Let me start off by saying that I'm not a motivational guru or a New York Times best-selling author on how to get motivated. I'm just your average Joe who has problems at getting himself motivated at times (ok a lot of the time, LOL.)

Some of things that I notice about myself when I am not motivated to do something is that usually I am thinking. I am thinking about why I don't want to take out the trash, why I can't work out because I have too many other things to do, why tomorrow is a better day, how I am too tired, how I am about to fall asleep, or a million other things. Usually, once I get started down that line of thinking I feel less and less motivated to do it and it seems impossible to snap out of this line of thinking. What is one to do?

Stop thinking!

That's right, just stop thinking. I've noticed that when I do take out the garbage, workout, do the dishes, or organize the disaster called my bedroom that I start doing it without thinking. Once I have started doing that particular activity it is easy to continue on doing. If you're like me your next question probably is "How do I stop thinking?"

Well, you can scream out loud at the top of your lungs, slap yourself in the face, jump up and down in a circle while patting your stomach, or if you really need something to help you stop thinking strip down and go for a streak around the neighborhood. While a few of those are jokes, I am partially serious. If you have gotten stuck into thinking why you don't want to do something or why you aren't motivated, the first thing you have to do is stop yourself from thinking those thoughts. The best way I've found to do this is to do another activity. The activity you choose is up to you. I've had some success with taking a shower. I find that this usually relaxes me. Get out of the house and go for a jog, to the beach, or for a hike. Often times I find that physical exercise helps me to get in the mood to work on whatever I am putting off. Once you are done with that activity, just transition into what you want to get accomplished.

Try searching YouTube for "motivational movies". Often times after watching one of these motivational movies you feel supercharged and the task that once seemed as daunting as Mount Everest is now just a tiny little pebble on the sidewalk.

Another way to get motivated is to give yourself a monetary incentive. If you want to work out five times a week, then at the beginning of the week give a friend five one hundred dollar bills. Each day you work out your friend gives you a one hundred dollar bill back. If you miss a workout they keep the money for that day. When I tried this technique out, I found that a lot of times I would work out just so my friend wouldn't get the money. Hint: It helps if you have a loud, obnoxious friend that will really rub it in your face when you miss a workout and he or she gets to keep your money. You can adjust the monetary amount to fit your budget. However, keep in mind if you put enough money on the line, then the task that used to be like pulling teeth to get done will soon be a breeze to get done.

A final thought to this article on how to get motivated:

A lot of the times when I am not motivated to do something I am sitting or lying down. Just the act of changing your body position might be enough to start a chain of events to get your dreaded activity done. If you are lying down then stand up and sit in a chair. It is a lot harder to fall asleep in a sitting position in a chair, than a prone position on your bed. Then from sitting you can move to a standing position. You might be stuck sitting thinking about how you don't want to stand up because you know you are going to do the activity that you don't want to do. It's at that point I suggest doing something else that you find pleasurable, because you will never make an excuse to not do something you truly find enjoyable. Then once you are done with that activity you can simply transition into the thing you need to accomplish.

Start working less, and start living more.

When he is not procrastinating and making excuses, Thomas works on adding new content to his website which teaches people how to make money online http://www.makelegitmoneyonlinenow.com/