So far we have covered 4 Fabulous Motivators:

• 1. The Movers & Shakers
• 2. The Deal Breakers
• 3. The Momentum Builders
• 4. The Inspiration Generators

Continuing with the fifth motivator …

10 Fabulous Motivators That Inspire You To Take Action

5. The Savvy Time Shoppers

Time is and will always be an expensive commodity. It will always be taken away, grabbed and snatched by … well, who knows who! And that’s why you need to master the art of time shopping. When time crunch starts affecting your motivation and desire to take action, the savvy time shoppers will help you get motivated and inspired to take action.

Savvy time shoppers in short are smart ways of finding time to act on your task list without facing resistance. They are all about haggling, finding deals and gaining your way inch by inch in the battle between your dreams and your time.

• Bargain For Time

  What if I tell you that you need to find one hour everyday to work towards your dreams? The immediate answer will be … no way! One hour is too much. Taking out that much time is just not possible.

  I agree. But if you can’t find one hour, can you at least put in half an hour every day? You might say that half an hour every day is also a lot. Had it been once a week … you could fit it somewhere in your weekend. But definitely not every day!

  I say all right. No half an hour each day. What about 10 minutes a day? 10 minutes is nothing! You can take out at least 10 minutes a day to work on ‘your dream’.

  And you most probably will agree. 10 minutes … hmmm that can be managed. You will somehow fit it in your schedule every day.

  And that my friend is what bargaining is all about. Find out a time period for which you can commit to your dream every day.

  Time Unit of Least Resistance

  The quickest way to strike a bargain is to find your time unit of least resistance. That is, to find out how much time can you easily commit to? For some, it’s 10 minutes, for some 15. Some people can easily work out half an hour each day. What time can you commit to and stick to without feeling overwhelmed or building anxiety? Figure out that time and assign it to your task in hand.

  Your time unit of least resistance acts as an entry barrier breaker. It gets you started. It gets you going. Once you are comfortable spending that much time on your task, try adding time to it in smaller chunks. 5 minutes at a time or 10 minutes at a time. Build up the amount of time you can comfortably spend on the task. Keep the motivation alive.

  The advantage of bargaining for time or using time unit of least resistance is that it removes ‘lack of time’ from the list of things that get you de-motivated.

  The Ten Minute Rule

  Whatever time you decide, always remember the ten minute rule. Ten minute rule is quite simple – it says your time unit of least resistance cannot be less than 10 minutes. And you always complete 10 minutes of the action item planned – no matter what.

  This means, if you commit to a greater time unit (say half an hour) and are thinking of quitting the task for the day due to lack of time or energy, you can do so – but only after working 10 minutes on it.

  The ten minute rule is a great way to beat procrastination and find motivation to do things you don’t like to do – like exercise or organize house or write article or fill expenses or sort computer. Once you start working on the task you were resisting, you will notice that you could easily put in more time and finish the task. Taking that first step is difficult; breaking out of inertia is difficult. The ten minute rule helps you do so.

• Barter For Time

  Barter is all about trading one thing for another. It’s a simple exchange. You get time to do what you need to do by reducing time from another activity that you do. Sometimes, you stop doing one activity altogether to pick up another activity. What activity gets exchanged with which one is your call and your priority.

  While bartering right now sounds like something you want to stay miles away from, it’s not really that bad. If you can balance your needs, this can turn out to be a win-win for you. And you should always balance your needs – the mode in which you fulfill your needs can change but your need should always get fulfilled.

  For instance, you cannot barter all play time with work time. It’s a bad exchange. You need some fun time, some play time. It’s essential to staying motivated, staying sane and productive. Similarly, you can’t barter all work time with play time. You know that too will not work.

  You can however barter a chunk of play time with work time. As long as you ensure when you play, you have a blast – the best play time you ever had. You can barter a chunk of work time with play time as well. As long as you ensure you increase your work productivity drastically.

  Smart Barters

  And then, there are smart barters. When you figure out how to play at work or work while playing, you are bartering smart. You get best of both worlds … a complete win-win without compromising at either place. The challenge for you over here is to figure out areas where both overlap.

  For instance, exercise time and play time can overlap. Learning time and traveling time can overlap. Lunch time and socializing time can overlap. Traveling time and relaxing time can overlap.

  List down areas where you spend time and figure out how and where can each overlap. Overlaps need not be 100%. You mostly will not be able to merge entire play time and entire work time. But even if this is possible for 10% of time invested, you have created time for yourself, you have bartered smart.

Action Items

• i. Pick one activity which you have wanted to start since a long time but kept procrastinating due to lack of time. Apply the 10 minute rule to it.
• ii. Find one activity you are willing to do less of to create time for yourself.
• iii. Find at least one overlap in between any two activities you do. Try out smart bartering.

Bargaining for time and bartering for time are just two examples of Savvy Time Shoppers which help you to stay motivated. Do you have more examples of creating time, of Savvy Time Shoppers which have worked for you?

More Fabulous Motivators That Inspire You To Take Action In Part IV

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• How To Balance Life Effortlessly
• You Had Better Slow Down
• Find Your Own Sanctuary
• 31 Lessons On Personal Effectiveness By Brian Tracy
• Take Time Off