More Thoughts on Motivation

Apparently I’m motivated to write about motivation these days.  To continue what I started discussing in “But don’t want to!” and “Pump up your passion”, there are many more ways to motivate yourself into action.  Everyone is different and some people will respond better to one technique than another, so try what sounds good to you, but if it doesn't work, something else might.

Motivating techniques

1) Make it a game. What can you do to make your task fun?  Is there a way you can turn it into a game?  How fast can you do it?  How many different ways can you devise to get the job done?

2) Physical activity.  Sometimes all you need to do is get up out of your chair and move.  A quick walk or some yoga will get your blood flowing.  Newton’s first law of motion applies to people as well as inanimate objects:  A body at rest tends to stay at rest; and a body in motion tends to stay in motion.

3) Music.  Listening to the right kind of music for what you need to do can give you a motivating boost.  Dance music can get you moving.  A song that inspires you can give you confidence.  Soothing music can help you concentrate, or calm down if you are nervous about what you need to do.

4) Get creative.  Can you be creative about how you complete your task?  An example from my life:  I was often bored while writing my thesis because it had to be written in such dry, academic language.  So just to get myself to start writing, I’d write a section in everyday language, inserting jokes, puns and saying whatever I wanted to say.  Of course I’d have to edit it back to the dry boring language afterward, but the technique got me writing.

5) Self-hypnosis/Visualization.  I will be writing a long post on how to do self-hypnosis but until then you can use a visualization technique.  Visualize yourself doing whatever you are trying to motivate yourself to do, while also imagining that you are having fun doing it and successfully completing the task.  If you get good at visualizing while feeling positive emotions associated with the task, it can be a very effective motivational technique.  

And if none of that works

Can you pay someone to do it?  If it’s something really mundane, maybe paying someone to do it is the way to go.  There are websites which allow you to sell your services or pay someone else to do things, like fiverr.com, or craigslist.  Maybe you can barter with a family member or friend to exchange services.

Today’s Action Item:  Get creative, what other ways can you think of to motivate yourself?  Try one of these techniques and see what works.