The dreaded 9-5 eh! Or maybe not so dreaded, it’s up to you. We all have our opinions on work and that’s great, we all have to work someway or the other, but my god! It can very easily come between you and your passions and hobbies. Making time for extra curricular activities can easily become a pain after spending 8 hours in a place that doesn’t contribute to your goals, dreams and desires. Many of us feel deflated after a 9-5 and I’m with you. Confidence Unleashed is my side project that I have to make time for at the beginning or end of a long day and believe me, the temptation to sit down and chill to watch the Simpsons on channel 4 is a hard fight.
Alas, if we are to achieve what we want to achieve in this life we must be proactive and put the work in. Which is why to help with this dilemma, I have compiled 7 of my best ways to ensure I smash my goals (short and long term) even though that pesky day job gets in the way for 8 hours (usually). So, we’ve clocked in and you have your morning coffee. The clock strikes 9am so let’s get to it.
- Get Out of Bed at Least Half an Hour Earlier Than You Usually Do.
For me, there’s nothing worse on a morning than your alarm going off and you immediately have to get out of bed and get to work. Rather, take some time to ‘come round’ in the morning, ease out of bed and start working on your goals. Being productive in the morning before you get to work makes you feel better because you are actively working towards something that means a lot to you, one small step at a time. Small steps towards your goals are definitely better than not working on them at all. An example I use to help the morning transition is to set my Alexa. Yes, I’m one of those guys who has one, and I set my alarm on it to play Smooth radio. This station plays more relaxed, but upbeat music which really helps with waking up gradually (instead of jarringly) and allows you to feel more relaxed when the push to get out of bed arrives.
2. Think of the End Goal
This is a biggie and thoroughly deserves a mention. When you are working towards something it is most often a long term goal that is hard to appreciate when the progress is slow and gradual. As long as you persistently work towards your goal, even 10 minutes a day, you will get there far quicker than someone who gives up!
We all fall by the way-side, more than once as well. The key is to not lose sight of your end goal and keep going.
The first example that comes to my mind is when you see those bronzed Adonises and Grecian queens on the front cover of every magazine who inconveniently smile at you while you wait in line to buy your stuffed crust pizza at your local super market. Getting to that level of aesthetic for your body takes a lot of time and dedication, so you are not going to see results straight away. However, that doesn’t stop us from getting demotivated when we don’t see results after three weeks. You really need to keep at it, through trials and tribulations and you will get there.
3. Ensure You Are Productive With Your Time.
The feeling of being productive is addictive. I don’t know about you, but if I sit and watch videos on YouTube all day (you know the ones, fail compilations, let’s plays, and ‘See what happens when…..’) I end up feeling crap! Why? Because I haven’t worked towards my goals or anything that has really benefited me or my situation.
The minute I start being productive and completing small tasks that help me tick off short/long term goals, I immediately feel better about everything in general and I want to carry on. Writing this post now is making me feel great because I’m doing something I enjoy and adding value to people (hopefully) makes me happy.
Try to find even ten minutes in your day to add towards completing a task that’s important to you. You don’t have to dedicate hours.
An added benefit to feeling great after being productive is you approach life a little differently. If someone wanted to talk to you about something and you were annoyed at yourself for not working towards your goals, how will you react to that situation compared to when you have spared 20 minutes to work on something productive? You will be a lot more relaxed and approachable and the other person will come away from the encounter better off.
4. Remember That Procrastination is the Enemy.
Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, dog. You name it, and it can easily distract you, especially if you are stuck at a certain point on your journey towards goal accomplishment, and it’s oh so easy to procrastinate and take a trip down the rabbit hole of ‘Let’s play’ videos (for you gamers out there) and before you know it, it’s midnight and you have nothing to show for your evening.
Don’t worry though, we’ve all been there, otherwise it wouldn’t be in this blog. Picture, in your mind’s eye, what the end goal will look like (or your best guess) and try to feel what it will feel like to achieve this goal you have set. Remember those images and feelings and in times of procrastination, go back to those images and feelings and tell yourself that you will experience it in reality. It is a great way to readjust onto your correct path.
A very simple but very effective example to accompany this point could be to write the word ‘Remember’ on a post-it note and have it stuck somewhere in your eye-line in your room, or your house. When you see it, it will act as a gentle reminder to crack on and put some time into your goals and aspirations, because it won’t come to you, you have to work for it.
5. Have Something to Look Forward to.
Have something to look forward to on an evening (a sort of ritual, maybe) in order to keep your spirits high. Examples of this could be looking forward to a beer when you get home, a particular meal you are preparing, walking the dog along your favourite scenic route, a phone call to your parents or siblings, going to the cinema. Anything you can use to keep happy is useful, it doesn’t matter how silly, as long as it works for you.
Motivation, like most things in life, comes in peaks and troughs and keeping motivated is a real skill, especially when surrounded by distraction. That’s why keeping yourself happy, or at least content with life is extremely important. The lower your motivation, the less likely you are going to be bothered doing anything you don’t have to.
Nothing kills your progress quite like demotivation.
6. Realise That You are Only at Your Job For 8 Hours (typically).
Feel free to replace ‘8’ with the hours you tend to work, so as to apply this to yourself.
This one was explained to me by a great friend of mine who I work with. He told me that we are only at our day-jobs for 8 hours (for most of us) out of the total 24, so make the most of the remaining 16 hours, and there is no point getting worked up about what amounts to a third of your total day. It’s such a shame that we often allow (myself more than included in this) that one third of our day to dictate how we feel about the remaining two thirds.
This is easier than it sounds, though. As 8 hours is still a long enough time to be doing something you don’t want to be, but a small mind-set change like this can greatly help you retain mental composure and keep you mentally healthy for working on the things you actually want to when you get home.
7. Tell Yourself That You Will Rest………….. Tomorrow.
This is a little trick I often use. Tell yourself that you will work on your goals today and you will reward yourself by resting tomorrow. I guarantee, that most of the time you will be so proud that you worked towards your goals that you will do it the next day also, and the next day and the day after that, with the same promise to rest the next day. Of course, eventually you will rest because you really need to, but mostly you will keep up that great, productive feeling going while the momentum is high.
The 9-5 grind is an especially hard obstacle to overcome, especially if you find it draining by the time you leave for the day, only ever-deflated in the knowledge that you will do it all over again the next day, eagerly counting down to the weekend. But, this list should help you in some small way to ensuring you fit your goals and aspirations into your daily life so that you eventually achieve them. I sincerely hope you do.
Stay Confident,
Luke (Confidence Unleashed).