Six Top Tips to Staying Motivated

Published by Matt Mason, 29 Dec 2020

Recently, staying motivated has been a big challenge for everyone, and most certainly, nannies; lockdowns, furloughs, WFH families, cost of living and changing responsibilities have hit many nannies hard. And not to forget the most challenging of all challenges, losing a position to families restructuring the childcare needs.

So how do we stay motivated and stay positive through all of that? And also, better set ourselves up for a brighter 2021?

To help answer that, our friends at Mindshine have provided six top tips around personal motivation and productivity.

But one second, before we dive into Mindshine’s tips, take a moment to accept that it’s ok not to feel so great. The last few years have been tough, affecting your motivation and positivity. But we can work through it!

Mindshine’s Tip Number 1: Find time for your mental wellbeing

Many of us regularly carve out time from our busy schedules for physical fitness. But do we do it for mental positivity and motivation? Whatever tools you use – be it another app, a book or a simple moment of quiet reflection or meditation – it’s just as essential we do this for our overall well-being. And especially so in the digital ‘always-on’ world, we all live in.

Taking an everyday moment to relax, recharge, reflect, and plan can be just the ticket for creating more positive, can-do vibes throughout the day.

Tip 2 for Staying Motivated: Be fair to yourself

We all put pressure on ourselves to get through as much as possible – particularly nannies!

We create running lists of tasks that MUST get done. And the list only seems to get longer while the available time stays fixed. And by doing that, we increase feelings of pressure and anxiety.

Having unrealistic expectations about what can or must be achieved often creates a fog that reduces one’s overall productivity – we get paralysed by the number of things we have to do.

Take the pressure off by planning out what you can REALISTICALLY achieve rather than what you think you need to get done.

Tip 3: Get into the routine of planning your week

Find a moment to think about what the week ahead looks like and plan it out – give yourself a guide; start with the big things that can’t move, and then plan out the more flexible tasks.

Sidebar: As nannies, you can 100% guarantee this plan will not happen as intended. From a pea in an ear to missing shoes – the week will go off-plan. But, a little like a seating plan, if a new ‘guest’ arrives at your weekly time-table, you can more easily accommodate it around everything else, so long as you know where everything else fits in.

Sunday evenings are a great time to do this as it takes the stress (and sometimes fear) out of Monday mornings. When planning, create time for YOU. Be that physical exercise, mental well-being, or just having some time out with a friend for coffee and cake. You are a priority, so make time for yourself.

By doing this, you are setting yourself up for success. But to be successful, you have to see it through.

Tip 4: Write stuff down

Getting stuff written down takes it out of your head. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a post-it note, notebook or digital note on your mobile – get it written down so things are no longer floating in your head but caught, collected and anchored.

Writing tasks down not only helps with your anxiety around tasks but also gives you a structure to adapt as your week or day develops – remember the seating plan example. And it helps with your overall productivity; ticking things off is an important activity that enables you to move from one activity to another with clarity and satisfaction.

Tip 5: Plan your day

Planning your day more effectively can significantly affect motivation and productivity. Be realistic about the available hours and the time it takes to get things done. Allow for distractions, breaks, and those little things that ALWAYS creep into the day. So make sure you give them a place in your day plan.

Top tip: The Mindshine app offers a free tool called ‘Plan your Day Backwards’ – check it out. It could be the right tool for you. I now apply this approach every morning, and it’s helped me get stuff done.

And Staying Motivated Tip 6: Celebrate Your Successes

Celebrating successes is all about brain training – train your brain to enjoy the feeling of reward that comes from accomplishing a task. Put the effort in, and get a reward out.

And if you’re struggling with motivation (as many are), start small. Get a quick win early in the day (get dressed and ready for work at a set time) and reward yourself on successful completion (make a cuppa and check your Instagram).

Create your victories – it doesn’t matter how big or small they are as long as you acknowledge them. As you grow your powers of motivation and productivity, increase the challenges you set for yourself. But don’t rush it. Build your productivity over time as you learn and benefit from new routines and structures. Train your brain back to being motivated and productive.

Feeling motivated to give it a try?

Remember, any new routine takes a while to bed in before it becomes effective. So, if you try something to help with motivation, give it some time and effort to see if it works for you.

Here’s to staying motivated whatever the times we are going through.