Staying true to our goals is a challenging task. We all want to be successful, productive, and responsible. Yet, there are times when our energy is below zero, and we do not want to do anything. We start to blame ourselves for being lazy, make a powerful move toward our goal, burn out, and then the process repeats. We may apply for different agencies, to give us more free time. For example, buy an essay online or order food at home. We need this help to save some precious time and energy for important tasks.
However, these methods are temporary. The key to keeping motivation high is to change the way of thinking. Naturally, it is a personal process, and each person uniquely views the world.
Still, there are some little tricks and psychology hacks that will help you maintain motivation toward any goal you set for yourself.
Visualize your aim
Visualization is a powerful technique in maintaining your motivation. It is hard to move toward a certain point if you do not know where you are going. It is easy to get distracted and get discouraged.
Imagine the final results of your work. Try to imagine positive changes in your life after you accomplish your goal. It is important to know that visualization is not simple daydreaming. You need to imagine the positive results of your work and not a luxury life with no effort.
The clearer you have the image before you, the more motivation you will have to reach this image.
Divide a big goal into more simple tasks
Reaching a big goal may seem intimidating. A person needs to accomplish so many tasks and overcome many obstacles. This dread of future struggles may be mind-numbing. It is a dangerous trap that can decrease your motivation. Instead of focusing on the final goal, you need to try to divide it into smaller tasks. You still need to visualize results as your motivational boost. Yet, you will achieve these results with smaller actions.
Reading necessary materials, doing some preparations, and even dedicating an hour a day to your idea is a small step toward your destination. As a result, you should develop a habit of accomplishing sub-tasks toward your goal, and you will reach it in no time.
Set the deadline
Your goals have to be reachable. If you set an indefinite period of achieving your aim, you will go towards it indefinitely also. You divided your major task into simpler goals already. Now, they need to have the final period of accomplishment.
Deadline is a strong motivational tool. In case of personal projects completion, you are responsible before yourself. The accomplishment of the deadline brings you closer to your goal and gives an incredible boost to motivation to keep going.
Use positive reinforcements
Positive reinforcement is a simple yet efficient technique. Usually, reaching extra goals requires extra effort. More often than not, we do not have enough gas to make an extra effort in the day to achieve our desired dreams.
In this case, giving yourself a treat after the completion of hard work may boost your motivation to keep going. Ideas like: “After this extra work, I can have a nice treat” give you enough motivation to keep going and work for an extra reward.
Positive procrastination
The road toward the desired goal is not straightforward. There are pitfalls, steps back, and generally bad days. Sometimes, we do not want to do anything or have to force ourselves to do things to reach our destination.
Positive procrastination implies that you should give yourself a break, even from the most desired things. It does not mean that you should put aside your dream perpetually. It means that you should take a rest when you feel like it.
Everything that gives you energy and makes you happy can be used as positive procrastination:
- A short nap
- An evening with friends
- A tasty meal.
You should not deny yourself rest and short breaks.
However, don’t make procrastination a habit. Short pauses should work as a temporary break before returning to work. If you procrastinate for too long, then you may start to feel guilty. After that, you will overdo yourself, and it will cause more harm on your way toward your goal.
Do not be hard on yourself
Setbacks are inevitable when you try to reach something great. You may louse courage and drive to move forward. Life can make its corrections in your path. We tend to blame ourselves for all failures that happen to us. It is a natural reaction to comprehend a difficult situation. When we have someone to blame, we feel in control. However, such control may be destructive. It is crucial to remember your achievements and acknowledge them.
Progress goes in its rhythm. You can’t force yourself to achieve everything at once. Therefore, you should gain motivation from what you have already achieved.
There are situations when we fail miserably and lose all of our accomplishments. Once again, being hard on yourself is counterproductive. Not being hard on yourself does not mean that you should turn a blind eye to your mistakes. Instead of blaming yourself, you should reflect on what has happened.
Reevaluation of events will help you avoid similar situations in the future, and you will be able to restore and multiply your progress.
Keep your body and mind working
Our motivation and well-being are strongly connected to our bodies. Therefore, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a boost to your motivation. Moderate exercises, quality sleep, and a diverse diet contribute to your motivation.
For example, coffee is one of the motivational boosters. A cup of coffee during your work through the task may make the work more pleasant. Coffee releases dopamine and increases focus on the mental task at hand. However, too much coffee may сause energy slumps at the end of the day.
Final Words
We need motivation for great achievements and daily tasks. These tips are not an instant confidence boost. They are a guide to developing motivational habits and remaining persistent in achieving any results.
