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Simple Ways To Self-Motivate When You Feel You’ve Lost Your Drive

The ultimate list of simple ways to self-motivate, even when getting out of bed is troublesome.

By Kelsey LangePublished 6 years ago 6 min read
Top Story - December 2017
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Having trouble staying motivated? We have all struggled with this process time and time again. That's why it's important to find the tips that work the best for you. This is a list of simple ways to self-motivate when you feel you've lost your drive.

Whether it be downsizing your goals, distracting yourself to stay focused, or simply changing your environment, you can only find the tips that work the best for your lack of drive by testing them out. Here's why these options work so well.

Start small.

One of the most simple ways to self-motivate is to, in fact, simplify the way you are trying to gain motivation. We often take too much onto our plates, and this is where it becomes easy to give up, and lose track of the reason you are working toward your goals in the first place.

Instead, downsize; this way you can't be discouraged by how far you are from meeting your goal. This is a great way to avoid procrastination, and separates smaller accomplishments into more practical and reasonable paths to take.

Distractions are your friend.

Believe it or not, doing things outside of getting work done is healthy. As one of the most simple ways to self-motivate, distracting yourself from work is a relaxing way to detach your thoughts from solely being work-driven. Don't get me wrong, of course being consumed in your process is important, but there's a time and place for this.

Being able to live your life without the constant guilt that you should be getting something done is the most rewarding process. It is okay to have time that is spent in doing things that make you happy. This is equally as rewarding for finding motivation because this way you can separate entertainment and relaxation from work. Also, don't be afraid to take a mental health day every once in a while.

And even when you're at the office, take a minute if you feel like you're burning out. Take a walk, listen to your favorite song, text a friend, just take a breather from what is consuming your mind. It'll thank you.

Surround yourself with inspirational people.

The people that you surround yourself with have a huge impact on the way that you live your life. If you have friends who do not have any motivation in their lives and refuse to do anything for themselves, then clearly, even if you are successful yourself, the motives of these people will start to rub off on you.

You need to have people in your life that you can both look up to and gain advice from. Micheal Dell gave the famous piece of advice, "Never be the smartest person in the room." If you follow this concept, you will always have someone to learn from, as well as instant motivation for your own goals.

Get active.

Even if you are looking for simple ways to self-motivate that are non-fitness related, being able to get to the gym a few times a week will do wonders for every other aspect of your life. Simply changing your environment will do wonders for your lack of motivation. Sometimes it takes amping up your endorphins and expressing yourself through a great workout to finally feel like yourself again.

If going to the gym isn't your thing, going for a brisk run around the neighborhood or even just walking around the mall are both great ways to get your blood pumping. Excercise and your mindset go hand in hand. It's not good for your body or your mind to be stagnant throughout the entirety of your day. Get up and do something with your time. I guarantee that you'll find some motivation.

Make a list.

Certain people are list-makers. Personally, I am one of those people. Making lists is an extremely satisfying effort toward achieving your goals.

Without them, it's hard for me to rank my progress. If you haven't given list making a shot, I highly suggest doing so.

Even if its just planning out how you are going to schedule your day, the act of crossing off each individual plan is a motivational step as it is. Plus, you can gauge how close you are toward your goal for the day, and it will keep you on track for the amount of to-dos you have left in the amount of time.

Read, play music, draw.

One of the most simple ways to self-motivate is to do something that inspires your mood. Playing your favorite song, or just some music great upbeat tempos can motivate you to feel good as it is. If you need some motivation to do more with the rest of your day, get in the zone with some good music.

Drawing can also fall under the distract yourself tip, in which it allows you to focus on something entirely different than work, but still allows you to think and be inspired. Take a moment to put your creativity elsewhere, and it is bound to reward you.

Reading is one of the most motivational ways to take a step toward your goals. With tons of content that fall under the self-help and success category, there are endless possibilities when it comes to needing a helping hand. Read up on the topics that will resonate with your work the most.

Take a look back.

Being able to recognize the path that you have gone on to get to where you are today is a great way to motivate you when you feel like you've lost your drive. Taking a walk down memory lane, instead of focusing on where you want to be, is a humbling way to regain control.

No matter where you are in your path toward success, remembering where you used to be is motivation alone to continue progressing.

Find an ultimate goal.

Another one of the simple ways to self-motivate is to find an end goal. If you can't answer why you are stressing yourself out about reaching a certain protocol, you might need to reevaluate the pressure you're putting on yourself.

Being able to picture your ultimate goal is motivation as it is, and finding comfort in this is one of the best ways to regain a hold on the path that you're taking. Everyone needs a reason to do what they do, and it might not be obvious that you're lacking one. Gain a reason why you wake up every day, and not just because you're getting paid to do so. Plus, this will reduce stress overall if you can see a big goal.

Be grateful for what you already have.

It is easy to be aware of all of the things that we are lacking, but taking a step back and realizing all of the blessings we already have is one of the most effective ways to regain some needed motivation.

Instead of complaining about the work that there is to be done and the hours left in the day, it is important to recognize the blessing of a job and of the spot that you hold as it is. Even if you're feeling discouraged about not being able to find the motivation to be the star-mother you want to be. Remember that you were not always the holder of that beautiful title.

Maintain a clean workspace/living space.

To finish off this list of simple ways to self-motivate, making sure that you are living and working in an environment that is clean and makes you comfortable will do miracles for the quality of work that you will be able to produce.

Living in a space that is cluttered and unorganized will cause anxiety, stress, and distraction more than you think. If you continuously work at cleaning your spaces and maintain organized places, motivation will be much more accessible and will make you feel much more comfortable.

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About the Creator

Kelsey Lange

Passionate about writing, animals, makeup, movies, friends, family, learning, exercising, and laughing!

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