Doing things with your life can be so annoying when you could also be lying in bed, watching reality TV all day. On the other hand, there are times in life when getting shit done actually helps you. When you want to finish college, get a banging body or keep your job. But how in the world do you motivate yourself? Let’s get to it, with these simple hacks.

Gimme 5

Even if you are dreading what has to be done, just push yourself to do it for just five minutes. You’ll find that while you’re at it, you’re much less likely to quit.

Why god, why?

Ask yourself why you were doing all this again. Chances this question evokes a mental image of the bigger picture, which is most probably going to motivate you at least a little. Even with the little dull tasks that are in service of your end goal.

The near future

As an opposite you could also try focusing on the next step. This might work when the amount of trouble you have to go through to realize your dream just seems humongous.

Don’t be scared, baby

Sometimes, doing the thing itself isn’t scary, but some of the outcomes might be. Which is why you (whether or not you do it consciously) start stalling the whole process, so you don’t have to face the terrible unknown. Problem solved!

Do it with two

A partner in crime is great for telling you you’re being lazy, or to remember you of why you were doing all this again.

Visualize your day

Before you get out of bed, take 5 minutes each morning to visualize what your day is going to look like. It gets you excited and leaves less room to dodge the important stuff. Read more about what visualizing can do for you here.

It’s all about you

Focus yourself on your own path and don’t get off track by what all these other humans are doing. As long as you’re happy with your progress, it’s all good.

Get lit

Read while you can. While turning to the non-fiction section seems logical here, there are benefits in indulging yourself with some science fiction or romance, too. Taking your mind off things works great to overcome any mental blocks you are having and the imaginative nature of fiction might even work inspirational.

Motivate yourself with a mantra

Go nuts on #motivationalquotes on Instagram and find yourself a good empowering statement. However corny it is, whatever works for you, babe…

Keep it small

The smaller the tasks you assign to yourself, the bigger the chance of succeeding in them. And what does usually motivate the hell out of people? Uhuh, that’s right.

Into the woods

If you’re really stuck somewhere, you can always try spending some time in the outdoors. It takes your mind off things and you recharge your battery at the same time.

Get a move on

Exercising is like the magic key to everything. It takes you out of your mind and into your body, which will probably cause you to release stress and tension. Of course, stress and tension stands in the way of you and your motivation. For optimal results: take your ass outside and have a workout there.

Clear your head

Getting stuck is the worst for your motivation. Meditate for a little while (2 minutes is enough) and get back some headspace.

Winning

Make sure to win every once in a while, because losing is never really much of a fun thing. Enhance your chances of winning by setting small goals.

Treat yoself

Reward yourself when you won. A little treat keeps you going like crazy. Another good reason to keep them goals small. More presents for you!

Cut your to-do list

When you set up your to-do list, just add one item at a time. This helps you to decide what it actually is that is so important to you. Once you tick the box, you can think of your next priority. Plus, there’s nothing less satisfying than not being able to finish your to-do list.

Get into flight mode

Ergo, turn off your notifications and other distractions. Maybe even skip wi-fi altogether.

Tomorrow is coming

While a positive approach usually works better, sometimes thinking of all the bad outcomes if you don’t do something could be useful to. What are the consequences of (the lack of) your behaviour? If you don’t drink tonight, you’ll feel awesome tomorrow. If you work out tonight, your body and mind will thank you.

Thank the Lord

Or someone else you believe in. Or just yourself. The thing is, once you start naming the things you’re thankful for, you will see the positive in things and positivity is the perfect fuel for your motivation. Exercise: before you go to sleep, ask yourself what 3 things got your gratitude going that day.

Procrastinate just a little

And make yourself a motivating playlist or two. For example, you could compose one that gets you all hyped up and another one that helps you get more focused. If you don’t feel like putting them together yourself or if you just don’t have the time or inspiration, just check out Spotify. There are tons of awesome playlists to choose from. My favourites are Lo-Fi Beats (for focus) and Run This Town (to get all hyped up for my morning run). For a chilled, soulful mix of electronic inspired R&B, check out Soultronic.

Don’t get mad

Failing is only human. So, try not to beat yourself up when something doesn’t succeed. Stay positive and try to learn from the experience. What went wrong? What could have been done differently?

Watch a TED-talk

Not just any TED-talk you little slacker. No, watch the one belo. It is very true, memorable and hilarious. Next time you find yourself procrastinating, you probably gonna think of Tim Urban and a very particular breed of monkey. Just saying.

Change your ways

Being stuck in a rut is the worst. You can avoid this by spicing up your routine. This can be as simple as the playlist you work to (hey, can’t say I didn’t give you any suggestions) or picking up a book from a writer you never read before.

Tidy up

Marie Kondo the shit out of your place. Without any clutter lying around, you are a lot less likely to get distracted by your environment. Plus, the voice in your head that keeps telling you still have to clean up, is just not there anymore.

Take breaks

There’s 60 minutes in every hour. Take 5 out of them to do all the things you want, except for working. Best would be to lay off any electronic devices and use the 5 minutes to take a walk, do some stretches or mindfully eat a snack.