Staying Motivated
Welcome back to the blog! I am so happy to have you here. I know it has been a minute since I have posted but for some reason, my winter break at home was much busier than I thought and I prioritized that time with family and friends while I was home. Getting to take a break from school was something I needed. My fall semester was jam-packed with classes and extracurricular activities. I was happy to have fewer responsibilities and to take some time off. With that being said… I am now back at school and back to the madness. I just finished my first week of classes. I love getting to go to new classes for the first time. Syllabus week is the best because it's minimum work and a great transition back into the swing of things. This leads to the topic I want to discuss with you all today; How I Stay Motivated.
First off I want to say I understand how difficult it can be sometimes to stay motivated. Sometimes I feel like I just get buried with work and the more responsibilities I have the less I want to do it since I get so stressed with the amount I have to do. I rather just curl up in my covers and try to forget about it. Unfortunately, that’s not an option. So instead I set up different ways for myself to stay motivated throughout the day and the semester.
Creating habits and routines for yourself is so important. Creating daily routines for myself allows me to easily stay on track throughout the day for what needs to get done. This goes back to my last post when talking about planning and organization. Getting into the habit of writing down what you need to get done and then crossing off what I have finished allows me to feel more accomplished and therefore more motivated. Even having a simple morning routine to kick off the day makes such a difference. For me, when I complete my morning routine it makes me feel more accomplished and helps me become more motivated for the rest of my day. My morning routine is as follows:
Wake up and turn off the alarm.
Drink water. ;)
Brush my teeth and wash my face.
Moisturize and morning skincare routine.
Make my bed.
Hair and Light Makeup.
Get dressed and pack my backpack for the day.
I saw somewhere that the top 1% of the most successful people in the world make their bed in the morning so I make my bed every day. Weirdly enough it does help. My room looks neat when I leave for breakfast/ classes and I feel much better about leaving my room organized than not. It helps me feel a little accomplished like I did at least one thing with my day.
My makeup routine on a daily basis is really simple. During classes and the week, I don’t feel like I need to put that much on. Just enough to make me look like I’m not still asleep. My quick two-minute makeup routine starts with my powder blush. This I use on my cheekbones and my nose. Then I curl my eyelashes and use my favorite mascara. And finally, I add either my black honey lip gloss from Clinique or my favorite clear lip gloss. This little step makes me feel more confident about my day which allows me to be more motivated to get started.
My hair is typically simple as well. I like using the heatless hair curler headbands like this one linked here. It makes my hair look put together without having to do any work for it. I also like wearing headbands throughout the week as well. I like this soft headband pack and this clean white one. I also like wearing baseball hats on the days I didn’t put an outfit together. I think adding the hat to my look makes me look a little more put together and allows me to look more organized. I recommend either trying this hat or this one here.
Starting with these morning routines during the day has drastically helped me both prepare for the day and feel ready for the day. It makes me feel less tired for my first class and helps me to feel the slightest bit accomplished before I even start my day.
Another way I stay motivated is by using different ways/ incentives to motivate myself. I know if I get the work that I need to do, it allows me to have more time to do the things I want to do. It allows me to take the time to spend more time on myself. This would be either self-care, working out, or even just hanging out with friends. Taking the time for myself is such a great reward and break in my day. I use this as motivation to go to the library for example. If it goes and gets my work done for a couple of hours it allows me to be able to get outside for a walk or do something else with my day besides just work. Scheduling in time for yourself is so important and will help so much moving forward.
One of my favorite things to do is schedule time for a yoga or a cycle class. This is my favorite water bottle and yoga mat that I like to bring along with me. I use the bike path frequently. It’s a long paved path through Kingston, RI that allows me to get outside and walk/run. My favorite sneakers are the Nike Pegasus. When I take self-care time I enjoy doing both hair masks and face masks. Both of my favorites that I recommend are linked here. I also like to use facial rollers as well. Ice rollers help my face de-puff, especially after a long or more stressful week. This roller is really good for my skin and feels so good as well. I also like to use smaller rollers as well like this one here.
Doing small acts such as this does help me feel better and better prepare for the next day or the week. I feel better when I have the time to put into myself and when I feel better prepared. Take the time to think about what motivates you, about what helps you get through your day, and if you're taking enough breaks to keep you going. Take at least 20 minutes to do something good for yourself today. Taking time for yourself now will only help to motivate you in the future to keep going. You got this!
Xoxo, Jules
