Some days I wake up and I do not feel like doing anything. Sometimes this comes from a place of laziness, but most often it comes from a lack of motivation or inspiration. There are just times where we can feel stuck in a rut and do not know how to get out of it and get motivated. That's why I am sharing a few tricks I've learned for increasing productivity and spiking your motivation:

1. Get physical. 

This could mean a multitude of things, but for the purposes of keeping this blog PG, I am talking about physically moving. You can walk, play an instrument, dance, etc. When you are mentally stuck on something or when you don't feel inspired, moving often helps me spark new ideas.

2. Do a Brain Teaser.

This could be playing Sudoku or knitting or solving a puzzle or just doing something that challenges you. When we put our mental energy into something other than what we're stuck on, it allows our brain to refocus. Then when you come back to what challenged you in the beginning, your ideas will be fresh and your brain will be powered up and ready to go. 

3. Take time to recharge. 

Often when I feel under productive, it is because I have not let myself relax or recharge in a while. Stress can squelch any inspiration you have. If you are an extrovert, go grab coffee with a friend and just chat for an hour. If you're an introvert, take some time by yourself and refresh. 

4. Push through. 

When nothing else on this list works for me, which is rare but does happen, I have to give myself a tough love pep talk and push through. Emotions can be a wonderful thing, but if we allow our feelings to guide us 24/7, then we may never get anything done. Even if you cannot put 100% of yourself into something, the fact that you've pushed yourself through it and began to tackle that hurdle is progress you should be proud of!

I hope that these tips and tricks will be helpful to you. I know January has been a particularly challenging month for me. It has been so cold in Minnesota and all I want to do is stay in my bed all day in relax. But we're girl bosses (and guy bosses), so we need to get s**t done!

My tank top and jacket are from Arc's Value Vllage, a big thank you to Michelle for allowing me to do an Instagram takeover on her page. To see my photos, go to the Thrift Stylist Instagram page here. 

Thank you to Kelly Kwong from Sweet Petite Photography for these beautiful photos. Kelly is an absolute joy to work with and she always has ways of making photo shoots fun!