We acknowledge that motivating yourself is hard, especially when things become too boring or difficult. You probably remember the time when work was getting overwhelming, even small tasks like replying to a simple email can become challenging. It can feel like a mission impossible when trying to increase our motivation.
Self-motivation is a strong predictor of personal and professional success. So how do we keep ourselves moving when we don’t feel like it?
Here are some ways that may increase your level of motivation:
Set a SMART goal (SMART = Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound). And remember, achievability is the most important. And ideally, your completing your goal is intrinsically satisfying.
Break your goal into a list of smaller tasks, and plan and structure your days to work on these tasks
Work through unpleasant feelings from challenging tasks: e.g. evaluate the validity of fear for failure, manage your expectations for the outcome, engage in constructive problem solving and think of healthy ways to cope with potential failures
Pair mundane or difficult tasks with something rewarding, such as listening to a nice piece of music while clearing email backlogs, enjoying a tasty and healthy snack while writing an important paper
Set consequences to your task completion. Give yourself a small reward for completing a task as planned. This reward should not be extravagant. Give yourself a reasonable negative consequence when you didn’t complete a task. For example, give a $10 donation to a nonprofit for each day of missing a task.
Surround yourself with motivated people, and read biographies of people who have to thrive through difficulties.
Think of how your perseverance can make a difference for people important to you. E.g. being a good role model to your child, saving money to bring your family for a holiday.
Motivate yourself as if you are motivating your best friend who is facing the same challenge.
Healthy lifestyle, healthy food, exercise, regular breaks and sufficient sleep at night.
Don’t stop learning. If you feel stagnant at work, pick up a course to improve your productivity or technical skills.
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