments section below.
Keep going for your goals,
Nigel
PS: Want to reach your goals faster? Check out one of the online accountability coaching programs and book a free Coaching Call.
