Having the idea to do something is the easy part. However, acting on and continuing forward with those ideas is the hard part. This is where motivation plays a large role. If you lack the motivation to do something, it just won’t get done. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to use a lack of motivation as an excuse. Today, we will take a look at twenty motivation hacks that will jump start your ability to get things done faster and in more of an efficient way. Let us know in the comments below if you have any motivation hacks that we could benefit from as well!
1. Outsource Your Inspiration
One of the biggest motivational tools for many individuals is the inspiration of others to help them out in whatever goal that they may have. I recommend checking out the Pact app for iPhone. Connect your credit card to the app, make a goal and commitment, and if you check in with the app a certain amount of times a day, you will earn money. If not, you will have to pay a set amount. Money is, of course, a huge motivator for many people and Pact proves this is true.
2. Broaden Your Library
Books are a great way for you to motivate yourself to not only do well in what ever endeavor you are attempting to complete, but they can also reveal smart ways to complete such endeavors in a specific amount of time. Amazon is your best bet for having a level of control on how much you pay for the quality of books you want on a specific subject. A great start would be to look into the “…For Dummies” series of books that allow you to learn or complete a certain task in an approachable manner.
3. Goals of Hierarchy
When you have a main goal that you are trying to achieve, it is smart to have backup plans or intentions in case the first one fails. This in no way should be taken as finding an easy way out. Having a back-up plan will allow you to know that if you are unable to proceed with your previous plans, that the endeavor isn’t fully out of the window.
4. Make Your Goals Known
If other individuals know that you are working to achieve a certain goal, you are more likely to push through the difficult aspects and succeed. However, if you ultimately fail in achieving your goal, it can seem a bit tragic to come to the realization that so many people know your goal. This is why it’s smart to share, but not boast on your new goal intention.
5. Reassess Your Network
Without leaving out positive friends and family, reassess your network and look into adding individuals who have your interests at heart. These will be the individuals who will look to ensure that you are staying on the right track and won’t pressure you to fall off the wagon.
6. Make it a Group Effort
“Competing” with others who have a similar goal as yours will allow you to feel like you aren’t going into the goal alone. Having the motivation of teaming up with others to reach a certain individual or cumulative goal is a smart and healthy way of introducing competition with the main intent of improving the lives of those you care for.
7. Quotes That Go a Long Way
Positive quotes and thoughts of inspiration are one of the most common and best sources of motivation. Having quotes as your computer or mobile phone background, framed in your office, and everywhere else you encounter will push you to think positively and also push through difficult parts of reaching your goal.
8. Become Realistic
There is a time when you need to come to the realization that certain aspects of your goal must change. In planning any aspect of your goal, it is important to remember that you must be realistic and honest with yourself about your limits and potential. Don’t sell yourself short, but don’t give yourself goals that will set yourself up for failure.
9. Chart Your Goals
Make use of checkpoints to ensure that you are on track for your goal and its process. For weight loss, you may want to invest in a dry erase progress chart that you are able to update with the amount of weight you have lost so far. To enhance the progress, you might consider having a reward for meeting thee checkpoints.
10. Don’t Wait Until Tomorrow
There are many individuals who feel that it’s best to schedule their goal for a certain day or time other than the day they intend on going through with their goal. For example, on New Year’s, many individuals say they intend on getting a gym membership next week or in February. Why not start on your goal as soon as possible? It will ensure that you follow through with your goal in the near future.
11. Journal Your Thoughts
There are times when reaching your goal can be hard. There are times when you have the contemplation to quit. If you don’t feel comfortable to share these feelings with someone, write it in a journal. This will allow you to pour out your feelings in a medium, allowing you to pour the rest of your energy into something more productive.
12. Make Use of Visual Motivators
Being able to see your end goal is one of the greatest ways to have the motivation to move forward. If you have a photo of your goal weight when you were younger, look to this photo as motivation to move forward. If you have an art piece that took you forever to create and you need the motivation to work on your next piece, look to your work of art as motivation.
13. Find Joy In Your Task
The road to your goal can be difficult, but it’s important to not forget to find joy in the road toward achieving your goal. Find joy in the checkpoints that are met in trying to achieve your goal, for example. Finding joy in the minor aspects of achieving your goals will push you to want to continue on with what you want to ultimately achieve in the end.
14. Discern Good Motivation
It’s important to not only discern the motivation you are getting, but also discern the positive motivation you are receiving. There are some individuals that don’t know how to tell you when you are doing amazing, but the worse noise come from those who are unable to tell you when you are falling off the wagon. Invest in honest friends and you will be on your way to your goal.
15. Prepare Yourself for Motivations
If you don’t put yourself in the right mindset to get a goal completed, it will not happen. It is important to get yourself in the right mindset by taking a step back and looking at what you have succeeded in doing so far, what you hope to do in the future, and your final end goal.
16. Create an Agreement
Having an agreement with your friend as a to what your ultimate goal should be and what happens when you find yourself falling off the wagon. Having this agreement with a friend will allow you to have something written on paper that if you succeed, this will happen and if you fail, you will have to pay the consequences.
17. Initiate Continual Checkups
As you work on your goal, reassess and ensure that the acts that you are doing leading up to your goal are done in a fashion that will ensure that you are completing your goal with the right intentions and passion. If you are working out, make sure you are doing so with the mindset of having your health as number one, not the opinions of others.
18. Optimize Your Precious Time
While you get your goals completed, look into optimizing your time left open. When you wake up in the morning, you may see having a quality breakfast of impeding you from getting work done. However, if your goal is to enhance your productivity, look into possibly knocking out emails during breakfast or fitting in treadmill time while catching up on a business call, for example.
19. Keep a Tally
Keeping some sort of quantitative track of your goal is a great way to visually see your progress in a way that may not have been visible before. If you are losing weight, keep track of the amount of pounds lost. If you are trying to cut back on smoking, keep track of how much money you are saving by not lighting up.
20. Understand Failure Isn’t Okay
Ultimately, we know that failure isn’t okay and isn’t an option. If you fail, you aren’t doing something correctly. This may seem harsh, but it is only harsh because we have the wrong impression of what failure means. If you don’t succeed in your goal, that isn’t failure. If you don’t get any lessons out of not achieving your goal, that in fact is failure.
