I jump into new projects with so much enthusiasm. I spend a few days or weeks super excited and ambitious.

Unfortunately, that rarely lasts. Then I have these projects that I want nothing to do with anymore. That I have no motivation to continue with.

Often this doesn’t matter because I have yet to spend money on them. Others hurt because I have invested in them.

This year I am working towards picking one or two things and sticking with them. I am not big on resolutions, but goals are good.

My goal is to keep my blog going, and keep my social media working for me and my blog. My biggest goal is to maintain motivation for myself. To not allow myself to have excuses for why I am not doing something.

The dictionary defines motivation as the general desire or willingness of someone to do something. I always start out that way. But, somehow, I always fizzle out. It is almost laughable how many excuses I can make fit to explain away why I am not doing something.

This year I am going to –

• Set goals
  • Review my progress once a month
  • Break goals into more manageable chunks
  • Set new goals as needed
• Set specific times for the work that needs to be done
  • Set alarms on my phone to make sure I am sticking to a work schedule
  • Take time to understand why I might be unwilling to do the work (and work through that)
• Revisit my why monthly to be sure I am still working towards the right things, and to remind myself why I am working towards that.
• Stop multitasking
• Starve your distractions
  • Stay in the zone
• Find someone to hold me accountable

I know what I am trying to do with my social media.

I’m not really sure what I am hoping to accomplish with this blog. When I started it, I was planning on using it as a place to dump all my random day-to-day bs. I think it will probably still be mostly that. But I also want it to reflect more of what my social media is. I want it to be love, laughter, motivation, and affirmation. I want to remind my readers that they matter too. So, that it one of my goals too.

This year will be focused on building my social media and blog into something that matters to others. Of course, it will also be about painting, reading, and parenting. I’m looking forward to what this year can bring.

How do you stay focused and motivated? What is your go-to when you find yourself making excuses to not do what needs to be done?