Lack of motivation is the death knell on many a project. That is why it’s so important to stay motivated long after your initial enthusiasm for the project has disappeared. It sounds daunting, but it’s not as hard as it seems. Sometimes staying motivated is as easy as setting up a strategy to keep yourself on track.
What can you do?
1. Define your goal. Picture it down to the last detail. Having a clear picture of your destination makes it more likely that you will achieve your goals.
2. List all the reasons why you’ve made this goal in the first place. That becomes your primary motivation, so you’re going to want to write this list down, and then revisit it as you proceed.
3. Break the goal into pieces. Then find a reward for each piece. While this seems like common sense, it’s easy to forget the rewards – especially if you think of those small goals as being negligible. But it’s those little celebrations that will keep your motivation up as you go along.
4. Be flexible. Recognize that things change. The plan that you made might require a shift to accomplish your goal. Or your end product might change when you get more information. Realize that it’s OK to change your mind, so long as you again revisit all these steps when you do. It might be you’ll have to outline a different set of steps, for example.
5. Have a support team. It’s nearly impossible to succeed when you’re trying to do something alone. Having a set of people in your life you can rely on as a positive presence to encourage you, brings in motivation from outside of you, which will help when you’re feeling discouraged.
6. Have a plan for when motivation fails. What helps bring motivation back. Affirmations? Talk with a mentor? A change of scenery? Listing this in advance means you have a ‘go to’ you can put into play the moment you feel your energy crash.
7. Re-examine the entire process periodically. Note changes. That is where the ‘being flexible’ thing will prove helpful. Even without changes, remembering why you’re doing this in the first place is a good practice to make into a habit, as it will help you rebuild lost motivation when you need it most.
Losing motivation doesn’t need to be something to be afraid of, especially if you’ve made plans to help keep your motivation at optimal levels as you work. Believe it or not, the best tool in your arsenal lies in being prepared. Work the plan, and the path toward success is yours.
