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To us, the unmotivated masses, exhaustion happens a lot. It is part of our daily lives.
Reading the definition of exhaustion feels exhausting:
- a state of extreme physical or mental fatigue.
- the action or state of using something up or of being used up completely.
Feeling tired and unmotivated yet? If not, we can re-read the definition again.
This definition is accurate. Exhaustion means it will be hard for us to be that motivated, caffeinated superstar we dream of. Reality can disappoint us. That is life.
What can we do so we don’t waste this “down time” in our lives? Let’s make a quick list.
- Tell ourselves to meditate. This no effort activity fits our no-energy present state of mind. It takes no effort to close our eyes and zone out. Plus, we can tell ourselves we are doing something constructive. Meditation helps our minds reorganize, clear a lot of random mental trash, and refreshes us when we finish. Difficult mental tasks are easier if we meditate first.
- Learn something new that is helpful and interesting. This tells our brain we are making forward progress. This could be a skill that we need for the future. And interesting? This takes our minds off of our current exhaustion. We can watch an entertaining instructional video instead of wasting our time.
- Check out our environment. Are we exhausted because of where we are? Who are we with? The mind-numbing task we are doing now? Then, a change of scenery is in order. For example, we visit our local donut shop. As we chow down a dozen high sugar donuts, we listen to the locals complain about life. We may feel too exhausted to walk home or even to our car. Environments make a difference.
- We can tell our minds this is “recharge time.” When we finish resting, we expect our minds to push us forward. Yes, we can influence our minds by giving them expectations. Another way is to yell “break time” so we don’t feel guilty about taking time off for our current condition.
- Check our “fear of failure” programs. Maybe we don’t have exhaustion. Instead, our mind fears failing in our task. In that case, let’s remember to move our goal from the end of the task. Our new goal will be what we want to accomplish in the first 60 seconds of our task.
- Remind ourselves that even the best genius minds have to rest. We are in good company. This could be our prompt to prevent our brains from overheating. And who knows? The universe could secretly be protecting us from a treadmill accident.
- What about physical movement? Dancing? Hey, we are exhausted, remember? Yes, when we move and get in motion, motivation is easier. But for now, we are trying to deal with our “stuck in place” self who doesn’t want to move. We can attempt movement by telling ourselves, “Now is a great time to go to the refrigerator for some snacks.” This isn’t the optimal solution, but at least we do have movement.
- Are we craving an electronic pacifier? Has our Internet connection created an addiction program in our minds? If so, we can tell ourselves, “I won’t go on the Internet. I can only rest.” Within a few minutes our boredom will motivate us to do something more productive.
- Think “opposite” like Charlie Munger, the famous stock investor. He calls his tool, the inversion process. Ask ourselves how to get the opposite result. For example, “What can I do to make me even less motivated?” Then we avoid those things.
- Be daring? 440 volt coffee? Espresso inhalers? Intravenous energy drinks? 100-decibel heavy metal music? Insult our mother-in-law? Use these short-term techniques at our own risk.
This list is a good launch for our motivation when exhaustion is our enemy.
– Taken from the book, “How To Get Motivated in 60 Seconds.”
How to Get Motivated in 60 Seconds
The Secrets to Instant Action
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