For the last four weeks, my coaching hat has been off and I’ve been in my holiday bubble, enjoying the beauty, treasures and pleasures of Europe.

No schedules, no coaching calls, no training — just the joy of exploring and eating my way through Europe. And as much as I enjoyed travelling down the waterways of Venice on a gondola, lounging on the bougie beaches of the South of France, and trekking through the incredibly stunning mountain ranges of the Dolomites, by the end of the trip I found myself itching to get back into the zone.

There’s a large part of me that craves the structure and purpose that comes with my everyday life — the kind that comes only from being deeply engaged with my work and passions.

Still, during my time away, I took off all my hats — the coach, the content creator, the ultra-runner and the entrepreneur — and just enjoyed the hell out of this wonderful thing called life.

I completely shut off to immerse myself in the present moment. To just be.

Upon my return, a client asked me how I managed to get back in the zone after such a complete disconnection — wondering if I always feel ‘that’ motivated.

While my purpose and passion may motivate me more than most others, switching gears from holiday mode into rigorous training sessions, coaching commitments, and meticulous planning isn’t as seamless as it appears.

And I know I’m not alone in this; it’s something I see many of my clients struggle with. They may not have just returned from being away but could simply be trying to do something for the first time (or for the first time in a while!).

It could be starting a new business, running a marathon, or launching a new project. The moment any lesser distraction pops up, they bolt towards it at the first chance they get, especially during the early stages when they have no momentum built up.

Where to get things off the ground, they need to put in the legwork.

The antidote? Clarity, structure and discipline.

Let me paint you the picture.

When you have a 9-to-5 job, you have a manager telling you what to do and when to do it — and more often than not — you get it done.

The deadlines, the accountability, and the clear expectations provide a framework within which you operate effectively. But when you’re doing anything for yourself, you need to be your own CEO, your own manager and your own employee.

You need to create your own clarity and structure, and execute upon it.

But when that structure is self-motivated, we (as humans!) tend to waver, seeking out the path of least resistance. The real work, the hard stuff that leads to meaningful progress, gets pushed aside in favour of these distractions.

It’s a form of procrastination, and it happens to everyone, especially when the initial momentum is lacking. This is why you need to learn how to “eat the frog” first— which, in other words, is a time management concept that emphasises tackling the most challenging or important tasks and just getting into the habit of getting them done.

It’s as Mark Twain said when coined the term, “If the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that this is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long”.

In the context of what we’re talking about, the “frog” represents a task that you are most likely to put to one side and avoid — to procrastinate from. By getting it done and out of the way (no matter what!), you’re far more likely to build up momentum for the rest of your day ahead of you.

This is why when I got back from my holiday, the first thing I did was identify my “frog” and eat it. I list what must be done — be it work tasks, training, or health routines — and I follow through. No matter how I feel.

Each action is a declaration of my autonomy, proving that I guide my course rather than simply reacting to the whims of life.

I truly believe this is one of the greatest skills one can develop.

Once I have identified my frogs, the next thing is to take radical responsibility for getting it done, because awareness without action is mental masturbation (at best!). This means creating a clear plan and sticking to it, even, or perhaps especially, when distractions arise.

This is the quickest and simplest way for me to get back in the zone, gain momentum, and get a psychological boost from accomplishing something significant — and it will work the same for you.

Let me share a story about one of my incredible clients, Justin. Justin struggled to get a new project off the ground within his business. The main hurdle was a lack of clarity and structure in his approach, which left him feeling overwhelmed and unsure of his next steps.

However, when we switch scenes to his marathon training, it shows a totally different reality. In just a few weeks, Justin went from barely managing a 3-kilometre jog to smoothly running 16 kilometres.

The ‘secret’ to his success was that he used a running app that provided him with a clear, structured training plan every Sunday, which detailed his sessions, pace, distance, and goals for the week. This roadmap was the key to turning his marathon preparation into manageable, and achievable steps.

This stark difference in Justin’s experiences illustrates the power of clarity and structure. Just like in marathon training, providing a structured approach to any goal, including business projects, can dramatically enhance your ability to achieve it.

This is what Matt needed — and achieved — for his marathon, and it’s what he (and potentially you!) needs to apply to other areas to ensure success.

So, what I’m trying to say is that you may not lack motivation or any magical ingredient as much as you lack clarity, structure and discipline.

Because despite what most gurus will tell you, motivation follows action, not the other way around. You don’t need to feel motivated to get going, you need to get going to give yourself a chance at feeling motivated.

So, if you’ve been waking up feeling demotivated or stuck, maybe it’s time to stop spending your time thinking (and complaining) about why you’re demotivated and get in the habit of eating your “frog” first.

Based on my own experience, I can tell that no decision will pay off more than prioritising your life and directing your time, energy and focus to the things with the highest return.

Try it for yourself and see how it feels. If it feels good, then repeat it, repeat it again, until you realise that it’s not motivation you lack.

It’s a lack of clarity, structure & discipline.

You got this.