4 Tips to Help You Stay Motivated

Even starting the day with a cup of coffee in one hand, and a good dose of ambition in the other, it can be a tricky to stay motivated! Here is a list of tried and true tips to stay on top.

1. 𝘿𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 - The fun thing that keeps distracting you might be hindering your progress. Do the fun thing first (exercise, a bike ride, a little YouTube binge) with a set time limit BEFORE working, and then move on with your day.

2. 𝙎𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 - Rather than focus on the bigger goal of the finished project, focus on smaller steps. (Example: “By noon, I want to have written 5 pages of content!” etc.) When you finish a step, reward yourself with something small you enjoy.

Some small reward ideas include:
-Have a snack
-Take a walk around the block
-Read a chapter of a book
-Reply to messages from friends & family
-Spend 10 minutes on your favorite website

3. 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 - Ask a trusted friend to check in again with you after a period of time to see if you have progressed with a set amount of work. When they check in, you should have accomplished that work.

Note: Many find this tip to be particularly effective when there is something more than pride on the line. Make this more interesting by strengthening the stakes! An idea for this could be if you have not finished the work by the time your friend checks in, you must treat them to _____. Not only will this add incentive for you to finish your work, your friend may be more likely to help you (since they could be getting a prize as well).

4. 𝙀𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚 - By the end of the day, you want to do something you love, right? (Video games, watching a movie, spending time with friends/family, etc.) Tell yourself that you cannot do that until you have finished your work. This may spur you to proceed with renewed vigor!

Everyone is different, so play around and test to see which works best for you!

Is a tip missing? Let's chat about it! What's YOUR tip to staying motivated? Leave your ideas in the comments below.