How to Stay Motivated During Summer Break – How to Actually Crush Your Dreams While on Summer Break

 

I see you. I know there are things deep down that you so desperately want to get done. Goals you want to achieve. Lists you want to complete. And a summer schedule can present even more challenges on how to find the time or the motivation to accomplish the dreams placed within your heart. But it is possible. You can actually crush your goals, and embrace your dream, even throughout the crazy season of summer. Sharing with you FOUR tips to stay motivated all summer long. 

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How to Stay Motivated – How to Actually Crush Your Dreams While on Summer Break

I am so excited to share with you a little motivation, as well as tips to be able to actually crush your dreams while on summer break. For so many of us, there are so many things that we have on our heart. There are so many passions that we have and so many dreams that we have. Additionally, there are so many things that we desperately want to do. And it can feel a little bit like a whirl spin when you just don’t know the exact steps to do the actual thing!

Or, maybe you know the exact steps, but struggle finding the time to commit. Maybe your question is, how do I even know what it is that I have in my heart as to what I want to get done? And so, when it comes to summer, especially for me being a teacher, I assume I have all this extra time on my hands and all this extra anticipation of getting my act together.

And then these crazy expectations of how is this actually going to get done? Sometimes it can be hard to stay motivated. Sometimes it can be hard to actually get done what needs to get done. And if you have a dream and if there’s something you really want to do, well. All we need is that little extra oomph of motivation and some tips to actually make it work! Which is exactly what I am here for to encourage you with how to stay motivated all summer long!

4 Tips to Stay Motivated During Summer Break 

Sharing with you tips to actually allow the things that we want to get done, get done! Tips to help you stay motivated all summer long. Four tips to help you stay motivated so you can crush your goals and chase your dreams. Now, there’s four major tips or steps as you could say to help keep your motivation. Additionally, I have bonus tips to help you maintain your motivation to work hard on crushing your goals and accomplishing big dreams. 

Here is the thing, if you have a dream, which I’m sure you do, we all have dreams. It might be quiet, it might be loud, or it might be dormant. Regardless, we all have dreams and it’s so important to give life to those dreams and to not just believe that it is possible, but actually act on it. And my hope is that through these round of motivation you will do just that! 

My hope is that you will get a little more motivated, find a little bit more inspiration and to actually take a step now in that direction. And when you do that, you will be okay for it, and proud of yourself for making that step. So, four tips to stay motivated during summer. 

How to Stay Motivated #1 – Define Your Goal with Clear Expectations

The very first tip to help with your motivation is to actually define your goal with clear expectations. The very first thing you want to do  in order to stay motivated is to make sure you know exactly what it is that you are trying to accomplish. Focus in on that one specific thing. Not everything! Let go of the perfectionism. Dig deep and think to yourself, what is it that you truly want to accomplish?

What is the big thing? What is the one item that you want to knock off your list or take a big chance on? Know exactly what the one item is and define that goal so clearly have very specific and very clear expectations. Know exactly what that looks like. Be as specific as you can. And write it down. This is so important because we all are working towards something, whether we feel like it’s super significant or we think it’s silly. Whatever it is, we’re working towards something.

Whether it is a passion project, or a business, a home project, or just working within the core of your family. Maybe it’s a health or a fitness goal. Whatever it is, whatever you are trying to accomplish, whatever you need the motivation for. It is so important to make sure we know so clearly what it is that we want. 

The Importance of Clearly Defining Your Goal

We have to know what it is because when we know what it is, by defining it, we are giving ourselves the tools to be able to actually get there. Once you know what your goal is, then this allows us to identify exactly what needs to be done to get there. So that’s the very first step to stay motivated, to define your goal with clear expectations.

How to Stay Motivated #2 – Identify the exact steps it will take to get there

The very next thing, the next tip to stay motivated during summer is to identify the exact steps it will take to get there. It is imperative to know exactly what needs to be done to get what you want accomplished. Now, this can be a very overwhelming thought, so I encourage you to make this fun. A great idea is to do a brain dump or a mind map or brainstorm. Or go ahead, here is your permission to make your giant to-do list.

Have fun with it. Play some music. Pour yourself something that you enjoy to drink. Have your favorite snack. Sit in a favorite place somewhere that inspires you and let it all out. Get every single thought in your head out on paper. Paper is preferred, of course! I firmly believe there is such a power to getting something off of your head to actual paper, the actual act of writing it down.

Know Exactly What It Is That You Hope to Get Done

However, you need to know exactly what has to get done in order to get there. This act alone is a huge release and results in a significant freedom. When we rid our minds with the heavy expectation of what we are trying to accomplish, no matter what that goal is. Whether it’s losing a certain number of pounds or feeling stronger, or really fine tuning your diet. Maybe it’s a relationship goal or pursuing a side hustle. Or, focusing in on moving to the next step in business or finishing this home project.

Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter what it is. You know what it is. You know what it is deep down within you. We carry expectations for this thing, and when our expectations can be too big, without even realizing it, we are carrying around an unnecessary burden. And when we carry this unnecessary burden of these things on our shoulders, it contributes to additional stress and then can block what we actually need to get done because we’re hindered by this overwhelming feeling and sensation of not knowing where to even begin.

Therefore, take the time to know exactly what needs to be done and be as specific as possible. Once you know the exact steps, once you know every single thing that needs to be done to get there. Then the focus turns to understanding the actual time it will take to accomplish it! 

Bonus Tip to Stay Motivated – Know Exactly How Long It Will Take

Now, here’s a little bonus for you. This may be something that helps you, or this may be something that doesn’t. Either way take it or leave it. As you go through and write down every single step, every single thing that you need to do in order to accomplish this goal. And these can be super, super simple, easy tasks that take like two seconds. On the other hand, it can also be the very big, daunting tasks. Every single layer of thing that needs to get done, write it down.

Now, the bonus here is think through how long each step will take. Think through and provide an estimate of how long you think each task will take. For example, this is a quick 10 minute task, or this is a longer project that requires three hours. Make this a rough estimate because of course things happen and sometimes things take way, way, way longer than you intend. Simply, focus through on trying to identify the time it will take to accomplish the task.

Now again, this might work for you or it might not. You might read this and go, absolutely not! I’m going to be stuck on this forever, nor do I want to put times on it. That’s fine. It will either give you a sense of vision or it will mess with you. Either way, you know it instantly when you read this suggestion. So simply take it or leave it as a bonus tip to help you stay motivated.

Stay Motivated Through the Summer Tip 3 – Determine the when

Once you’ve identified the steps that it takes to get there, the very third step to stay motivated is to determine the when. Establish specific windows of time where these tasks will get done. Write it down on your calendar or write it within your planner. Stay committed to that time and place. A time that is fully devoted to that one thing. A time where you will have limited distractions, and you will be focused.

Is it a health goal? That’s awesome. Go ahead and establish when you are going to exercise or when you’re going to meal plan and prep healthier food choices for you and the family. Is it a family goal? That’s great. Write down when you’ll be devoting that time to your task. Are you working on a passion project, a side hustle? Let’s do it. Specifically, when will you be working on what things?

Once you know, and when you have the time to focus on the goal, the dream, the vision that you have for yourself. Once you have the date written down firmly in your schedule, allocate which task will be completed during that time. This ensures that when. you sit down to get things done, you know exactly what it is you are to be working on and will be more efficient! You can actually get the things done!

Establish The Times When You Will Work on That Thing

For example, during nap time, two days this week, I’m going to focus in on this one project, or this one task. I’m going to focus on this at this point and this other item at another point. Doing this creates a roadmap for yourself. To allow you to actually show up. This is so important! It can be great to have all these ideas and want to do all these things, but when we’re just dreaming things in our head without an actual plan for success, we don’t act on it.

So try this out. Think through what needs to be done, think through the tasks that need to be handled and completed to get to this goal. And actually put it down in your planner. Figure out when you have time within each week to see where can I focus on this thing? Where can I focus on devoting a little bit of time to something that I want to accomplish, something I want to achieve? And it’s so easy to show up for yourself when it’s right there in front of you and you see a space for it to live.

How to Stay Motivated All Summer Long #4 – Become Your Own Biggest Cheerleader and Your Own Biggest Fan

Finally, the fourth tip, the last tip to stay motivated all summer long is to become your own biggest cheerleader and your own biggest fan. Cheer yourself on. Be so proud of the work that you are doing. Be so excited. Believe in what you are doing with all of your heart, knowing that, hey, this is so important to me. I’m so excited for this. When you have that enthusiasm, when you have that extra oomph of joy, it can unlock even more productivity. It unlocks a greater potential for getting more and more done, because that extra excitement and energy that is there!

If you’re having a hard day and you don’t feel like you have it in you, you know what? That’s okay. You can give yourself a day to reset or a day to come back. But you also have the ability to cheer yourself on along the way and give yourself the pep talk that you need. Therefore, don’t be afraid to take a step back or take a step away, knowing sometimes you just have to clear your head and come back stronger in the next moment to get right back on track to the roadmap, to your dreams.

Reward Yourself Along the Way

Another great tip is to reward yourself along the way. When you reach a certain milestone, when you do something, find a breakthrough, work through a lot of heavy or a lot of the mess. Find reasons to celebrate and reward yourself along the way and through the process. Sometimes we work so hard on accomplishing all these things, but we don’t actually take time to be proud of the things that we accomplished.

Often, we sell ourselves short. We don’t really think it’s a big deal. Instead, we kind of take our worth and knock it down a notch. However, we have to celebrate along the way and celebrate the process because the process can be dang hard.

Other Important Reminders to Stay Motivated Through Summer

Other helpful reminders  to help you stay motivated as you work to crush your goals throughout the summer. The very first extra reminder is to eliminate distractions. Really focus in on the things that you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Is this bringing you joy? Okay, that’s great. Is this distracting you from something that you really want? Okay. Then maybe think through what it is that you’re doing.

Are you avoiding big feelings? Right? Think through your intentions when you do a task. Is there something else you could be doing in place of this task? Are you mindlessly scrolling your phone? Are you watching some show that you’re not really interested in, but you’re just trying to give your mind a break? Is there a better way to give your mind a break? Could you go to bed earlier? There’s so many different things we can do to help us, and one of the best ways is to eliminate those distractions.

Eliminate the Distractions and the Clutter

When you eliminate the distractions, there’s more room for motivation. Which is another reason why I believe it is so important to also remove the clutter. Get rid of the clutter, get rid of the excess. Furthermore, get rid of the things that are blocking your view. I think of this visually when I’m looking at my desk, anytime I sit down to work at home, I have to remove the clutter. When I sit down to work, I have to get rid of the things that are distracting. The things that are pulling me away from the actual work that I want to get done.

Make the Necessary Sacrifice 

Another helpful reminder is to make the necessary sacrifice that is needed to stay true to you and work towards the goal that you want to achieve. The truth is, there will be sacrifice when you are trying to find constant motivation to reach a goal. Every single thing that’s worth something spectacular in life comes with a sacrifice. It comes with a cost. That’s what makes it so rewarding. That’s what makes it so fulfilling. So figure out what you might have to give up in order to actually achieve the thing that you want to achieve.

Have an Accountability Partner 

Finally, another great helpful reminder is to have an accountability partner. Find somebody that you can trust, somebody that you know will support you and encourage you and cheer you on. Let them know what you’re working towards. Let them know that, hey, like I’m really working on something that I really want to see through to the end. Share with them how this will be challenging and how it will require time and effort. 

Ask for their help in providing encouragement through the process? Can you hold me accountable as I work towards this goal now? Hopefully these extra little reminders can give you the extra push that you need to stay motivated throughout summer, and all year long. The intention here is to give you motivation to stay true to you and work on the things that you desperately want, the goals, the dreams, the to-do lists, the things that you feel like I don’t even know if I can get there. Because you can! You can absolutely get there! I so strongly believe in that for you!

You Can Crush Your Goals and Reach Your Dreams This Summer 

Lastly, believe in yourself – know you are capable, know firmly that the dreams and desires you have are within you for a specific purpose and that there is a piece of you that you will gain when you see it through to the other side!

Quick recap of the tips you need to stay motivated all summer long

1. ONE – Define your goal with clear expectations
2. TWO – Identify the exact steps it will take to get there.
3. THREE – Determine the WHEN. Establish specific windows of time where these tasks will get done
4. FOUR – become your own biggest cheerleader and your own biggest fan

I hope you have an amazing month. Truly believing in amazing and big things for you this month. Believing that this is a month where you can find that time to slow down and through slowing down you will cultivate so much more! It is absolutely possible for you to chase your dreams and accomplish your goals! Cheering you on every single step of the way.