Everyone has to deal with dips in their motivation from time to time, and it’s a simple fact of life that discipline is often required to push through a difficult day at work, or to get through a batch of chores that are never likely to feel very exciting.
At the same time, however, motivation can be a very powerful force that can serve to enrich our lives, to move us in the right direction, and to ensure that we are able to enjoy the journey ahead much more than we otherwise would.
Here are just a few ways to help boost your everyday motivation, so that life becomes significantly more exciting and engaging.
- Set yourself ambitious and exciting goals to pursue
The topic of goalsetting attracts mixed opinions, depending on who you talk to. In recent years, Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comics, and James Clear, author of “Atomic Habits,” have both argued that goals aren’t a great idea and that what really counts are “systems.”
The thinking here is that a goal like “lose 10lbs by x date” is a less reliable and a more emotionally taxing thing than a “system” such as “I will count my calories each day, and go for a 30 minute run.”
The simple psychological reality, though, is that these sorts of daily habits and systems – although they may be essential in and of themselves – simply don’t provide a lot of motivation or excitement to keep you moving forward.
Setting yourself ambitious and exciting goals to pursue means that you will be much better able to build and maintain momentum, even if you’re having a bad day.
- Use tools and props that have a motivational impact on you
If you like the idea of getting in shape but are finding motivation a bit scarce, one thing that might help is to use tools and props that have a motivational impact on you, such as custom shaker bottles.
The same principle applies, generally, regardless of what your particular goals are. If you want to write more, getting a new fountain pen may motivate you to spend more time with that pursuit, or if you want to spend more time outdoors, buying a new pair of hiking boots may entice you out.
The right “props” can more or less act as “talismans” that help you to enjoy a higher baseline level of motivation in a particular area.
- Strike the right balance between work and fun
It’s very difficult to be motivated if you know that you have a bunch of difficult work and chores ahead of you that you are not looking forward to, and no real upcoming fun or leisure to speak of.
Motivation is easiest to come by if you strike the proper balance in your everyday life between work and fun. Instead of burning yourself out, make sure that you have at least a bit of time set aside every day for entertainment and leisure, so that you can recharge your batteries.
