7 Ways to Get Motivated

Insufficient motivation. We're all aware of it.

Is the project too huge for you? You'll take care of it later.

You don't have enough time on your hands? You're exhausted? Is your to-do list missing because your dog ate it?

The list of reasons why you shouldn't do something is limitless. Many are caused by a lack of motivation.

Motivation is required to attain your objectives and maintain your attention.

Here are seven techniques to increase your motivation and maintain it throughout the day.

Define your long-term objective

Make your job meaningful by defining objectives that are significant to you to increase your motivation. What is your New Reality, or the intended future condition for which you are striving?

Once you know this, you can make your job and duties more important to you by linking them to it. Let's assume you want to retire by the time you're 50 years old.

To accomplish so, you must maximize your wages over the following eight years while adhering to a tight budget in order to meet your savings goals. You'll be lot more driven if you need to put in additional hours on the weekend to clinch the next big transaction since you know it'll help you achieve your long-term objective.

You become considerably more motivated when you can make work more important to you and your objectives.

Weekly action planning and tracking

To discover the main motivator of performance, Harvard researchers conducted a multi-year monitoring study of the day-to-day activities, emotions, and motivation levels of hundreds of knowledge workers in a range of situations. They looked at:

• Incentives
• Clearly defined objectives
• Interpersonal assistance
• Recognition
• Encouragement to make progress

Progress was victorious. Motivation is at its peak when individuals feel like they're making progress in their task.

Weekly planning and recording of tasks is one of the most effective strategies to keep track of your progress. Plan out what you want to accomplish at the start (or end) of each week.

Check in with your monthly objectives to make sure you're on schedule to meet them. If you aren't, make the necessary adjustments and schedule time to spend where you need to throughout the week.

Schedule your time

Calendar the time you need to spend on your most essential activities—your investment time—after you've made a weekly plan. Time spent on things that provide large returns is referred to as investment time.

These are frequently the most essential tasks on your to-do list, even if they aren't the most urgent. Every week, block out this time on your calendar.

If at all feasible, begin working on this task first thing in the morning. You're more likely to accomplish something if you put it in your calendar.

Positive self-talk is beneficial

Negative self-talk is the most demotivating thing you can do to yourself.

• I'm not very good at it...
• That is not something I like doing...
• This isn't going to work....
• I'm not well-versed on the subject...
• I'll have to conduct some more research...
• People will dislike me if I do that...
• This is difficult...
• I'll do it later...

All of these beliefs are self-limiting. You can do anything if you believe you can.

You can't (and won't) if you believe you can't. Positive self-talk may assist you in achieving your goals. You're more likely to succeed if you believe you can.

"When I, Then I. Will I?" you could say.

Many of us have bad habits that are robbing us of our drive. To tap into your desire and motivation, you must modify your behaviors.

What do you do first thing in the morning when you go to work, for example? Many individuals arrive at their offices, switch on their laptops, get a cup of coffee, and immediately begin checking and replying to emails.

Half of the morning has passed you by before you realize it. They haven't completed any of the tasks on their to-do list. This isn't very inspiring. It's also a negative habit you should get rid of.

Using "When I, Then I" sentences and asking yourself, "Will I?" is one technique to achieve this. "When I turn on my computer in the morning, I'll implement a morning routine (see No. 7) and start working on my highest impact activity for the day," for example.

Then consider, "Will I?" Will you make a firm commitment to completing this task?

You will be able to tap into your inspiration and drive if you can develop more effective routines.

Change your surroundings

There are factors in your surroundings that may boost or deplete your motivation. When you're in a given location, you're more likely to do (or not do) certain activities.

The way your environment is set up encourages you to do certain things while discouraging you from doing others. When it came time to make prospecting calls, I worked with a lady who would walk to a nearby café to sense the energy of individuals.

Recognize what elements are influencing your desire to complete particular activities and make changes to your surroundings to improve your chances of success.

Make a sacred morning routine

A regular morning ritual might help you get your day off to a good start. It's far more difficult to feel highly driven when you're in a bad mood or can't concentrate on what you want to do. Here's a tried-and-true morning ritual to help you stay motivated:

• Read the short-term goals. Know what your quarterly, monthly, and weekly objectives are.
• "How's my mindset?" you could inquire. Use positive self-talk to lift your spirits if you're feeling sad or exhausted.
• For essential tasks, ask yourself, "Will I?" You already know what you should do. You boost your chances of succeeding by reassuring yourself that you will accomplish it.
• Be a better person than you were yesterday. "How can I be better than yesterday?" you may wonder. Choose one item. If you do this every day, you'll notice minor changes that rapidly add up to large changes.
• Begin with the activity that will have the most impact on your life (GIA). You may have a big to-do list with a lot of highlighted things. Something isn't always significant just because it's urgent. Choose the most important item on your to-do list and focus on it as much as possible to begin the day.

Say "3...2...1...Go!" as a bonus

Are you still having trouble motivating yourself? Do you fear making those phone calls or are unsure where to start with that major project?

To get started, stop thinking about it and repeat "3...2...1...Go!" Give yourself no time to consider it. Simply get started.

You may be unable to achieve your objectives due to a lack of motivation. Finding the correct tactics to attract your drive is the key.

There are proven strategies to enhance your motivation, whether it's establishing your big picture objective, organizing and measuring your time, utilizing positive self-talk, or altering your surroundings. Discover what works best for you.

You could see that you're finally making progress toward your objectives.

Thanks to Erica Schultz at Business 2 Community whose reporting provided the original basis for this story.