Tips to motivate yourself

Motivation is simply the force driving your behavior. It’s the “why” behind everything you do, and the reason you might take up a cause, commit to an action, or work toward a goal. Everything we do is motivated by some combination of conscious and unconscious need or desire.

Motivation can give you that extra push to get something done, but it doesn\’t always come when you need it. If you are struggling to start or complete a task, or feeling overwhelmed, give yourself some encouragement to keep going. A little bit of pressure can help, so ask a friend, family member, or group to keep you accountable. If you’re trying to achieve long-term plans, make sure that you have clear and manageable goals so that you maintain your motivation throughout the process.

How can I improve self-motivation?

By putting your goals on a calendar:

• Determine how long you will need to accomplish each task. (to plan your day accordingly)
• Know your goals. Choose some logical steps toward your goal.
• Take each step and fill out the details. Include the 5 W’s: Who, what, when, where, and Why for each step.

Who: Yourself or yourself + others (group?)
What: What are your goals or the group\’s goals? + delegate who does each goal.
When: When your goals need to be accomplished (Deadline)
Where: Where is it going to happen? Home, Office, Gym, Zoom?
Why: Why or How is it going to happen?

Make working towards your goal a habit. One of the keys to reaching a new goal is to have habits in place that support that goal. To figure out which habits to start on, think about the things you can do on a daily basis that it will take to help you reach your goal. For every goal, there are habits that can guarantee success. Reflect on your goals and what actions you can take to help bring them about.

Choose your calendaring method ( Pen + Paper, Planner, Online Calendar, App, etc.)

Divide your day into 3 major time blocks.

1. Start each day with the “Most important tasks“ time block. This is your most important time period.
2. Schedule “flexibility” time
3. Plan “fun” time after each block.

Less is more. A calendar can show you how full your schedule really is. You can use this visual to keep your daily goals realistic and spread out your activities

Keep your eyes on the prize. Stay focused by reducing distractions. Definition: To remain steadfastly focused on one\’s goal.

Record your progress. The more you monitor your progress, the more likely you are to succeed or even surpass your goal. Allows you to be more efficient in your time and workouts. Lends accountability to yourself and your goals. Allows for easier modifications and shows when and where changes need to be made.

Reward yourself for the little wins as well as the big ones. Small wins help you measure growth. Small wins help us track all the incremental steps involved in achieving much larger goals. Small wins also create more confidence and motivation helping you to follow through.
Follow through. This is the hardest. Sticking to your schedule helps, but this is all about making incremental changes such as wanting to wake up earlier. For Example: Change your wake-up time by 15 minutes each day until your goal wake-up time is achieved.

Embrace positive peer pressure. Positive peer pressure is when someone\’s peers influence them to do something positive or growth-building

Change doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s worth it!
Remember that changing your life for the better doesn’t happen overnight. When you set out to achieve a big goal, expect to progress in small steps.

When you feel a dip in self-motivation, remember all the concrete actions you can take to avoid crashing and giving up too soon. Turn to your friends, get guidance from wise people in your circle, practice self-care, and stay positive. Celebrate your successes every step of the way because pursuing a big dream isn’t easy but you are worth it!