Job and Career
The Art of Staying Motivated
We all know motivation is the general willingness to do something. Mastering motivation, or staying motivated can be tricky. Sometimes being motivated is straight forward and other times it seems impossible, leading to what seems like a perpetual state of procrastination. How can we keep the motivation going? Follow these 3 simple steps to building better rituals toward making “motivation” a habit:
Step 1
Have a good “pre-game” routine. It’s important to start with small, simple tasks. If you don’t feel motivated at the beginning, it should kick in once you begin the task. The important thing is to start!
Step 2
Your routine should get you toward your goal. If there is a lack of mental motivation, there will be a lack of physical motivation as well. For example, when you are down or depressed you tend to not move very much. However, when you are physically engaged and moving, you will feel much more mentally energized and engaged.
Step 3
Follow the same pattern every day. When you do, the routine becomes automatically a part of your performance. You then do not need to seek motivation—but, just commence with your routine.
Example - working out on a regular basis. This is something that everyone has probably tried to get motivated for and stay motivated to do. Start small, set your alarm for ½ hour earlier than usual. Make a short walk with your dog along with drinking a bottle of water a part of your morning ritual. So, now you are getting up earlier, walking your dog and jump-starting your metabolism and you are not even to the gym yet. Now, stopping at the gym on the way to work seems a little more appealing now that you are awake and going.
Continue this pattern for at least 2 weeks, making sure you are getting up and going to the gym. Then you can add in a class 2X a week - maybe a yoga class after work…or a walk with a friend over the lunch hour. With these activities a part of your daily routine, now you can work on your diet and continue onto more advanced goals, with motivation leading the way!
Getting motivated and achieving goals can be difficult. We can all use a little help when a situation seems a little more than we can handle. Best Care EAP has counselors ready to help.