Motivation has been a difficult thing to find over the last year. With a worldwide pandemic affecting every aspect of our lives, we were forced to adjust. As a teenager, it can be hard to have that drive when it feels as though you’re repeating the same day every day. I’ve just completed my first semester of junior year, and over the last six months, I can say that I’ve gathered a few tips and tricks that keep me striving for success.

CREATE A (FLEXIBLE) ROUTINE

My first piece of advice is to compile a list of a few things you’d like to accomplish each day and create a routine out of those. I say a flexible routine because although I think routines can help, sometimes they can stress you out even more when you don’t stick to it. Allow some room to be flexible and let this routine change from a day to day basis depending on your plans for the day. For example, the first thing I try to do each morning is read. If I end up reading right before I go to bed because I woke up late and had to get to class, then so what! Routines are good to keep you motivated and excited for the day. Weird hack: I like to make Tik Tok’s of my day in order to keep me on track, plus, it gets you excited to do things instead of just laying around in your bed all day.

STAYING MOTIVATED WHILE ALONE

Whether it’s because you live alone or aren’t seeing people due to the pandemic, it can be hard to have that motivating mentality when there aren’t people cheering you on. Well, it feels like that first because those people that you spent every day with now feel so far away, but that’s what this virtual lifestyle is for! People are figuring out ways to do their jobs, school, and so many other things that connect us, all online. As insane as this pandemic is, we are so lucky to have the technology to keep us connected, so use that to your advantage! If you’re spending the majority of your time alone, make time in your routine to FaceTime friends and family who you have been distanced from. In quarantine, I always had a few people I knew would pick up the phone if I called, that would inspire me, give me some motivation, or be there to talk. Also, over the last year, I’ve met SO many new people online that live miles and miles away. Granted, I run a blog that connects me with a variety of new people, but there are so many ways for you all to do the same. Tik Tok, Twitter, whatever the social media platform, it is so easy to make new friends. Find hashtags or topics with the things that interest you, join group chats, and go out of your way to start a conversation with someone new. The worst that can happen is they don’t respond, but I swear I have made so many new friendships using social media and I’m so grateful for it. Just remember to be safe, because although it can be a positive thing, there are still creepers on the internet lol.

Another tech thing that has helped me is an app called Notion! You can get this app on your computer or phone and it literally organizes your whole life. There are so many different templates, or you can just go free for all and create your own to-do lists and such. It’s so satisfying to check off things and see that you’re making progress throughout your day, so I highly recommend downloading an app like this that will help you stay organized.

MAKE YOUR WORKING SPACE YOURS

Whether you do your work in your office or your bedroom, make that space unique. Make it yours! My room has changed drastically since March of last year, and it’s because I realized how important this space is to me. Of course, I spent time it in before, but it was nothing like it is now. No one feels motivated in a space that doesn’t inspire you. If that means cleaning up the clothes off your floor, do it. If that means filling the room with things you like, do it. If it means starting from scratch by re-painting, re-organizing the furniture, re-decorating, DO IT! Make your working space a place that inspires you, motivates you, and allows you to be creative. I promise, once you feel comfortable and at home in this environment, you’re going to feel much more motivated!

FINDING YOUR MUSIC

I’ve mentioned before how much of an impact music has made on my life, but I’ll say it again! Sometimes, all it takes is finding a certain genre of music, a specific artist, or an album that gets you excited for the day. In the mornings I love to listen to my Mamma Mia vinyl and dance around my room while I make my bed and get my day started. While I’m working on homework I listen to this playlist, it’s very calm and doesn’t distract me from my work. Music not only gets me motivated but just raises my spirits in general. I’ve tried to listen to a new song, artist, or even a new album every day, that’s why I make monthly playlists! Check out January’s if you want: JANUARY PLAYLIST 😉

HOBBIES

Depending on where you live, you may or may not be in sports or other extracurriculars, but for me, everything is cancelled (besides virtual seasons and such). So, I’ve taken it upon myself to try some new hobbies.

READING: If you’re like me, you had that elementary/middle school phase where you read constantly and once high school hit, you hated it. Over quarantine, I read The Selection book series and that’s what got me hooked back into reading. I hadn’t read one book let alone three, and I read all three books in the span of a month or two. Currently, I’m reading We Were Liars!

MOVIES/FILM: I had always loved movies, but in the recent months I’ve tried to get into movies I’d always put off. A friend of mine introduced me to this app called “Letterboxd”, an app where you can rate, review, and find new movies. I put a ton of movies on my watchlist and tried to watch a new one every night. Of course, some nights I opted for my comfort romcoms like Crazy Rich Asians and Love, Rosie, but some of my newer favorites are Knives Out and Booksmart. Overall, the app makes it so fun because you can follow friends and see what they’re current favorites are and read their reviews. If you download the app, make sure to follow me @megreese!

ART: I haven’t quite gotten to this yet, but upon cleaning out some of my junk drawers, I found a bunch of my old art supplies that I used when I was a DIY queen lol. My goal is to get back into painting, I absolutely loved it last spring, so I think I’ll get back into it when it starts to warm up outside.

WRAPPING IT UP

Honestly, motivation is all in your head, it’s a mentality. If you are pushing yourself, you’ll get it done. Obviously, these little tips and tricks will help you, but they’ll only get you so far. You’ve got to realize that your future self is waiting on you to get $h!t done! You’ve got this, I know it’s been a rough year, but you are the only person that can change it for yourself.

xoxo, megs