Essential strategies to recharge your mojo and increase motivation

We all have our good days and our bad days, and the ones where we feel tired, drained and deflated. And that's okay, that's life. It's when this becomes the norm that we should start to worry! That's what we call a 'severe loss of mojo' and it essentially means, having no energy or drive to get through the day to day stuff (let alone the big picture stuff that actually grows the business). As you can imagine, when this happens, it's a big problem and we need to increase motivation ASAP!

A lack of mojo is like having a puncture: motivation runs flat and it's hard to ride on a flat tyre. It takes a lot more energy and hard work and you don't get nearly as far! To get back the energy and drive to propel yourself forward and ensure your own success, here is how to increase your motivation (and get your mojo back!).

Motivation killers...

Which do you suffer with?

• Putting up with things: The more things you are putting up with rather than enjoying, the more motivation drains away. Minimising this list will allow you to hold onto more motivation. What can you simply deal with, or dump?
• What have I half-finished? My laptop slows down when I have more and more windows open, there's an equivalent for my brain too.  Half complete jobs either mean you've had no "reward" for the work you've put in so far or you're thinking about what you still have to do - both reduce motivation. What can you clear off the list, even if only put off for a few months?
• Procrastination prevents progress: What are you procrastinating over? What on the list can you take a micro-step forward on now, just a small step in the right direction? What could you simply knock off the list (think: dump it, do it or delegate)?
• Social Rejection: This is something the owners of small accountancy firms have to face sometimes; asking for new business, meeting new people, networking meetings, clients not sending in things on time, clients not paying on time…shall I go on? These "rejections" can be like little small holes in your motivation, the infamous slow puncture. "Why play by the rules if no one cares" or "I'll do the follow-up tomorrow, she won't be available today"; lead to even less willpower. The tasks you then focus on (if any) are the safe, comfortable, traditional ones (i.e. no new developments occur).
• Not eating properly: You already know eating properly makes you more energetic, but it helps your motivation too. A study ("Extraneous factors in judicial decisions") of judges in the US showed that less glucose in the system lead to being less likely to make an active choice of granting parole. When feeling depleted we are more likely to make passive choices (no risks, same old same old) or procrastinate (at least it's not just me). Regular, small, portions of food is something personal trainers and dieticians advise so how could you change your eating habits? If you're always making more passive decisions at the same time of day, look at your food or hydration habits.
• Decision fatigue: Ever had one of those days where you are constantly making decisions (let alone ones that others should be making)? Most people find it draining. They don't just have to be big decisions either, too many small ones drain motivation too. If you're making too many decisions in one day, change your "to do" list into a "to decide" list and choose to only make so many in a day.

Like with everything in life, only when we know what we're doing wrong can we fix it! If you pay attention and figure out what is draining you the most on a daily basis, you can then work out how to increase motivation.

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How to boost motivation and energy (10 strategies)

You know it will feel better when you start, but the urge to not do anything mentally active is huge. It would be easy to get a series of dopamine hits from Facebook or any small tasks that don't really need doing - but they don't improve motivation.

If you really want to increase motivation and get your mojo back, you have to deal with the real issues. At first, you'll have to con yourself into taking the initial steps out of your slump, but then you'll want to keep going as you start to feel better and better.

Here are 10 steps to help you increase motivation:

1. Identify the cause - you first need to know what's draining you the most, so you can remove yourself from that situation or minimise its impact. See our motivation killers: are there certain tasks or people who are draining your energy? Do you tend to procrastinate or leave a lot of tasks half-finished? Are you feeling 'rejected' in your networking and business development efforts? Are you eating healthily and exercising and sleeping enough?
2. Think about your why - do you love what you do? What excites you the most? Why are you doing what you do? How has your direction or vision changed since you first started? It might be that you have to rediscover your why. If so, once you do, you'll find it much easier to focus on your mission, your values and your purpose rather than your obligations.
3. Set new goals and start with a small win - with a new vision and purpose, you will need to set new goals that better reflect them. You should then focus on achieving small tasks first to restore your confidence and motivation. What small step could you take that would move you along (even a little bit) and feel like a win?
4. Do things you enjoy and are good at - whether at work or in your personal life, make time for the things you're passionate about/great at. This will do wonders for your happiness and self-confidence.
5. Be kind to yourself - look after yourself daily. Exercise often even if you don't feel like it and even if it's something as little as a walk. Sleep enough, make time for your self-care, and quiet that inner voice. When you're going through a hard time, it's important to not judge yourself too harshly and give yourself time to bounce back. You might have also lost your mojo simply because you're burnt out so take this time to properly switch off and recharge.(Read:
6. Find a coach, mentor or friend to talk with - a problem shared really is a problem halved so don't be afraid to ask for help and support if you need it. Surrounding yourself with positivity and support is one of the best ways to recharge your energy and build yourself back up again.
7. Acknowledge the progress you've made - a great way to boost your motivation is to reflect on how far you've already come. Spend some time looking at your accomplishments and thinking about what goals you had and how it was when you first started out. What were your biggest challenges so far that you've overcome? It's amazing how powerful reflection can be.
8. Practice gratitude and generosity - what in your life makes you incredibly grateful? Is it your family, your friends, the flexibility of being self-employed, your health or where you live? Start every day by thinking about these things. In addition to gratitude, focusing on generosity and kindness is also a powerful way to nurture positivity in your life and nourish your soul.
9. Learn something new - is there a new hobby or skill you could learn? Is there something you've always wanted to do but haven't gotten around to it yet? Developing yourself and/or starting a new hobby stimulates your curiosity and creativity - both of which will kickstart your mojo.
10. Get some sun (or vitamin D) - it's well-known that vitamin D is one of our 'happy hormones' and that we lack it during the winter (or throughout the whole year in most places in the U.K.). Get outside when the sun is shining and make sure to take vitamin D daily - you'll soon see how just a little can make such a big difference to your state of mind and energy levels.

Action in the right direction builds motivation, so take some, even if only a tiny bit.

than enjoying, the more motivation drains away. Minimising this list will allow you to hold onto more motivation. What can you simply deal with, or dump?

• What have I half-finished? My laptop slows down when I have more and more windows open, there's an equivalent for my brain too.  Half complete jobs either mean you've had no "reward" for the work you've put in so far or you're thinking about what you still have to do - both reduce motivation. What can you clear off the list, even if only put off for a few months?
• Procrastination prevents progress: What are you procrastinating over? What on the list can you take a micro-step forward on now, just a small step in the right direction? What could you simply knock off the list (think: dump it, do it or delegate)?
• Social Rejection: This is something the owners of small accountancy firms have to face sometimes; asking for new business, meeting new people, networking meetings, clients not sending in things on time, clients not paying on time…shall I go on? These "rejections" can be like little small holes in your motivation, the infamous slow puncture. "Why play by the rules if no one cares" or "I'll do the follow-up tomorrow, she won't be available today"; lead to even less willpower. The tasks you then focus on (if any) are the safe, comfortable, traditional ones (i.e. no new developments occur).
• Not eating properly: You already know eating properly makes you more energetic, but it helps your motivation too. A study ("Extraneous factors in judicial decisions") of judges in the US showed that less glucose in the system lead to being less likely to make an active choice of granting parole. When feeling depleted we are more likely to make passive choices (no risks, same old same old) or procrastinate (at least it's not just me). Regular, small, portions of food is something personal trainers and dieticians advise so how could you change your eating habits? If you're always making more passive decisions at the same time of day, look at your food or hydration habits.
• Decision fatigue: Ever had one of those days where you are constantly making decisions (let alone ones that others should be making)? Most people find it draining. They don't just have to be big decisions either, too many small ones drain motivation too. If you're making too many decisions in one day, change your "to do" list into a "to decide" list and choose to only make so many in a day.

Like with everything in life, only when we know what we're doing wrong can we fix it! If you pay attention and figure out