7 Ways to Increase Your Motivation

We all have goals that we’d like to realize in our lives. Despite this, many of us face challenges along the way as we work toward our objectives. We either do not have the motivation to get started, we do not have the energy to get started, or we do not know where to start.

We put things off or come up with excuses. Then, we are harsh on ourselves, labeling ourselves as “lazy” or “slackers.” When we are feeling stuck or have been idling for an excessive amount of time, sometimes all we need is a jump-start or one or two strategies to boost our motivation.

7 Ways to Increase Your Motivation

Here are some suggestions that have stood the test of time:

1. Prepare a timer for 15 minutes to boost motivation.

You’re probably familiar with the pile of laundry that just emerged from the dryer and has to be folded. Or what about the dishes that suddenly materialized in the sink? Make it a personal challenge instead of wishing in the back of your mind that those things would go away, and turn it into a game. Put a fifteen-minute timer on yourself and see how much you can get done in that little amount of time.

When you’re up against the clock, you might be amazed at how many tasks you can finish in a short amount of time. This is especially true when you’re trying to beat the clock. Knowing that there is a finish line to the work is also helpful.

It won’t take more than a quarter of an hour to finish. Or, by that time, you will have deceived yourself into continuing the task, telling yourself that you are making good progress and that you would prefer to finish everything rather than leave some of it undone.

2. Buddy up to increase motivation.

You’ve formed a pact with yourself that you’ll get up early and go for walks in the morning, but despite having this agreement with yourself for the past thirty days, you still can’t seem to locate your walking shoes. Find a friend or colleague who can help hold you accountable.

3. Same time, same place.

Maintaining consistency is beneficial to one’s motivation. If you want to read more, the first step is to select a place and a time that you can routinely devote to reading. It could be choosing your favorite spot in a coffee shop at lunchtime, or it could be selecting the most comfortable chair in your living room at eight o’clock every evening. Prepare your book ahead of time, and set aside about an hour to work on realizing your objective.

Being consistent will make it less likely that you will waver, make concessions, or allow other things to come in the way of achieving your goals. If you have a project that you need to work on (college applications, cleaning out your closets, putting together a presentation), and you find yourself doing anything and everything to avoid it, schedule a consistent block of time each day to chip away at it.

This will help you get it done. A good illustration of this would be blocking off each day from three to five o’clock in the afternoon until the project is finished. You might find that you spend less time debating yourself and more time doing what you want to do.

It is essential to keep in mind that there is rarely such a thing as the perfect moment or location. If you wait for it, you might never get started on what you need to do. Stick with what has proven to be successful, and build from there.

4. Go public.

This certainly has the potential to be terrifying; nevertheless, words possess a great deal of power. You may have more enthusiasm behind what you set out to do once you have declared what it is that you want to achieve. The support of others could come as a surprise to you. Even while this isn’t usually the case, you can even be fueled by others who doubt you and your abilities.

Take the stance of “I’ll show them!” and pay more attention to the things you wish to see materialize as a result of your efforts. You may be more inclined to take significant actions per your goals if you take ownership of them in a significant way and don’t just mutter them into the wind.

5. Establish a reward system to get motivation.

Don’t be shy – raise that proverbial carrot. Consider the different ways that you could treat yourself, either at set intervals or once the task is finished.

A reward could be something as uncomplicated as getting up and going to get a cup of coffee after finishing some paperwork, or it could be as involved as purchasing a new pair of jeans after reaching a certain weight loss goal. Remind yourself that the reward is something that you will appreciate and that the fact that you have earned it will make it much more enjoyable.

6. Remove obstructions to motivation.

Do what you can to create favorable conditions for your success. For instance, if you want to work on your taxes, rather than approaching the process piecemeal which might only serve to frustrate you, gather everything you might need before you start the project. This will prevent you from forgetting something important along the way.

Prepare for an early morning gym class by laying out your workout clothes the night before and keeping a bottle of water in the refrigerator that is ready to go. This will help you get to the class on time. You would rather have the ability to get up and go than have to deal with challenges such as not being able to find your shirt in the dark.

One more illustration may be contemplating the commencement of therapeutic sessions. Find a therapist whose schedule can work around yours, whose office isn’t too far from where you work or live, or whose office accepts your insurance so that you don’t have to worry about the high expense of treatment.

7. Be aware of your “why.”

Give some consideration to the benefits that will accrue to you as a direct result of taking the course of action that you are contemplating. Your “why” should be something that excites and motivates you, not someone else. If you have a better understanding of it, you may be able to overcome the inertia that has been holding you back.

In his book Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, Simon Sinek defines “why” as the higher cause, the vision that one has for the future. When you are clear on your “why,” the “what” and the “how” of what you intend to do take on a new level of significance, which in turn motivates you to take action with a heightened feeling of responsibility.

Do not assume that these ways to increase your motivation will get you motivated all of a sudden. To get things back on track and moving in the right direction, implement one or more of these tactics. It may be that all it takes to start developing the momentum you want to see is to take the first step or two of a series of steps.

If you’re looking for additional ways to increase your motivation, please reach out to us as soon as possible so that we can put you in touch with a counselor.