“HELP! I haven’t gotten anything done in 3 days.”

One of my clients sent me an email recently because procrastination, self-doubt, and self-sabotage were consuming her. Not surprisingly, this email was full of frowny face emoticons. 🙁

And because my clients get unlimited email support, I get lots and lots and lots of these type of messages. I want my clients to tell me when they’re veering off track because I can’t help them if I don’t know what’s going on between our calls.

Everyone feels like giving up sooner or later!

Our motivation drains out of us and we feel helpless as the days slip by and our to-do lists grow ever longer.

I’ll give you the same advice I gave my overwhelmed client: you must set up a system to motivate yourself and use it consistently.

You won’t always have the option of leaning on a friend, your spouse, or a coach when you need a pick-me-up.

So how do you light a fire under your ass when you’re feeling burned out?

Here are 3 ways to motivate yourself when you feel like giving up.

Keep a Praise Folder

Whenever I receive an email, message on social media, or a thank you card that has a particularly kind compliment for me, I print out a copy and tuck it into a folder on my desk labeled “Praise and Recognition.”

Yes, I realize that you could also save these messages digitally, but I’m old school like that and like tangible organization.

There are times when I feel self-doubt and can’t seem to get motivated no matter what I do. When I start heading down that negative path, I pull out my praise folder and read over the sweet notes I’ve received from my clients, readers, and mentors.

Their words instantly pep me up and make me remember that my work has meaning. And that I should continue doing it.

Make a praise folder for yourself and fill it with anything you receive that makes you feel good about yourself and your work. You can use a hard copy folder like me or store all the bits of praise electronically.

Make Self-Care a Priority

Before I start my work day, I go through my self-care morning routine. I exercise, shower, get dressed (no yoga pants!), do my hair and makeup, meditate, flip through my morning stack, set my intention, and write in both my gratitude and aspiration journals.

By honoring myself first thing in the morning, I set the tone for my entire day. My routine celebrates my personal power, which makes me feel more capable when I write my blog posts, talk with clients, and interact with my loved ones.

Some people might feel bad about spending time on themselves, but self-care is hugely important if you want to be of service to other people.

And knowing that you’re going to be doing something good for yourself in the morning will certainly make you want to get out of bed.

Write in a Progress Journal

Our days can be so full and busy that it’s easy to forget all the little tasks you’ve completed and small victories you’ve had.

Think about it: do you even remember what you had for lunch last week let alone what you accomplished?

I write in a progress journal to keep track of all the mini tasks I’ve completed. I keep it next to my computer and write down each task as soon as I finish it. At the end of the day I can see a long list of accomplishments or “baby steps,” and it helps me recognize all my hard work.

Need your own progress journal? Here ya go!

The Weekly Progress Journal is one of dozens of free worksheets, ebooks, videos, and other resources in the Editor’s Toolkit. Click here to get instant access.

Here’s the truth: you’re a pretty amazing person, but that doesn’t mean you have endless energy supplies. You WILL want to give up sometimes, so it’s important to motivate yourself every day.

How do you motivate yourself?

In the comments below, share what you do when you want to give up.

This post focuses on Step 1 of the Life Editing Process, Create a Foundation. For more about life editing and what it can do for you, click here.