How to Stay Motivated
Setting goals or tasks for your education, your work or your family life are important for accomplishing the things you want to get done. However, you might find that even though you have named the goals and figured out the steps you need to take to reach them, you lack the motivation. How can you find that motivation? The four tips below can help.
Start with One Thing
The idea behind breaking down your large goals into smaller ones is to make your tasks seem less daunting. However, despite this, when you look at your to-do list, you might still feel overwhelmed. One way to address this is to stop fretting about what you should do next and just choose one simple thing to complete quickly. When it comes to finances, if you are trying to pay off debt, you can look at whether you can refinance your student loans with a private lender as a way to cut costs. This can lower your monthly expenses and ensure the repayments are more budget-friendly. It doesn’t take long to check your options and see what might be available for you, and crossing this off your list can make the other items seem manageable as well. Another way to approach this is to choose an item on the list and tell yourself you will do it for 10 or 15 minutes. Usually, just getting started is the hardest part.
Find a Reason
You might be struggling with motivation because you simply don’t want to do some of things on the list, even though you need to. The key here is to remind yourself of the reasons you need to follow through. For the student loan example, using your money to pay off debt may not seem like much fun, but think about how much better you are going to feel when you are debt-free and the financial burden is lifted from your shoulders. You can even plan what you will do with the extra money you will have when you no longer have to use it pay off a loan. There are also situations in which you might not be able to find a good reason, and this is actually useful as well as it ensures more of a focus on saving. Your lack of motivation might be telling you that you need a different goal to aim for.
Reward Yourself
Sometimes you really do need to reward yourself in order to boost your motivation. Everyone is motivated by something different, so you might allow yourself time to engage in a hobby, a shopping trip or anything else that you enjoy. If you are really struggling, don’t hesitate to build in a reward for every step.
Tell a Friend
Sometimes, feeling an obligation toward another person is what you need, so it can help if you work toward your goals with a friend or family member. You can check in with one another and offer encouragement. If you think that your friend or family member will be more likely to accomplish their own goals if you stick with yours, this can offer some additional incentive.
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