 If you're going to build your business successfully you're going to have to do many projects and tasks that feel challenging to you. And really the most worthwhile goals are challenging. Otherwise you would have already done it right. And to do challenging tasks means you need to find ways that naturally motivate you to do them, even though it can feel like a struggle. You have to have some method to keep you going and to actually accomplish the task or project so I have been working with different motivational methods for over 10 years. And I took a poll of my clients on which of the methods worked best for them. So I want to share with you what the top five methods are. Okay, so let's get started. Method number one is to write down the baby steps. Alright, so this is a really simple thing to do. Whenever I feel like I'm procrastinating on something. Or when I feel I'm resistant to do a particular task. I instinctively open a blank document and write down the most doable, tiny baby steps that calm me to, you know, to say okay, well let me in fact show you an example right here on the screen. So what I'm going to do is simply go to my browser. I open a new document, just doc dot new opens a new Google document. And I'm just going to write down. Let's say I was feeling intimidated about writing a blog post. Then I write down the baby steps. So step one, open a blank document. Do you see what I'm doing here it's it's literally something that feels so doable for me that my mind and heart won't resist it. Okay, and then step two is just to brainstorm one idea that I might write about. Okay, brainstorm one idea that my mind might write about step three might be to brainstorm another idea that I might write about. Okay, simple thus far right, you can do this to you can brainstorm one idea is think of something. You know, second, think of something right and then third choose among the two ideas, you know, flipping flipping a coin if needed. Right. So that's a third baby step I can choose among two ideas or I can flip a coin and, and then step and then next step would be to brainstorm brainstorm three thoughts associated with this. With this idea I've chosen. Right. I can brainstorm three thoughts feels very doable to me. And the next one is for each thought, write a few sentences as I can. Okay, for any idea, I can probably try to write a few sentences. Right. And then next one might be rearrange the sentences. So that it makes a bit more sense. And then the next step might be to fill in any gaps in ideas between sentences by writing by writing another sentence or two, or three, or whatever you see what I'm doing I'm simply writing down steps to calm my nervous system that this giant task or project is, you know, intimidating me. Right. And when I write down these small steps. And if I look at the steps, and it feels really doable. Then I know I've done the method correctly. But if any of the steps still doesn't feel doable. Then I break down that step into further smaller steps. And again, I'm going to share my screen to show you. So let's say that this step was too intimidating for me to brainstorm three thoughts associated with this idea of chosen. Maybe that's too intimidating. So I will, I will break it down to even smaller thing. Okay, what's one thought that might be helpful to say about this topic. Okay. What's another thought that might be interesting to say, you know, I mean, so I basically do this all the time with whether it's content creation, or creating a product or a package or service, or if I'm intimidated about reaching out to a potential curator, I will write down these tiny, tiny steps. You know, and by the way, what I've just did done here on the screen show you, you might say, Well, George, I don't even know what steps to write down. Okay. Well, if that's the case, then the tiny step would be spend five minutes going to Google and read one article about how to do this action. I don't know how to do a particular thing. Go to Google, spend five minutes reading one article about it, and write down one next step for this thing. You see how this can be done with anything. I really, if I, if I feel resistant towards a task, I instinctively open a document and write down the tiny steps. I try and let me know if this is helpful. The other thing about it is, if, if I have written down the steps by the once I've write down the steps I try to immediately go and take at least the first step if not the first several steps, how much time I have, even if all the time I have is to write down a few simple steps. Then at least I've gotten unblocked about that project. You see what I mean. So I look forward to hearing as you give this a try, how it goes for you as well. All right, so that is the first method. The second method is what I call the five minute method. Okay. The five minute method is that is the idea that you can do anything for five minutes. Isn't that true. No matter how difficult a task or project is, can you do something for five minutes, five minutes, that's it. Of course you can. Now if you if something is really really scary to you, then maybe you do a one minute method. Okay, you could do it for at least one minute. But five minutes is usually a good way to start an intimidating scary as hell project five minute method. So how do I do this five minute method. So the first thing is that I do my energy reboot. I've talked about the energy reboot, often in my videos. If you don't know what that is. You can simply go to Google, and I'll show you on screen here just go to Google and search energy reboot. And there I am. I think Google knows my energy reboot by now so you can click on any of these links that are that where where it's my, my process and you can watch me do it and try it out for yourself so that's the first part of the five minute method is to actually do an energy reboot. Whatever that means for you. Some of you use EFT tapping, you know, some of you have a quick. 30 second, you know, affirmation or you can dance for 30 seconds but the key is to do it really really short, because it's a five minute method you want to spend, you don't want to spend 10 minutes just getting ready for a five minute method you spent 30 seconds, getting ready for the five minute method so once you do your energy reboot, you're at least in the little bit better of an emotional mental state. And then the next thing to do is a set a timer. So you go to your phone, or wherever you like to set a timer. Another useful thing on Google is you can do five minute timer. And instantly Google gives you timer that's already begun. So that's a really useful. Anyway, so set a five minute timer. And then go and do the thing for five minutes whatever tedious task, intimidating tasks, boring tasks, scary tasks, whatever you are resisting or resenting do it for five minutes and and if it's a task where you feel like someone might judge you. I mean, that's why you're resisting. And as you do this five minute task I invite you to imagine somebody supportive, who will receive your results of whatever you did. That's what I do, when I'm intimidated by something I do the five minute task. And then I imagine that it's one of my ideal clients, who is so accepting of what I offer them. Who is very open to it, who is just eager to receive whatever I offer that person so you can imagine someone like that if you don't already have someone like that in your life and make up an imaginary person in your head. Think about that person as you do your five minute method. That's a five minute method is very, very simple you could use this for any, any task whether it's writing something, creating something reaching out to someone doing something boring, doing something scary like recording a video, whatever scary thing or boring thing. You can do it for five minutes. And by the way, at the end of the five minutes. You sometimes find that you are now on a roll, you've gotten momentum now, and then you can go for another 20 minutes, 40 minutes, if you have the time. But if you don't have momentum after the five minutes, guess what, you should still celebrate. At least, you have done it for five minutes. Congratulations. Right. All right. So, method number three is co working. Co working. What is it? Co working is to do the task. While somebody else is on the call with you doing their own tasks or it could be the same tasks that you're both doing. So, for example, I have a method called content co working content co working and if you want to know what the method is, go to my blog post. That's above or below this video. There should be a link to a blog post. And if you go down to the third method which is co working, you can click on content co working to find out how to do content co working. It's a pretty cool method, if I may say so. And so content co working is one way to create with the energetic support of somebody else who is also creating content. All right, but for all other types of work, even for content. I use a tool called focus mate. I talk about focus mate before I try to talk about it whenever, whenever I can focus mate is a tool that I use multiple hours every day. Yes, it's true. I do. If I am not making a video, or if I'm not in a meeting, I am on a focus mate session during the work day. Really, I use focus mate for three to six hours a day, every day, Monday through Friday, well Saturday as well I work on my schedule such that I work Monday through Saturday as I take some, I take bigger breaks on Tuesdays and Fridays anyway. So co working is to have somebody there doing the work. They're doing their work. I'm doing my work. It sounds so strange. But if you have never tried it. I encourage you to give it a try. It is magical. It is magical. And it might just change your life as it has changed my life and it's changed the lives of many of the clients that have introduced this method to. So try it out. Co working and focus mate particularly is is the tool that I use for co working. All right, so method number four is to have an accountability partner that you meet with once a week for at least one month, especially if you are having a scary project that you keep putting off. An accountability partner is so helpful. All right, so what is what is particularly do I recommend first of all, you need to you need to understand that there is research about this. Okay. And again, if you go to the blog post associated with this video. There is a link to go read about the research. Basically, I will summarize it for you. I had a group of people who didn't have an accountability partner, didn't write down their goals, just simply thought about what they want to do. Okay, so just, just like many of us, right, we just think about what we want to do we don't necessarily write it down. And then they have a group of people who not only write down what they're going to do the coming week, specifically on a particular project, but they also send it to an accountability buddy, and say, this is what I'm committing to doing. And then they report back a week later to their accountability buddy. This is what I did sound so simple. But here's the surprising thing. Those two groups. Okay, the group that wrote it down and send it to their buddy. Okay, and checked in on on it after a week. Got 77% more done than the group who just like most of us simply think oh wouldn't it be nice for me to do this or that 70. So would you like to get 77% more done than you are right now. And it's incredible, just that that simple thing. So you can be accountability partner thing can simply just like I said be sending a message, sending an email to a buddy that has committed to you, and you've committed to them so they're going to send you something to, and you both are going to check in with each other after a week on how the tasks went. Or for even greater power, you could do a weekly meeting with that buddy. And the weekly meeting can, like I said it can be with with a friend, a colleague a classmate, a coach, if you can afford to hire one. And it's just for 15 or 30 minutes. And here's a simple format that I recommend. Okay, the format basically is what progress. Have you made since the last time we talked. Okay. So to accomplish what you said you would, if not, how will you ensure that you complete it. Okay, and if you did complete it what else will you complete by our next call. And then, finally, a third thing to check in on is how do you want to do the task for the coming week. In what spirit, do you want to do it what what attitude you want to embody as you do the task. Accountability partnerships. Try it out if you've never done this, it can be life changing as well, and highly productive to do it with. Okay, so finally the last motivational method that I use often is to do a public event promising a deliverable. Here's what I mean. And this is how I create my online courses. Did you know, I basically set a date for when I'm going to teach the first module. And then I put it out there. I actually, you know, announce the course. I sell seats in the live course. I even prepared the first module. I know it's a dirty secret of many course creators. I say it's a dirty to give I don't think it's a dirty secret I think it's brilliant. And I think it's what I recommend to everybody who feels either intimidated by. Let me just say this, this method is ideal for anybody who tends to be perfectionistic, particularly, I care so much about my students, and I can spend dozens of hours preparing just for one module if you didn't give me a deadline. I just, it's never good enough. It's never good enough, of course, because with anything we prepare, it can always be made better. Right. So this is what I mean the fifth method here of creating a public event with a due date promising a particular deliverable deliverable something you deliver to the audience. Whether it's, hey, I'm going to write a blog post on this date, please everybody look for it. Or, hey, I'm going to create a course. The first module will be on this date. Go ahead and buy it or sign up for it. And the first module to be delivered on this date or be taught on that date. This is not for the faint of heart. This is for people who are who are really, you know, okay, I'm really going to do this I'm really going to take it seriously. I know I can be perfectionistic. This is why a public event or due date where many people or at least several people expected from me is the method I'm going to use, because then I can, I can be sure I deliver it on that date because I don't want to embarrass myself. And I also want to deliver it to those people in service and in gratitude for their for their accountability. So the simplest way of doing this I want to show you is on the screen here is to go to Facebook events. Okay. Go to Facebook.com slash events. And on the left hand side click on create new event. And you could just say it's, you know, online. Okay. And just say it's, you could do a class or general but just say general and to say, George, and let's say I was intimidated about making my, my next video. Let's say some of you are intimidated about making a video so George will deliver a video, a video about XYZ topic. Okay, and you could choose, you know, you could choose a topic or keep it open ended, and you could basically set it set a due date. So for privacy, here's the thing, you can basically make it, even if you make it a private event, you can still invite specific friends, or you can make it a public event and just have all your Facebook friends and anybody off of Facebook and see it too if they went there. But it's up to you how you want to set I'm not going to keep going with with creating this Facebook event but you get the idea is that you are announcing that you, you know, whether it's for five people or for 50 people, you're going to deliver something whether it's a video, a book draft, a course, or you're going to deliver the fact that you have now reached out to 10 potential collaborators, really you could use this public deliverable thing for any goal, any project. And like I said, you can make it a private event and just invite 10 supportive friends to cheer you on and keep you accountable for that thing. Right. So now you don't you might not want to keep using the same 10 friends every week you're creating a public deliverable that's a little bit too much for those 10 friends but for those five or 10 friends, you could do this once every six months and you could just rotate five or 10 friends every six months, you've got you're kind of like borrowing their energy for for a public deliverable something like that. So I hope you will try out one of these. And in fact, if you, I'm so curious, if you liked any of these five comments that you're going to give it a try. If so, add it below. I'm not doing this because I want more comments for the algorithm I really am curious, which of these five you're going to try, because then I will be able to teach I will emphasize that more the next time I teach this. The other thing is, if you have another motivational method that works well for you on challenging projects. Please chat below comment below because others might really benefit from from what you describe. So again, think about how you get difficult things done. How do you get yourself to do it when you resist it when you procrastinate. How do you do it how do you finally do it. Go ahead and comment below and let us know what works well for you. All right, well, I look forward to hearing about your progress, or if you have any quick questions about any of these methods. I will do my best to respond briefly below as well. I wish you well. And I wish you, you know, joy, really, I wish you joy in doing all of your tasks, all of your projects. And the motivational method, just to help you to keep you keep you get you started, but then as you do it remember to bring as much kindness, joy, courage, and purpose as you can to whatever it is that you're doing. I wish you well.