The 6 Things I Do to Motivate Myself Every Single Day

At any given time, I’m balancing full-time development (40 hours/week), freelance work (15-20 hours/week), weekly blogging, five weekly workouts, and audiobook consumption. Here’s what keeps me going.

1. The 5-Minute Rule for Negative Situations

When setbacks occur, allow yourself to be negative for 5 minutes. Then declare “Can’t change it!” and move forward. This technique, which I picked up from Hal Elrod via Impact Theory, enables you to process disappointment while moving forward productively.

2. Schedule and Forget

Once you write it down in a to-do list and schedule it, you can completely forget about it. Clear scheduling reduces decision fatigue and maintains focus. And remember: work is silver, your partner is gold.

3. Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

Regular exercise—whether gym sessions, walks, or daily push-ups—functions as affordable therapy. Nutritional improvements (replacing soda with water, snacks with fruit) fuel cognitive performance. The brain is a part of your body.

4. Wake Up Early

Early mornings expand available time for valued activities and relationships when your “why” is compelling. I shifted from 10 AM weekend wake-ups to 6:30 AM starts.

5. Tackle Unpleasant Tasks First

Complete disliked activities (dishwasher, trash, vacuuming) upon waking so remaining tasks feel enjoyable. This eliminates procrastination guilt.

6. Pursue New Challenges

Continuous learning prevents stagnation. I learn new frameworks, document discoveries through blogging, and open-source code to solidify understanding and help others.

These strategies apply universally regardless of lifestyle ambition. Stress management and intentional negativity processing foster happiness, which ultimately sustains motivation.