Fire Up Your Motivation


Here's an idea to fire up your motivation and make you feel extremely accomplished. 


The 24 Hour Quadrant II Marathon

As referenced in one of my articles about Stephen Covey, Quadrant II activities are those that are not urgent but are important. For example, you can work on a plan to improve your writing efficiency, meet with a local up-and-coming playwright for future collaboration, or you can create a workout plan to improve your health in the future. How do you think you would you feel if you spent an entire day on tasks like this? I'm not talking about an 8 hour work day either; I'm talking about a marathon from top to bottom that includes staying up all night to get a full 24 hours of Quadrant II work in.

This turns the typical reason for an all-nighter on its head. Usually, you are up all night completely a Quadrant I activity (urgent and important) or perhaps a project that is just urgent and has no long-lasting effects to speak of. Spending an entire 24 hour period on only long-term important activities can set you up for some major success. Try taking the day off of work and clearing out your whole schedule to try this exercise on for size. Here is a sample 24 Hour Quadrant II Marathon to fire up your motivation: 


8 AM - Wake up and go for a jog (as part of day one of your new exercise plan).
9:30 AM - Eat a balanced breakfast (as part of day one of your new diet).
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM - Brainstorm about new ways to increase your productivity. 
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM - Work on a 30 day plan for a new idea or project (break for lunch in there somewhere).
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM - Do some research online for new publications to write for.
5:00 PM - Break for a dinner meeting with several new writers in the the area. 
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM - Read a book about publishing and the Internet. 
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM - Go check out a new play and hobnob with the company afterwards.
9:30 PM - 11:30 PM - Organize your desk area. 
11:30 PM - Stop for a quick snack. 
12:00 AM - 2:00 AM - Go to an all-night coffee shop and start writing a new story or play. 
2:00 AM - 4:00 AM - Work on a proposal to try to get a book published. 
4:00 AM - 5:00 AM - Do some yoga as the sun rises or some meditation (as part of day one of a new relaxation plan).
5:00 AM - 8:00 AM - Plan out your finances for the next 60 - 90 days and brainstorm new ways to generate income. 


As you can see, at the end of this 24 hour period, you'd have exercised, eating several healthy meals, organized your desk, done some research, made some contacts, and created several plans to increase your efficiency over the next several months. Sure, you'll be tired as hell, but I bet the next time you wake up you will feel more settled and motivated than you have in a long while. Give the plan a try to fire up your motivation and you may end up with amazing results.

Related Articles to Quotes on Motivation
Daily Motivation
Daily Motivation: The Morning (Part 1)
Stopping My Self-Sabotage and the Aftermath


Done with Fire Up Your Motivation?
Go back to "Motivation Techniques"


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Written by Bryan Cohen

Bryan Cohen is the author of more than 30 books, many of which focus on creative writing and blasting through that pesky writer's block. His books have sold more than 20,000 copies. You can find him on and Facebook.
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