Stay Motivated and Get Things Done
Are you one of those people that like to start new projects, but you lose steam after a while? Motivation never seems to last for long, but that’s okay, what you want to focus on is how to get it back. There are so many ways you can rekindle your motivation. Begin each day by stoking your motivation. If your motivation wanes, you need to give it a big boost.
Some people seem to be motivated all of the time. This isn’t just a random phenomenon. They instinctively know how to motivate themselves. For the rest of us that aren’t so lucky we can learn this important quality.
Use these strategies to give yourself a boost of motivation whenever needed:
- Promise yourself a reward. Give yourself something to look forward to! It could be something as simple as a magazine or as elaborate as a trip to Bali. Maybe you’ll give yourself a quick TV break if you’re able to get your household chores completed by a certain time.
- Visualize success. See yourself being successful and experience how great it feels. If you expect to feel good about completing something, you’ll be more likely to do it.
- List the advantages. What are the advantages of getting your task completed? What benefits do you receive? Try using logic to your advantage. Remind yourself of what you’re getting out of the deal.
- List 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.
- Remind yourself of how successful you’ve been in the past. If you’re lacking in motivation because you doubt yourself, remember how well you’ve done before. Give yourself a boost of confidence, and you’ll feel more motivated.
- Declutter your work area. It can be hard to feel motivated when you’re trying to work in a cluttered area. Spend a few minutes and tidy up. Avoid using this as an excuse to clean your whole house. You don’t need to clean the refrigerator to get work done at your desk.
- Focus on just a few tasks each day. Shorten your to-do list and you’ll feel less overwhelmed. Overwhelm tends to decrease motivation.
- Avoid worrying about the things that don’t matter. Keep your mind on the things that matter and you’ll better preserve your motivation. There aren’t that many things you need to do each day that are crucial.
- Set very short-term goals. Very short-term can mean a week or 10 minutes. Whatever works for you is acceptable. See how much you can get done in the next 15 minutes. If you do this enough times each day, you’ll be amazed at how much work you can get done.
Avoid worrying if your motivation seems to run low. There are many ways to regain your lost motivation. Motivation is temporary, that’s why it’s necessary to reestablish it on a regular basis. Motivation is the juice that allows us to get things accomplished. Knowing how to generate it at will is a powerful skill that should never be underestimated.
Like Nike says, ‘just do it!’
