6 Tips to Avoid Losing Motivation

It’s not always easy to motivate yourself and take care of things that you don’t want to do instead of procrastinating. Maybe it’s going for a run in the morning before work, or doing some yoga in the evening instead of just laying around on the sofa. It’s especially true during the winter months when days are shorter: motivation often falls off and we sometimes find it very difficult to get ourselves moving. Here are six tips to help you to avoid losing your motivation!

• Know Your Motivators

What pushes you forward? Is it money, recognition or some kind of challenge? According to American psychologist Steven Reiss (2000) there are 16 different motives for living, and these combine to form an individual’s “motivation profile”. Figure out just why you take on goals or make plans – if you know what excites you, it is easier to encourage yourself and stick with it. The more you are aware of  your motivations, the more quickly and enthusiastically you can reach your goal

• Visualize

Often it helps with our goals to visualize what success will look like afterwards. Use your imagination and think about how much fun it will be to go running in the morning, or even how good you’ll feel to finally send out your completed tax forms. This automatically gives you motivation and makes your thinking more positive. Your “have to” tasks turn into a “want to” tasks. The Russian author Leo Tolstoi put it well:

What you think today, will you do tomorrow!

• Reward Yourself

Set intermediate goals for yourself  and think of good rewards for completing them. If you celebrate your successes, you increase your motivation. Looking forward to something is important, both for increasing motivation and avoiding a lack of motivation in the future. Whoever has been regularly working on a goal certainly deserves a reward. You have a good incentive, you’ll find more happiness in reaching your goals.

• Plan Ahead

To stay motivated, it is essential that you plan well. Realistic scheduling is needed as then you are able to do better work while not being too stressed. To do this, incorporate time buffers and avoid putting too much strain on your schedule. Make appointments with yourself and stick yourself with them: try it with working out, for example, and make it obligatory…just as you’d do for a work-related appointment.

• Enjoy Taking Breaks

You really shouldn’t be forcing yourself to work on your goals. If it’s just not going well at the moment, pause and set your intention to work on it another time. Being too resolute can be a real motivation killer, while a well-timed break can lead to a big boost in your motivation.

• Seek Out Inspiration

Inspiration from others is enriching and encourages your success; it’s often the much needed push that gets you moving on your ideas. Whether it’s music that spurs you on or moving toward overcoming an athletic challenge, others can increase your enthusiasm and keep you moving – that’s essential in terms of motivation.

Motivation is clearly an individual thing: what one person finds motivating doesn’t necessarily have to be exciting for someone else. It is important, as always, that you keep at it. With Goalify, you have a tool that regularly motivates you to keep working on your goals. With dynamic and personalized reminders, the Goalify coaches ensure that you don’t lose motivation, and moreover you always have information about your how well you’re doing.

What’s your secret weapon for more motivation? How do you stay motivated on stressful or hectic days? Write us a comment with your personal tips!

Keep at it!

Clara & the Goalify- Team