Ask Yourself These Questions to Stay Motivated
A quick Google search of How to Stay motivated brings up 168,000,000 results. So what could I possibly say that hasn’t been said before on motivation?
But the truth is motivation, like productivity and time management, is deeply personal, and no one list of “6”, “20” or “100 Ways to Stay Motivated” is going to work for everyone.
Instead, I often ask my clients the following questions to determine the strategies they need to stay motivated.
Do you know your why?
I struggle with visualization, and often I am quickly desensitized to the things that get hung up at my desk to motivate me. But this year, I started journaling. Every day I review my goals for the week, the month, and the year and I can’t help but picture what my life will look like in 12 months. I visualize what I’ll look like, the success of my business, the state of my finances, and my family. It excites me to do the work and get started on the small tasks I need to do every day so my why comes true. I want my life to look different at the end of the year, and I’ve set some clear and ambitious goals to match.
It’s not always comfortable, and it can be frustrating to have the visualization be incredibly clear yet feel very far away. But write down your why when you’re starting a project, even a small one, and think about what it will be like to finish or reach the goal.
Sometimes you may feel the why is because “I don’t want to get yelled at by my boss.” If that happens, try to reframe the answer to “I want to do a good job so I can beef up my resume until a new opportunity comes my way.” It sounds cheesy, but asking yourself why and reframing it for the positive can keep things in perspective and keep you moving forward.
2. Do you need an accountability buddy?
Some people are best motivated when someone else is holding them accountable. I’m one of those people. I’ve heard this motivation technique best explained by Gretchen Rubin. She talks about four different tendencies types and how they are motivated. For example, Upholders are internally motivated, Obligers are externally motivated, Questioners need to understand the why, and Rebels are going to do their own thing but commit once they’re on board.
Knowing if you’re externally or internally motivated allows you to set up the accountability you need to maintain motivation through a goal. Do you need to hire a personal trainer to keep you motivated to go to the gym? Or do you just need to set up a chart where you check off every time you exercise?
The danger here is that if the only thing that’s motivating you is the expectation of others - that’s a recipe for burn-out. So if you are an obliger, make sure you're paying attention to the work you’re saying yes to and how much you’re taking care of yourself. Your accountability buddy shouldn’t shame or pressure you into doing the task; they should be there to encourage you and check in along the way.
3. How can you break that project down into the smallest possible task?
Motivation wavers when progress feels slow. That’s one of the (many) reasons losing weight is so hard - you don’t see the changes right away.
So how can you ensure you have some early and consistent wins as you reach your goal? For example, if you have to design a new website for your business, instead of the task being “create a website,” you break it down into the smallest possible steps:
Write bio
Gather photos for the front page
Write copy for home page
Decide on branding colors
Obviously, these are not in order, but you get the point. Give yourself small tasks to check off, and stay motivated by seeing your progress! While you’re at it, reward yourself along the way when you complete the smaller tasks and if you can, scheduling in benchmarks throughout. If you’re training for a half marathon, try scheduling a 30-minute benchmark every few weeks so see how your speed has improved. These rewards and progress checks can keep you on track and motivated to keep going!
4. Are you kind to yourself?
Oh man… If I talked to my friends like I talk to myself, I wouldn’t have any friends! Being unkind to yourself around motivation is usually a symptom of an all-or-nothing mindset. You’re either perfect, or you shouldn’t bother. But honestly, what sense does that make? One blog post isn’t going to make or break your business, so missing one blog post isn’t going to make or break your business.
Give yourself the grace to take a break, to make a mistake, and to miss a day without that being the end of the line. You’ll get back to it tomorrow. Check-in with your accountability buddy, reread your why, and give yourself some small, easy tasks to build your mojo back. Most importantly, forgive yourself and look back at all of the progress you’ve made!
Motivation will come and go throughout a project or a goal but setting up the strategies that work best for YOU ahead of time can prevent the slump and wasted time that comes when you feel like you’ve lost motivation in the thick of a project.
Keep up the good work!
