How to dial up your motivation when it dips throughout the year.

Have you heard the old joke that the best business model is one where a gym opens on January 1^st, and then turns into a bar on February 15^th? It sounds crazy…but is it really? Have you ever had big goals in January and within a few weeks or months you are no longer putting in the effort required to achieve your goals? Why can so many of us relate to this? It’s because motivation ALWAYS falls off. Always, you ask. Yes…always. But the good news is that there are some practices that you can put into place that will help you continue to work towards your goals and help increase your motivation when it dips.

Break down bigger goals into smaller goals. When you have a big goal, it may feel overwhelming and hard to get started and see progress. Therefore, breaking down big goals into smaller, clearly outlined, action-oriented steps can help you get started and keep going.

Focus on one day at a time. When you think of the big picture, it can feel overwhelming which can cause you to become paralyzed. However, once you break down your bigger goal per the step above, you can focus on just what you can do today to move your goals forward. When you do this, it feels more manageable so that you are less likely to talk yourself out of it.

Celebrate the wins. Don’t wait to celebrate until you have achieved your big goal, instead, give yourself credit for the progress you are making on the way to achieving your big goal. Take time to reflect on the steps you are taking each day and each week.

Organize your environment. Being in an environment that is organized, clean, and comfortable makes it easier to focus on what you are trying to achieve. Take time to organize the places where you spend a lot of time to eliminate any distractions from clutter.

Do that hardest thing first. Even if you are excited about working towards something, that does not mean you will be excited about every step along the way. When you do that hardest things (or the things you want to do least) first, it no longer takes up your headspace and you gain momentum which will help you feel motivated to work on other tasks.

Don’t overthink it. When you dwell on something feeling hard or overwhelming, you will be much more likely to talk yourself out of it. When possible, just get into action. Starting is often the hardest part.

Don’t multi-task. When you multi-task you waste a lot of time because you are having to continuously refocus your brain. In addition, although you may have made some progress on many things, you don’t actually feel like significant progress is being made. Instead, pick one thing (the most important thing) and focus all your energy there so that you can start checking things off your list.  

Cut out distractions. When you are struggling to stay motivated, your brain will look for anything more interesting than the thing you are trying to work on. Set boundaries with others who may distract you and remove other distractions (phone, social media, noise, etc.) from your environment so that you can focus and get things done as efficiently as possible.

Remember your WHY. Remember why you set out to achieve your goal in the first place. It was important enough when you initiated it so when it gets hard, uninteresting, or frustrating, remind yourself why you want to achieve it.

Visualize the end results. Visualize what it will looking like and feel like when you achieve your goal. Really think about it. How will your life be different? How will it impact others around you? How will you feel? Do this often!

As I mentioned, motivation will always dip, however, how you respond to the dips will impact your ability to achieve your goal. Expect that it will happen (because it will), and be prepared to tackle it head on. Staying in action will help, so don’t allow yourself to become idle for too long. Try one or more of these strategies, remain consistent, and cheer yourself on every single day!

You’ve got this!

Live your best boss lady life!

~ Karen

Karen Vincent Solutions