10 Ways to Motivate Yourself
Starting a new project can be exciting, but sometimes motivation to see it through runs low. Here are ten ways to motivate yourself to finish your projects and get the work done when you need it most. None of these are mutually exclusive; they’re all strategies that can work together to help you get motivated and get things done when you need them most.
1) Have a Goal
You don’t have to have a long-term goal, but you should have a short-term one. For example, say you want to drop 10 pounds by your cousin’s wedding next summer. That might be a long way off (depending on when it is), but that’s OK. You can break it down into smaller chunks and celebrate achieving them. For example, if you want to lose 5 pounds in 2 months, take it one week at a time: Get rid of per week over two months and that puts you right on track for your goal.
2) Set Daily, Weekly and Monthly Goals
Setting goals is an important part of staying motivated. You don’t want to let yourself slip into a rut where you don’t know how far you have left to go. To stay on track, set both daily and weekly/monthly goals and then determine what steps are necessary for you to achieve them—goals should be challenging but attainable. Also, writing down your goals and keeping them in a visible place can help keep them at forefront of your mind (or somewhere you will see it every day) when it comes time to take action. If you need some additional motivation in making sure that your goals are realistic, check out our tips for goal setting!
3) Have Reasons Behind Your Goals
When you make your goals, you should have a very clear idea of why you want them. Having an understanding of what motivates you will make it easier for you to set and achieve them. If your reason is just because, it’s not going to be much motivation if something were to happen and slow down or stop your progress. You need a specific reason in order for something bad happening not only stop you but motivate and push you even more.
4) Break Down Tasks Into Steps
If you have a large goal and find yourself making excuses, break down your goals into smaller, more manageable steps. This will make them easier to achieve, as well as give you momentum and motivation as you see yourself achieving small milestones along your way. For example, if your goal is to run a marathon, start by setting a manageable schedule for training in intervals say three days per week on weekdays. Once that becomes habit-forming and doesn’t seem like such a chore anymore, increase it to four days per week; once that becomes habit-forming too, then increase it again until your running schedule resembles what it would be when you were training for an actual marathon. One thing at a time!
5) Create a To-Do List
The most important component of any self-motivation plan is a list of things you have to do. That’s where your motivation begins, because when you know what’s expected of you and what you want to accomplish (as best as possible), everything else falls into place. When a task presents itself, your job is simple: mark it off. Whether it’s work or something fun, make sure that you have a to-do list with specific goals so that as soon as an idea pops into your head, there are no excuses not to go after it. If something doesn’t get done one day, put it on tomorrow's list!
6) Schedule Time
One of my favorite pieces of advice from a productivity expert is to block out your calendar for certain hours and use that time solely for your most important task (or high-priority projects). This allows you to focus on one thing at a time, which can make you much more productive. Simply block out time on your calendar and stick with it, using other times in your day only for less-important tasks. After all, if you have any spare time in your schedule, there's a chance that a good portion of it will be filled with interruptions. When it comes down to it, what matters most is that you get things done--no matter how many hours are in each day.
7) Reward Good Behavior
When you’re trying to motivate yourself, remember that rewarding good behavior can be an effective way of inspiring future good behavior. So instead of just saying you should do more exercise try setting a goal like for every 10 minutes you run, I’ll give you an hour of extra time on your phone, or if you get through three workout sessions next week, I’ll take you out for ice cream. Make sure it aligns with what is motivating for your life and that it rewards things you value. You might even want to try making a deal with another person (like a spouse or partner) where if they meet their goals then you'll hit yours. Competition can be really effective at helping drive motivation.
8) Try Something New
Take a class, travel somewhere new, or just get a new hobby. Something different will help you come out of your comfort zone and spark inspiration. If you feel like you’re stuck in a rut and can’t figure out how to motivate yourself , then doing something outside of your norm could be just what you need. Start by trying one new thing every week even if it doesn’t last! Be open-minded about trying things and hopefully, something will stick. And if it doesn’t, just find something else new that does!
9) Prioritize Tasks
Try creating a daily list of activities. From personal experience, I can tell you that crossing out certain tasks feels great and is a great motivator for getting things done. Then, try creating weekly lists with each day having its own list of tasks. For example, for Monday through Friday you could create task lists like: Monday’s Tasks or Tuesday’s Tasks. Then when you are going through your list, it makes it easier to visually see what needs to be done on those days and where they are located in relation to everything else on your weekly schedule.
10) Set Deadlines
One of the easiest ways to motivate yourself is by setting deadlines. When you have a hard date in mind, you force yourself to start working right away and begin building momentum that will help keep you going. There’s something about checking things off your list that helps boost your morale. But make sure not to set deadlines too far in advance or they’ll just become dates on your calendar you won’t actually get anything done! Set specific goals for each week or month and tell yourself you have a certain amount of time (two weeks, for example) to complete them. You can reward yourself when you meet those goals as well, making it even more rewarding because it feels like an added bonus instead of just another goal that doesn’t mean anything.