Finding Motivation

Finding motivation has been a particularly recent struggle for me, in light of the pandemic and doing all of my work in the same place. I went from never being home, doing homework either at school, in the car, or at 2am, to sitting in the same place for 4-5 months. Regardless of the fact that everything I had been working toward was cancelled, my initial burst of motivation faded quickly once we found out that we would not be going back to school. I found that, even in practicing my instrument, my focus was limited and my motivation lower than it had been. 

I tried many things to gain motivation, making lists, setting goals, planning my days, and while they all yielded a short term burst of motivation, it was simply that, short term. 

Then, I tried something else. 

I put on shoes. 

Simple and silly, as it sounds, however, this was a page turner for me. I found that, putting on shoes, made me more focused and motivated. The simple act of going somewhere besides my office made me feel like I was in a more professional setting. You wear shoes when you go to school, lessons, etc., and for some reason it was the simple act of putting on shoes that rekindled my sense of purpose, feeling that I was going somewhere other than my desk in order to accomplish something. 

I don't expect that putting on shoes would be a solution for everyone, but remember to think outside the box. Motivation is different for everyone, so try different things! You never know what'll work.