Sustaining motivation can be tough, even in the best of circumstances. It is easy to lose interest and naturally start to give up. Whether you have a never ending to-do-list and you’re stressed, you receive another job rejection, you are given bad news, or you do not have time in the day to do the things that you find important, we are always given reasons to give up and lose the hope that we once had. Motivation is not magic, but there are a few tips of how to stay motivated on tasks of any size.
- Set a goal and visualize it down to very small details – Visualizing your performance ahead of time can have a long lasting affect on your overall outcome. Goal-setting is the driving force to success.
- Create a list of reasons why you want to accomplish your goal – We live in a busy, distracting world and it is very easy to lose track of the things that matter most. By grounding yourself in your goal, you can engage in your goal more actively. Creating a list of your reasons to accomplish your goal reminds you of its importance and establishes a reassurance.
- Break down your goal/Set intermediary targets – It can be extremely overwhelming if you only focus on the big picture. By creating more short term goals along the way, it will be much easier to stay motivated throughout the duration of your project. Only focusing on long term goals can be discouraging which impacts levels of motivation.
- Have a strategy – Nobody is perfect, so expect that not everything is going to go your way. It is important to have a strategy and create a well thought out plan, but it is encouraged to be prepared to change course if things go wrong.
- Find resources in case help is needed – There is no shame in asking for help. By knowing how to find and use resources around you, you will only make it easier on yourself in the long run.
- Pre-determine how to deal with low motivation – Low motivation at some point is nearly inevitable, so make sure you figure out a way of dealing with this before it spirals out of control. It is important that you are aware of what can pick you up when you are overcome with setbacks and need a little boost.