10 Ways to Get (and Stay) Motivated

It can sometimes be downright impossible to stay motivated. Even when you have the best of intentions, create an organized to-do list, and set achievable goals - there is just no drive to keep going.

But don't get down on yourself. It happens to everyone.

Learn how to take small steps forward everyday so that it's never too overwhelming to work toward your goals.

Instead of letting negative thoughts consume you, leading you to believe that you are forever doomed with sluggish motivation (that’s impact bias at work!), learn how to reach your goals anyway in actionable ways.

Before you know it, you will achieve your goals without losing motivation. There is no secret to how to get motivated and stay motivated. But you can certainly break down your motivation into small steps.

1. Be Clear About Your Goals

Whatever you’re doing, it's highly important to know what goals you’re working toward in order to stay motivated.

Staying motivated only happens when you know what task you must be motivated for. It sounds simple (and it is) but far too many people set out for the day hoping to accomplish everything they possibly can within a 24 hour period.

Instead of scrambling to get through each task and exhausting yourself before noon, get clear about your goals for the day as soon as you start. Focus on what you can reasonably accomplish in a day, whether it's a single workout or homework assignment, and then put your energy toward that. Staying motivated is a lot easier when you set goals with specific plans for when, where and how you’ll accomplish them.

2. Get Inspired

Sometimes we need outside inspiration. Remind yourself what your long-term goals are and why you first set them. Then look to others who have already achieved those goals and see if you can draw some inspiration from them. If you're struggling to be motivated to work, look to successful people in your industry and see how they made progress toward their goals. If you're struggling to be motivated to study, start thinking about what your studies are helping you achieve in the long run. Don't ever forget why you must do what you set out to do. And if you ever do forget, set up visual cues to remind you.

3. Find A Way To Get Excited

Sometimes procrastination feels really good and being lazy comes a little too easily. When that happens, find a way to be excited about what you are doing. If you're struggling to be motivated to exercise, then make exercise fun! Go to a park, go for a hike, or team up with others for your workout. If you're struggling with a serious lack of motivation to clean the house, then put on some of your favorite music and make a fun dance-a-thon out of it. Feeling motivated doesn't also have to feel like a prison sentence. Make your goals fun, as well as the steps to get there, and you will start feeling a lot more motivated to work toward them.

4. Be Held Accountable

If you can't get motivated to do what you need to do, then join an accountability group. These are simple yet super effective ways to hold yourself accountable for your work when you're feeling especially lazy or overwhelmed by whatever it is you're trying to accomplish

5. Surround Yourself With Support

Some of us need more support than others - and that's absolutely okay. Especially when it comes to losing weight, it can be life-changing to have a support network behind you every step of the way. The same is true for any goal that you may have. If a support network helps you achieve success, then there are few reasons not to surround yourself with support as you work toward your goals.

6. Accept That Motivation Comes In Waves

Even if you journal, create a support network, and throw out all of the junk food from your house, you will still feel a lack of motivation from time to time. Accept that this happens and that it is all a part of the process.

And then, move on.

Even when you're not feeling motivated, commit to taking the steps toward your goals. Eventually, the steps will become habit and you will rely a lot less on motivation and a lot more on the simple routine that you've developed.

7. Start Small

Successful people start small and slowly work towards their goals, day by day. Marathon runners don't begin their training by running 10 kilometers and entrepreneurs don't begin their businesses with hundreds of employees. Start by plugging your daily tasks into a productivity tool (*ahem* like the Simplish app) and work your way through the list, one by one.

This helps you maintain energy levels as you work and makes you less susceptible to distractions. And if you begin to feel overwhelmed, then see if you can break down your steps even further. The smaller the steps, the less overwhelming they are to accomplish.

8. Celebrate Your Wins, Even The Small Ones

You won't reach your goals immediately, but you will get closer to them bit by bit...and progress is worth celebrating! Acknowledge the work that you put into yourself and your goals. Give yourself credit where credit is due and celebrate your wins, as small as they may be.

9. Check In Daily

If you set personal goals in January and don't think about them again until June, then it might feel a bit overwhelming when you realize that you haven't gotten any closer to reaching them. To prevent this problem from happening, check in with yourself daily on both your goals and also the steps you're taking to reach them

10. Get Help, When Needed

There is absolutely no shame in asking for help. In fact, the most successful people in the world rely on help in order to reach their goals.

If a task cannot be accomplished without you, then that responsibility falls on your shoulders. As for everything else? Ask for help to lighten your load. It will help you feel less overwhelmed by the task at hand as well as reach your goals sooner.