I’ll be upfront with you…

Like many people I have been finding the current situation very stressful (I suffer from anxiety even at the best of times!)

My mind pictures all kinds of disastrous future outcomes.

And when I read about medical conditions, I get irrational fears that members of my family might get ill.

And it’s not only the virus itself that concerns me.

It’s the economic aftershocks and what will happen to jobs, businesses, and communities.

I’m sure this applies to many of us!

But while some people thrive in these kinds of situations – as if a sense of urgency gives them more motivation – others don’t fare so well.

For instance, when I get anxious, I find it harder to concentrate on important tasks.

I feel less creative… less energetic… less focussed… less inspired.

But over the years, I have learned how to override this problem using some techniques which I’ll show you in a moment.

So I just wanted to say, if you’re feeling fatigued, lacklustre and de-motivated during lockdown, please don’t feel bad about yourself.

As I’ve said before, this lockdown could be an opportunity to get some positive things done in your pursuit of your goals.

However, you might be tired of constantly hearing people telling you how much you should be achieving during lockdown.

To give you an example, in April, a digital marketer (who I won’t name and shame!) put this on Twitter:

“If you don’t come out of this quarantine with either: 1.) a new skill 2.) starting what you’ve been putting off like a new business 3.) more knowledge… You didn’t ever lack the time, you lacked the discipline.”

Um, well, no…

This isn’t quite true.

Some people who are unable to get motivated during lockdown aren’t necessarily ‘lacking discipline’.

They might be anxious… upset… distracted… depressed… fearful about their health, their jobs, their businesses and their loved ones.

They might be stressed because they’re trying to work while home schooling.

Or they might be stuck with family members in cramped conditions that make concentration and focus really difficult.

So of course I’m not going to make you feel guilty for not writing your memoir, painting the house, learning how to make your own croissants and creating your first online course.

That said….

I’m going to hazard a guess that you would LIKE to feel more motivated.

That you would LIKE to have more energy and focus to get things done.

In which case, I’m going to give you a few practical suggestions that work for me.

The first is a technique I’ve mentioned before, but it’s worth repeating…

Set yourself a tiny goal

The problem with trying to do something like “learn a new skill” or “start a new business” during lockdown is that these are HUGE goals.

Yes, it’s good to have them in mind…

But these are long-term goals you can think about achieving over period of time.

During this period of quarantine, you don’t need to achieve these immediately, and shouldn’t pressure yourself to do so.

One of the best ways to get started on anything worthwhile is to start small…

REALLY small.

By that, I mean doing something that takes maybe 10 minutes, 20 minutes tops.

It could mean watching a video, downloading a report, reading an article, or looking through a book chapter.

This small goal is achievable even if you’re anxious… even if you’ve been at work all day… even if you spent two hours queuing at the supermarket and another two hours trying to make your own bread… and even if you’ve been homeschooling the children…

Just do that one, tiny thing toward your goal.

That’s all.

Then relax as best you can and try another tiny task tomorrow.

Nothing intimidating. Nothing exhausting. Nothing major.

But by doing it each day you will start to head in the direction of a goal.

The more of these small tasks you do, the more you will begin to feel motivated.

It’s known as the Kaizen technique and it’s what I use to get projects done outside of my usual workload – especially when I’m tired and low in motivation.

Here’s another thing you can do…

Give yourself rewards

One thing I’ve noticed during lockdown is that when life is restricted, small things you used to take for granted get much more exciting.

A takeaway suddenly becomes like going out for a meal…

Skyping some friends while drinking a bottle of wine becomes like a big night out…

Getting a delivery of amazing bread or cheese from a deli becomes a total joy…

Well, you can use this psychological aspect of lockdown to your advantage.

Set yourself a task this week in return for a treat.

That might be splashing out on a fancy takeaway… getting a posh bottle of wine… having a family party night… ordering a box set…

Or it could be giving yourself a proper lazy day off where you get the whole day in bed with TV and snacks while others in your household do the usual chores and tasks.

Whatever it is you pine for during lockdown… or don’t often allow yourself… use it as a reward for completing a goal during the week.

That dangling carrot might help give you the motivation you need to do 30 minutes a day towards your goal.

And here’s one final tip (this works for me anyway)…

Switch off the media

One of the reasons many of us are feeling anxious right now is not our worry about catching the virus itself… but our constant awareness of its many devastating effects.

Death counts… sick medical workers… tragic stories… government failings… economic predictions… grisly forecasts about the future.

Of course, it’s important to understand what is going on. I’m not suggesting you stick your head in the sand.

But our minds didn’t evolve to cope with a constant stream of real-time global news.

Thanks to smartphones, TV, radio and social media, we’re bombarded with uncomfortable ideas, facts, events and images all day long, wherever we go.

It’s not healthy.

The media drip-feed of anxiety-inducing information becomes a drip feed of cortisol (the stress hormone) in your bloodstream.

Cortisol disrupts sleep patterns, causes fatigue and impairs your brain function, leading to poor memory and concentration.

These are precisely the symptoms many people are complaining about during lockdown!

They’re also what could be stopping you from pursuing your goals.

So try and switch off the feed for a day or two (or more) each week and live in the moment, if you can.

If you cannot do that, then limit your exposure to the media for long periods of the day.

See how these three strategies work over the next couple of weeks and do let me know if they help you at all!

Or if you have your own techniques, email them to me and I’ll happily share!

So… has this got you fired up and ready to take action?

I hope so!

You can do this.

It’s just a case of breaking things down into small, manageable steps and then allowing yourself the time and space to tick them off one by one.

We’re not talking about hours or days or weeks either, you’d be amazed at what you can achieve, even setting aside just 20 minutes a day.

If you’re feeling motivated let’s do something amazing together! I frequently run FREE online masterclasses which show you how you can build a best-selling online course in simple steps (without the tech overwhelm). If that’s something you’d find useful I’d love to help you too.

To see when I’m running my next free online session and to secure yourself a place click here now.