When I asked my online audience what they would like me to discuss, there was one topic that kept on reappearing – how do I sustain my motivation?
Despite our best efforts, it can be easy to get distracted. Whether it be the allure of technology, the fear of failure or the responsibilities that come with day to day life, work can slowly begin to build up and projects are often left to one side as we try to play catch up. However, getting motivated is easier than you might think. By using the right tools and putting the relevant steps in place to help manage your time and work effort, you can put yourself back in control and sustain your motivation.
In this blog post, I will take you through five steps that can help you to stay disciplined and achieve the best results possible.
1. Make the Goal as Clear as Possible
It is impossible to achieve a goal if you don’t know what you want to accomplish and how you are going to do it. Therefore, it is important that the goal is clearly defined. SMART goals are ideal for this.
This technique allows you to define the foundations of each goal that you want to achieve, as well as providing something to refer back to in order to measure progress and the overall success of the final product.
Once you have defined your goal, write it down and put it in a place where you can see it daily.
According to Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at the Dominican University in California, those who write down their goals on a regular basis are far more likely to achieve them. In fact, her research has shown that you become 42% more likely to achieve your goals and dreams by simply putting them in writing.
You should also set reminders so you are aware of your progress. Most importantly, believe in yourself. You set your own boundaries and you are the only one that can overcome them.
2. Know Why
Before you progress any further, you should make sure that you are able to identify a clear intent or purpose for setting a goal.
Perhaps you want to achieve a healthier lifestyle, progress your career, or even spend more time with your family. Either way, it should be clear why you are chasing a goal and why it must be achieved.
If the must is not clear, question whether this is the goal you really want to chase. Answering this question is critical so make sure that you take your time and think this through thoroughly.
3. Burn the Boats
The idiom ‘burn the boats’ refers to armies in military campaigns destroying their escape route in enemy territory. However, in a business/every day sense, it simply means to eliminating the choice of reverting to old habits and behaviors.
If you want to stay motivated, act as quickly as possible on a task, making it impossible to retreat or escape from the responsibility of completing your goals.
When defining your goals, think of any possible scenarios that would make you take a step back from a task or project. Then eliminate these influences so that you are fully prepared for the task ahead.
4. Find Friends and People on The Same Journey
It’s often said that team work makes the dream work.
Influencer Emond Lau confirms this in his article with Inc, stating that ‘Working effectively as part of a team is incredibly important for output quality, morale, and retention’ and that ‘working alone makes it harder to get early and continual design feedback, thereby decreasing output quality.’
If you are working towards a goal, it could be highly beneficial to create or join a group where like-minded people are working on the same or similar goals or have achieved the goal recently.
Work, train and associate with them. Challenge, motivate and encourage each other. Frequently engaging in conversations is an excellent way to keep your goal in mind and maintain focus.
5. Find a Coach Who Can Hold You Accountable
Finding someone to hold you accountable and to push you further towards your goal is a crucial part in staying motivated.
As CEO Gordon Tregold explains, ‘Good coaches will help you picture success, help you put in place a plan or strategy that will help build confidence, and eliminate doubts. Confidence is critical to success, but it can be difficult to build our own self-confidence.’
Look for a person that can provide an outside view, someone who can motivate but also guide you with tips and techniques that will allow you to successfully achieve your goals in a more efficient way.
These steps are easy to implement and can be applied to both your working and personal life. By defining goals and setting clear intentions, you will become more disciplined, leaving you with a calmer mind, better work/life balance and more successful results.
What steps have you put in place to keep you motivated? Do you struggle to stay away from distractions or are you good at getting work done?
Written by
Shivendra Kumar
Shivendra Kumar is a highly regarded leader, known for delivering organizational transformation through innovation and process improvement. With a unique approach and inspirational leadership style that creates a culture of change in businesses, he develops organisational capability needed for both short and long term results. His blogs cover topics related to business improvement, metrics and innovation.