I don’t have a huge problem with procrastination. But there are days when finding the motivation to actually do the work I’d been given is difficult. Sometimes inspiration is hard to come by. I’m on day 22 of this 30-day blog post challenge, and as of today, I’m feeling a little less than enthusiastic right now.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving this challenge it’s taught me so much, but even the best writers don’t “feel like writing” all the time. I believe one of the best skills to learn in life is the ability to push past every obstacle and challenge and still deliver valuable results.

I was reading Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. In his book, he describes the 20-second rule he uses for developing better habits and doing things even when we don’t feel motivated.

“Lower the activation energy for habits you want to adopt, and raise it for habits you want to avoid. The more we can lower or even eliminate the activation energy for our desired actions, the more we enhance our ability to jump-start positive change.”

In essence, Achor is saying to take 20 seconds out of your day and figure out how to decrease the energy it takes to begin the desired action.

Thinking about skipping the gym? Maybe layout your workout gear the night before. If you’re trying to eat healthier have those vegetables and fruits in clear sight and the rest of the food hidden away. For me as far as writing, I have topics already listed that I can refer to when I’m tempted to be lazy.

What are you doing to raise or lower your activation energy?