How to get started on projects that matter to you

This was inspired by a LinkedIn post from last week which was inspired by a couple of coaching conversations with two different clients who were senior IT professionals.

This was how the post started:

Do you tend to put your needs last? Fail to get started on projects that matter to you. Or struggle to get momentum. Perhaps you think you're guilty of procrastination or you're lazy. This is not true. One probable cause is that you don't understand how to motivate yourself.

This is very common because we're not taught how to do this - we often fall back to something being 'wrong' with us.

There is a simple process here. The intention is to reconnect to what matters to you and to trust yourself.

So the first part of the process involves asking yourself these questions:

i) why am I doing this? what is the reason that caused me to start on this project?

ii) how do you feel when you bring this to mind?

If you feel excited, happy or positive and energised then you have completed this first step.

If not, ask yourself this following question

iii) what is the reason behind this first reason?

(you are trying to dig a little deeper. This is based on the five Whys exercise when you kep asking Why)

Now go back to step (ii) to explore your emotional response.

Once you have completed the first step, you will understand what really matters to you. Write this down somewhere that is easily accessible and visible.

Read it regularly and certainly when your motivation dips.

The second part of this process is to take the first step towards achieving this goal and to maintain your momentum and enthusiasm.

Answer this question (but don't engage your logical mind, just go with what comes first to mind). Overthinking is your enemy and likely to be a habit that saps your motivation.

(this is what it means to trust yourself. Your rational mind does not trust your intuition. This is its job BUT, in western culture, it has taken over all of our thinking which is a severe handicap).

What is the first step that feels right to you?

Consider how you feel in response to this. Are you excited or energised by this answer? If not then perhaps your answer was based on an analytical approach rather that allowing your intuition to speak to you. If so, there are techniques to get over this but I won't be extending this article to go into this.

Let me know how you get on with this - di you find it effective? What didn't work?

(it will always be more effective doing this 1to1 and working with your specific needs and context but I am confident this will be useful to some people)