How to Stay Motivated During the Pandemic

One thing I know most of us are struggling with is motivation. This is such a trying time for everyone and with so much hate and disagreement, it can be hard to keep pushing forward. But that is just what we are going to do. Keep reading to learn how to stay motivated during the pandemic.

True Story

Last Thursday I was sitting at my computer waiting for the students in my class to show up for our daily Zoom meeting. I sat and sat and kept checking the clock. It had been five minutes and no one was there yet. Little did I know I had completely messed up and started my 9:45 am meeting instead of the 9:00 am meeting…

All of a sudden I started receiving a ton of emails in my inbox. I kept hearing ding, ding, ding. At this point, I was tired and confused. I minimized Zoom and looked at my email. I was immediately bombarded with emails from parents wondering what was going on. They were trying to get on, but I hadn’t started the meeting yet.

Insert palm on the face… You can guess at this point I was wide awake. I frantically ended the meeting I was on and clicked to start the “correct” one. Whew! That was close. Students started to pop up as I allowed them to enter the virtual classroom. Things finally started to settle, but I felt so embarrassed.

Staying Motivated

Does that sound familiar? Have you experienced the utter terror that comes when you realize that you made a mistake? Right now we are all super stressed as we have been thrown into this world of online teaching. It has been such a roller coaster of emotions this past month and finally now that things are starting to feel a bit more “normal”, I have found myself feeling tired and unmotivated.

I have put so much into setting up our new virtual classroom and now that the dust has settled, the burnout has begun. I don’t want to feel this way, but there it is anyway. 

Now that I have a few weeks of online teaching behind me I find myself losing my focus and my inspiration. Instead of being in my classroom with my students I sit at my computer and speak to a screen. It has been a difficult adjustment period and with that has come a lot of mixed emotions.

What it comes down to… I miss my students and I miss my classroom. I miss being in the same room as my sweet kiddos and interacting with them throughout the day. So…. what comes next? I knew I couldn’t keep up this routine without finding my inspiration again. Teachers teach because they are inspired. When you lose that, you kind of lose your way. 

At this point, I looked in the mirror and told myself to stop wallowing in what I wish would be and think of ways I can make this time better. I reminded myself that I can’t change the current situation, but I can make the best of it. Insert my top 4 strategies to stay motivated during the pandemic! I want to share with you the different ways that I keep myself motivated to keep going during this difficult time! 

5 ways to stay motivated

1. Create a morning routine

The first thing I recommend is that you create a morning routine of some kind. I cannot stress enough how important this is. Normally, you have a routine you follow in the morning. Mine looked something like this: 5:30 am wake-up and hit the snooze button. 5:39 I drag myself out of bed and into the bathroom to wash my face and freshen up. 5:45 I make the trek into the kitchen hoping the coffee is ready and then go get dressed. 6:00 hair and make-up. 6:30 breakfast and morning news. 6:45 I make my lunch and grab everything I need. 7:00 I am out the door and heading to school.

I know exactly what I need to do and when in order to be ready and on time. Now that my whole schedule has been thrown out of whack, I had to figure out a new morning routine to fit this new normal. I honestly believe this is one of the most important things you can do to stay motivated and on top of everything you need to get done. Without a morning routine, you flounder and waste so much time!

Trust me, I have been there. I know that when we first started teaching from home I was running on adrenaline. But once the dust settled, I knew I had to find my new morning routine to ensure that I was making the most out of my day. Boy, has it helped a lot! 

2. Daily affirmations

A part of my new morning routine includes daily affirmations. This is something that is somewhat new to me but has made a huge difference in my motivation. When things get crazy it is easy to lose sight of what is important. To help keep my mind on the right track I start every morning doing my morning pages and writing my daily affirmations out. Writing out my daily affirmations basically reprograms my mind to think of things in a more positive light. It is so easy to see the negatives all around us, but taking time to change those into positive thoughts, helps us to create the reality we want. Give it a try, I promise it will be worth it!  

Here are two of the affirmations I write down daily: 

• I am confident and strong. 
• I can do anything I set my mind to. 

There aren’t any right or wrong daily affirmations as long as it is something positive. Try to think of things that will encourage you and make you feel your best! 

3. Make motivational signs

My next tip is to surround yourself with motivation! Yes, I said to surround yourself with motivation! This can be done in many ways, but my favorite thing to do is place motivational signs around my workspace and throughout the house! You can fashion your own if you are feeling creative, or you can find many for sale online! Etsy is a great place to find printable motivational signs.

To fancy it up, find fun and unique frames and place them up on the walls! I find that surrounding myself with these reminders keeps me in a positive and productive state of mind. I can’t wait to see what you come up with! 

4. Keep a gratitude journal 

A gratitude journal is another wonderful way to help keep you motivated. I write in my journal every morning and every night. In the morning I write out the things I am grateful for when I am doing my daily affirmations. I like to write what I am looking forward to and what I think will make the day a great day.

At night, before I settle in to read, I take the time to write in my gratitude journal again. I think about my day and try to focus on what went well. Then I write down what I think would have made it even better. This is a wonderful way to start and end the day. It has helped me immensely on my journey to finding my motivation again. 

5. Decorate your desk space to be motivational 

Last, but certainly not least, is decorating your workspace! When I started teaching from home in March, I was using a small desk that was given to me by a family member. It didn’t fit my height very well and I really did not enjoy sitting there. That is what prompted my search for a new workspace. If I was going to be working from home, I knew I needed a place that was comfortable and inspirational. After a while, I ended up getting another used desk from a family friend, but this time it fits me much better and was much larger! It even moves up and down so I can stand while I am working! After getting the “new to me” desk, it was time to spruce it up!

Now I know that everyone can’t get a new desk, but there are still many things you can do with what you currently have! Find organizational pieces that are fun and colorful. I usually like a more neutral color pallet, but when it comes to accessories, I do like pops of color! Add some fun pen holders, a new lamp, or even a small vase of flowers. Add little touches that make you happy to be there! I love to include a picture of my family on my desk because looking at it always brings a smile to my face. 

You don’t have to do a lot, but even the little things can make a big difference! Look around the house and see what you already have. Can you repurpose something? One of my favorite things that I added to my desk is my Tieks box pen holders! There was something about these small boxes that my shoes came in called to me. I ended up putting the banded flower that comes on top to hold the lid on around the box and viola! A new pen holder!

I love to repurpose things that I find around the house! Something as simple as a glass jar can become a flower vase, a decorative light, or even a tissue jar! Have fun and be creative! 

In Conclusion

Inspiration and motivation is a big part of teaching. Without it, it is hard to stay focused and on top of your game. I have found that even the simplest of things such as a new morning routine, motivational signs, daily affirmations, keeping a journal, and decorating your workspace can make all the difference. This is a difficult time we are in right now and the only thing that will make it better is to stay positive! I hope you enjoy trying out some of my ideas and that they help to inspire and motivate you during this trying time!

Stay strong and stay positive! 🙂

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