6 Motivation Techniques to Jumpstart Your Life
Post written by Dayne. Follow him on Twitter.
24 Happy Comments
Want to feel great? Motivate!
One of the biggest struggles many of us face is a lack of motivation.
There are many reasons that we find ourselves in a motivational slump from time to time. Maybe you are overwhelmed by the scope of a project. Perhaps you just have too much to do and end up not doing anything. And, of course, there’s our old enemy procrastination.
If you find yourself flailing just when you need motivation the most, try applying these techniques to get back in the swing of things.
1. Break Your Goals Down
Goals are a wonderful thing to have. After all, it’s nearly impossible to get things done if you haven’t identified just what you want to accomplish. On the other hand, many of our goals can be pretty lofty. For example, let’s say that your goal is to find a new job. It seems simple enough, but why then do we have such a hard time reaching that goal?
In many cases, it’s because the target is just too vague.
While “find a job” seems like a pretty clear-cut goal, the fact of the matter is that it’s so overarching that we often find ourselves getting overwhelmed. The solution to this problem is to break these big goals down into “objectives.” An objective is a step that you need to take in order to reach the overall goal. These objectives can then become action steps that put us on the road to getting what we want. For example, finding a job could be broken down into the following:
- Identify the field in which I want to work
- Write my resume with this field in mind
- Attend local job fairs with resume in hand
- Do an online search for jobs in my field
- Apply for X number of jobs each week
Each of these objectives becomes its own mini-goal. None of them are nearly as overwhelming as the much broader idea of finding a job, and there is the added bonus of feeling a sense of satisfaction when each objective has been met. This, in turn, helps to keep your motivation levels high as you strive to reach the main goal of finding a new job.
2. Make a Public Declaration
There is nothing quite as motivating as being accountable to someone else. If you start telling others about what you plan to accomplish, it becomes more and more real to you, and to them. When we know that someone else is expecting something of us, procrastination becomes less of an option. Depending on the goal, you may want to only tell those closest to you, or you may want to make a public declaration of your intentions. Once you’ve committed in this way, it’s much harder to back out, leaving you with a stronger sense of motivation.
3. Build Anticipation
Leo Babauta of the popular productivity blog Zen Habits (Get Off Your Butt: 16 Ways to Get Motivated When You’re in a Slump) suggests setting a future date for the start of your project so that you have time to build up anticipation. While this can seem a little counter-intuitive when you’re trying to muster up your motivation, it’s a great tool to have. As he explains, setting a date to get started allows you time to really get excited about what you’re going to do. You can get other people onboard to help you, as well as to spend time visualizing how to truly be successful. You might even use the time before getting started to research your topic and create a clear plan of action so you know just how to get the ball rolling when your start date finally arrives.
4. Create a Positive Goal
One of the reasons that we often lose our drive to do something is because we see it in a negative light. For example, a common goal is to lose weight. Unfortunately for many of us, that goal is all about telling ourselves “no.” “No, you can’t eat that.” “No, you can’t do something fun because you have to exercise.” “No, you can’t fit into your favorite outfit yet.”
To build your motivation regarding a goal like this, try changing your perspective.
Instead of setting a goal to lose weight, for example, consider making your goal one of getting healthy. It’s not about what you have to lose, but about what you have to gain, and it suddenly becomes all about saying “yes.” “Yes, I can play with my kids at the park.” “Yes, I can eat healthy, delicious food.” “Yes, I can feel great about my appearance.”
5. Prioritize
Again, the ability to get things done can be negatively affected by the sheer number of items that need our attention. Sometimes we get totally distracted from the important stuff by the flotsam and jetsam that is cluttering up our minds. Avoid this issue by making a to-do list. You may find it helpful to dump everything you can think of onto that list in order to get it out of your brain and in front of your eyes.
Now, look at your list and start assigning priority to the items there.
Which things absolutely must be done right away, and which can wait?
Is there anything on your list that really isn’t that important now that you see it written out?
Also consider whether or not there’s anything there that can be delegated to someone else: Is it really up to you to clean up the toys in the back yard, or is that something you can get the kids to do? Once you’ve made these types of decisions, it will be much easier to tackle the high-priority items on your list.
6. Just Do Something
Maybe you’ve made your to-do list, but the higher-priority items are still looking too overwhelming to tackle. In that case, give yourself permission to simply do something off of your list. Consider starting with a couple of items that will realistically only take a few minutes each but that just keep getting put off for some reason. Maybe you need to return some phone calls or file away your bills, for example.
Once you’ve been able to cross a few things off of your list, you’ll start feeling better about yourself and will likely feel your motivation stat to return. It’s at this point that you can jump in and attack some of those bigger tasks. If they’re really big, don’t forget about the first suggestion above and make the first step one of breaking the larger goal down into more manageable objectives.
“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.”
- Mark Victor Hansen
***************************************
Did you enjoy this post?
If you did, I would really appreciate it if you post it on
Twitter or on StumbleUpon. 
Get instant updates of new blog posts by
subscribing to TheHappySelf here.
Posted on November 9, 2009
Great post, Dayne! I really liked the tips and I’m definitely going to be retweeting this one.
Positively Present´s last blog ..note to self: it’s okay to be happy
Hi Dayne,
Great list and post!
I think another factor that is important in regard to motivation is to be sure that we love what we are doing. Take for example getting a job. Often people just want to get a job so that they can get a paycheck. Many people do not think about whether or not they will love the work. So I think it is really important that when we go after a goal, we need to be passionate about it too. That way it will be easier to do what is needed.
Nadia – Happy Lotus´s last blog ..My November Dose of Tough Love
Dani – Thanks for commenting and stopping by! Also, thanks for the retweet!
Nadia – I 100% agree with you. If we love what we are doing, especially when it comes to our jobs, it makes all the difference in the world! Thanks so much for stopping by, have a great one!
Cheers,
Dayne
Thanks for these tips, Dayne. Nice site design change also. Your article quote at the end reminded me of the read-aim-fire approach, in that when we just start taking action and not worrying about whether or not we will be wrong or right, the action itself sometimes is enough to motivate us to get through our work.
Tristan Lee´s last blog ..6 Golden Rules for Attracting More Wealth Into Your Life
Hey there Tristan, thanks for the comments on the post and blog design. I agree with you, simply taking an action of any form is always the right step forward.
Thanks!
Dayne
*ready – sorry about that.
Tristan Lee´s last blog ..6 Golden Rules for Attracting More Wealth Into Your Life
Dayne,
I couldn’t agree more with the points you’ve brought up on how to stay motivated!
I’ve written about motivation and how to create forward motion alot on my blog–I guess its the pump that is always in need of priming!
Take Care,
Jil
Hey Jill, you are right. I think people can always use a BOOST to get motivated. There are many ways to go about it so I think there is plenty of room for discussion.
Cheers!
Dayne
Great post and great advice.
I’ve found that with developing awareness and releasing stuck patterns, what we love emerges naturally. And then it’s not really a matter of effort or motivation.
k
Kaushik´s last blog ..Getting into the flow of Awakening
Welcome Kaushik and thanks for the comment. Awareness is a huge thing and can transform us for sure. You are right that many things come much more easily when we are fully aware, thank you for pointing that out.
Cheers,
Dayne
Kaushik, I think what happens when you achieve what you are talking about is more or less effortless effort. It just flows and you don’t have to try at all.
Srinivas Rao´s last blog ..Guest Post: Blogging with Purpose – How to Build an Audience
“don’t wait until everything is just right”
HAHA! wow you have no idea how much I needed to hear that today. Thanks Dayne !
Rocky | R O C K O N O V A . C O M´s last blog ..How To Use Your Words To Change Your World
Hey there Rocky, glad the timing of this post could help you out.
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting as well!
Cheers,
Dayne
Hi Dayne, great post. It’s so funny though, every post I read on motivation or goal setting usually suggests telling others about your goal as a way to be accountable or motivate yourself. I find that the very opposite works for me. When I tell others (this is in the early stages of the goal) I feel added pressure and then I’m not sure who I’m doing it for. It actually de-motivates me. I have to get to a comfortable place within myself before I tell others or I usually somehow undermine my success. Maybe I’m just strange, because I have yet to read anything out there that suggests or recommends keeping your goals to yourself for a little while… but I wonder how many other people out there feel like me…? Just a thought.
Miche
Miche – Serenity Hacker´s last blog ..Accepting Suffering and A Call for Compassion
Miche, I don’t think you are strange, your just human.
We all have different methods or avenues when it comes to motivation and there may be ways that work for the majority, but not everyone.
I appreciate you stopping by!
Dayne
ps. New design looks great!!!!
Hey thanks, so glad to hear you like it. Anything you DON’T like about it by chance? I’m all ears.
Thanks again!
Dayne
This is an important topic because it can be too easy to beat yourself up when you are in a slump. I think “Just Do Something” is a great piece of advice. Once you can get things moving again and you are successfully completing tasks, you can use the momentum to continue to push forward. It is amazing how just doing small things and crossing them off can provide you with the motivation to continue.
On another note…the new and enhanced Happy Self site looks great.
alternaview – Sibyl´s last blog ..Want to get out of a rut at work?…Do more work.
Hey alternaview, thanks for commenting here. I try to implement the “just do something” method in my daily work. You are absolutely right that sometimes just get going and moving is the key.
Thanks for the comment on my new blog design as well.
Cheers,
Dayne
Hey Dayne,
Great post and a great new look for your blog! Love it.
Ken´s last blog ..Do Something Daily: 5 Benefits of Daily Action
Dayne,
Nice post on goal setting. I’m just about to talk to one of my buddies from college and interview him for my blog. He used goal setting starting august 15th and he accomplished everything on that list in less than 90 days. I really think the key is focus, passion, and action. Getting started is a first step and you can hack away it even one day at at time.
Srinivas Rao´s last blog ..Guest Post: Blogging with Purpose – How to Build an Audience
Hi Dayne,
I think that breaking down goals and doing something was the advice that I needed today. I am ready for a day with a ton of motivation tomorrow 
thank you for this article. It was just the right thing to read today. Even when you know everything that you have written in your article you still need somebody to remind you about it every once in a while
Anastasiya´s last blog ..Life Priorities, Choices and Balanced Living Simply Said
Hey Dayne, when all else fails, I like #6. It’s too easy to get paralyzed by the complexity of a challenge, or to get stalled in over analyzing mode. Sometimes It’s about READY, FIRE, AIM just to keep the motivation going. Well done!
Jonathan – Advanced Life Skills´s last blog ..50 Timeless Life Lessons
This list spoke to me. Definitely will help me and many others jumpstart our lives who are looking for a way to jumpstart our dead battery.
Josten´s last blog ..The Opus- Your Opus