If you're anything like me, your motivation to do something never seems to last long enough. You are very excited to get the ball rolling at the beginning, but somewhere on your journey... things just get "blah". The good news is that there are a number of ways to rekindle your motivation.
Stoke your motivation at the beginning of each day by listening to positive affirmations. My favorite app for that is the ThinkUp app. It allows you to record affirmations in your own voice so that your brain hears you speaking positively to yourself. It's a great way to start off your day.
Some people seem to be motivated all the time....
How nice for them, right?
But for the rest of us who aren’t so lucky, here's some tips that have helped me. Use these strategies to give yourself a boost of motivation whenever needed…
1. CONSIDER THE ADVANTAGES
What are the advantages of getting your task completed? What benefits will you receive? Try using logic to your advantage. Remind yourself of what you’re getting out of the deal.
2. CONSIDER THE DISADVANTAGES
Use pain to your advantage. What are the penalties of not getting your task done? How will you suffer? What are the negative consequences? You can gain a lot of motivation by recognizing the advantages and disadvantages of taking, or not taking, an action.
3. DE-CLUTTER YOUR WORKSPACE
It can be hard to feel motivated when you’re trying to work on a cluttered desk or table. Spend a few minutes to tidy up. But try to avoid using this as an excuse to clean your entire house. You don’t need to clean out the fridge to get work done at your desk.
4. PRIORITIZE TO LIMIT YOUR FOCUS
Prioritize what really needs to be done and drop the "busyness" so that you’ll feel less overwhelmed. Overwhelm tends to lead to procrastination. Listen to Episode 28 of my podcast for tips on how to set your priorities so that you can stay focused on what you need to do.
5. SET S.M.A.R.T. GOALS
Creating goals that are specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely can really help to motivate you. Just be sure that your timeframe for your goal is 90 days or less. Going too long without positive reinforcement or reward will hurt your motivation. Try to set up small opportunities for success along the way, and you'll be much more likely to keep working toward completing your big goal. For more information on S.M.A.R.T. goal setting, listen to Episode 35 of my podcast. Click here to access printable S.M.A.R.T. Goal worksheets and workbooks for that I'm offering for free to readers of this blog.
6. SEEK OUTSIDE INSPIRATION
Read a chapter from an inspirational book. Listen to a motivational podcast, or watch a motivational speaker on YouTube. You don't need to spend hours doing this, just take a few minutes to get your head in the right mindset.
7. DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
Keep your mind on the things that matter and let go of everything else. If something isn't completely crucial to the success of your goal, let it go or move it to another day.
Happy Self-Motivation!
