“I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of, ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.” – Marissa Mayer
Motivation is hard to find and tough to keep. It’s not something that sticks around either, you have to nurture it and put effort into it regularly and often. The energy of the new year is a big help when getting your new goals and prospects off to a flying start, but around now, when the first few weeks of January have passed… that’s when life has started ticking over again, and that initial motivation has begun to dwindle.
Here are some thoughts on how to keep that motivation going until at least February!
1. Say It Loud and Proud
If you say it out loud, to a person, or to people, you’ve committed to it. Although your friends may not judge you for not achieving the goal, you will have created a sense of expectation. People may ask you how you are getting on with your chosen journey, out of mere interest, not just to catch you out! This alone might motivate you to have something awesome and positive to report back next time the subject comes up.
2. One Thing at A Time
Motivation is tough to muster. The reality of how much there is that you want to address can seem overwhelming. There’s stuff you want to do on the house, a new food plan you want to try, a new form of exercise you want to get good at, an instrument you’ve been meaning to get back into playing, a pile of paperwork that needs dealing with… it all gets a bit too much. This can be overcome by tackling one thing at a time. Make a list of everything you need to do (this already helps to make it less daunting, as tasks look smaller on paper!), then simply work through them one at a time. Once you feel like one point on the list is either completed or ‘in a good place’, then cross it off and move on.
3. Keep Goals in Mind
Even if you are not working towards your goal every single day, make sure you at least give it some thought and plan often. Having your target hovering in the forefront of your mind helps to make it a priority. Also, if it is right there, being thought about regularly, it is going to be much less of an effort to engage with it properly when the time comes to work on it.
4. Accept Times of Low Engagement
Motivation is not a constant. Just like we all have ‘good’ and ‘bad’ days, there are also days where motivation is very present, and others where it is not. The worst thing you can do is judge yourself for having an off day. This will lead to frustration and doubt, and ultimately damage your ability to motivate yourself. Write the day off. Sleep on it. Get up tomorrow with fresh motivation!
5. Habit and Ritual
Put measures in place to help your personal productivity. What helps you to work towards your goals? Here’s an example; Maya Angelou used to hire a hotel room in which to write. She would write from 9am until 2pm every day. This structure and specific environment were the structures she put in place to ensure maximum efficiency. Her self-set working hours also helped her not to stress about her work outside those designated hours.
6. ‘Zero-Pressure’ Time
Time spent giving your brain a break from your targets is a pretty good idea. If you are constantly agonising over your goals and how to reach them, then your body and brain will miss out on what is most important; rest and reparation. You’ll go mad otherwise. Make leisure time a priority. As a result, time spent working on your journey will become infinitely more productive and satisfying. Also, in the vein of looking after yourself, eat well, sleep well and exercise. Create wellbeing and balance in your body, and you will be significantly better positioned to hit your
7. Build Gradually
If you are afraid that your goal is too large to realistically reach, then you might be going about things the wrong way. Any achievement worth gaining requires a journey. You cannot imagine your dream house and expect it to appear, ready to move into, tomorrow. You have to do the graft. Start small; begin with the bricks and lay each one with care. Begin with small steps every day, and soon you will step back and be surprised at how quickly you have created something impressive.
By Chris Thomson
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