Tips for getting and staying motivated

Getting and staying motivated can be one of the hardest things to do. Sometimes it can feel like there are a lot of other things that you could be doing and that you would rather be doing. However if you can figure out some ways to stay motivated to achieve the goals that you set for yourself then that will be the key to your success. Below are some tips for getting and staying motivated.

Don’t think about it as hard work

When you start thinking about how hard something will be it makes it harder to want to do it. So instead, when you start a task or set a goal think about how proud you will be once you do it. Think about how good it will feel to have completed that task. If whatever you are doing isn’t viewed as hard or undesirable but rather as a piece of the puzzle that is helping you achieve your goals then it will feel easier to do. 

Create small achievable goals

The goals that you set for yourself should be easy to achieve or at least easy to visualize the path towards. This does not mean that you shouldn’t set big adventurous goals but just break those goals down into smaller more manageable goals. This way it will make it feel like you are making progress in your journey and therefore motivating you to continue. If you just set one big goal that will take a while for you to achieve, even if you are making great progress it couldbe hard to see that because you are still far away from your end goal. 

Set a quit time

When you are working on something it can be hard to stop especially if you are in the grove of working. However, it is always a good idea to know when enough is enough. Set a realistic quit time for yourself whether that be you don’t do any work after dinner or you take Saturdays as a rest day, you will feel more refreshed and more productive when you allow yourself time to rest. No one is productive 24 hours of the day 7 days a week, it is unrealistic to be constantly motivated to work so taking time to relax and unwind is likely to help you perform better during the times you have allotted for work. 

Just do it

As soon as you think something needs to be done, jump into it, and get started on the task. Try not to think of anything else and let your mind go into autopilot. This sounds weird but it works, otherwise you will debate whether or not you should do it or if there are too many issues with doing the task. Instead of waiting around hoping that something will make you motivated, dive into the task that you know needs to be done. 

Celebrate small wins

Celebrate the small things and acknowledge all of the good things that you are accomplishing. Don’t be discouraged when things don’t go right, look on the bright side of things. How many times have you thought of the good things like being on time, or starting something new that you were nervous about, those things need to be celebrated too. This will motivate you, encourage you and help you see how brilliant you are!

Staying motivated can be difficult but if you can find ways that help you to stay motivated it will have a huge impact on your attitude and your work ethic. If you are constantly waiting for the long term payoff you will forget how important the little wins are. The key to staying motivated is not always looking at the big picture because that can be scary, start off small and build your way up to the big goals. 

-Hannah Brown, Co-op Student