7 Sure Fire Ways to Self-Motivate
As therapists, we are taught how to help our clients feel motivated and ready for the many changes life may throw at us. It is common to have difficulties outside of the therapy office or outside of work to find motivation or drive. Here are some general tips and feedback for those times that make it a little harder to get going!
- Utilize incentives - if I complete ________, then ________. This can help you create a system as far as task completion can go.
- Taking breaks - the hardest part is starting a task! Setting a proper expectation of how much you can get done before taking a break. You want to quantify how long you break will last as well, setting timers are a great way to hold yourself accountable.
- Piggybacking - this method thrives off of convenience and helps our brain justify more tasks. This is similar to multi-tasking, in the sense of while completing one project/task, another is tagged on. I.e. While I am already out for the day, I brought my grocery tote or workout clothes.
- Having a centralized to-do list - sometimes we scatter our lists and thoughts in multiple places which makes it hard to see what we can do and what we have already done. Make the list fun and creative, too!
- Similar to the list idea, but can be applied to single tasks - make them apparent and unavoidable! I find the more something annoys me, the more likely I am to take on the task or start.
- Break the idea that in order to start a task, you must complete it all in one go. This is not true! Even getting 10%, 20%,... 50% of a task makes it that much easier to pick back up on it. Give yourself permission to not complete tasks or to take breaks from them. Set a timer for how long you'd like to attempt the task, if we want to continue then great, if not - stop!
- Prioritization or decision-making skills - there are different approaches to how we can tackle our to-do list or tasks at hand. Here are a few! Assessing and starting with the task that takes the least amount of energy, or the most. Numbering them by importance or by how long they've been on the list. Using a random number generator to help pick.
Barriers to Self-Motivation
Barriers to motivation include anxiety, stress, depression, OCD, trauma, ADHD, and more. All of these different diagnoses affect the way our brain functions, takes in information, prioritizes tasks, as well as creates a distorted view of the importance and even energy required to complete the task ahead. Remember that the barrier to starting is the hardest one. Self and trusted sources of accountability help to create a healthy level of motivation. The hardest part to understand about motivation is that it can affect tasks we love to do, things we are looking forward to doing, and even things we know are good for us.
Getting Help to Get Started
If you're finding yourself having a hard time with self-motivation or if these tips haven't worked for you in the past, consider talking to a mental health counselor or life coach from Orlando Thrive Therapy. We can address factors contributing to your gap of motivation and help problem-solve to get back to your life and THRIVE again.
To contact the author of this blog, reach out to Mallory Hawkes, LMHC, at Orlando Thrive Therapy.
