Self-motivation has a new urgency in the pandemic when time is so distorted. Here are some tricks that can help get you moving.5 Simple Tricks to Get You Moving. If you’ve ever spent more time talking yourself into doing something than it actually took to complete the task, you know how hard it is to motivate yourself.
Just five more
You’re not trying to change their mind, you’re making it easy for them to say ‘yes.'”
- Use this technique on yourself by agreeing to just do five more.
- Make five more calls, read five more pages, or send five emails. You’re doing what you need to get started to build momentum.
Take breaks
The brain and body are not meant to work nonstop
- Take a five- or ten-minute walk outside every afternoon if you like to talk about something other than work
- This will increase your drive to get more done and make you more productive
Set deadlines
A looming deadline can be a good motivator for committing to action
- Set them yourself or leverage deadlines given to you by a manager or coworker
- Deadline can help turn an abstract into something concrete
- However, Pink cautions against using deadlines if you’re engaged in divergent thinking that requires greater creativity
- If a deadline is too severe, it can deaden your intrinsic motivation
Set interim goals
Set small, interim goals (e.g., writing a chapter every week) that are easier to achieve and will help you see the end of the goal and motivate you to get to the finish line
- Long-term goals don’t motivate, but short-term ones can be motivating
Make a public commitment
Posting an intention on social media can also be motivating
- To work, the public commitment persuasion tactic has to involve specific goal setting
- Provide a timeframe, such as a finishing a chapter this week, smaller and more specific is better than large and general announcements
