How do you improve self motivation?

Answer 1

Here are some ways to motivate yourself to do things:

• Give yourself a little reward. Make up something small -- like for every X minutes you do something you don't like, you'll do something else you do like for X minutes; or every time you do one chore, you get a star or X points, and when you have a total of Y points or stars, you can buy something you want, or go out and do something special.
• Set a time limit. Do whatever it is for 15-20 minutes, then take a rest break. If you're trying to motivate yourself to do chores or work that is always piling up, like housework or laundry, tell yourself you're just going to do 15-20 minutes. Often, just getting started is enough that you'll end up finishing the chore -- getting started is the tough part.
• Schedule it. Pretend the chore is a job -- put down a time to do the work every day, write it on your calendar, and pretend you're going to work! This way, you're more likely to take it seriously.
• Praise yourself. Motivation is a problem for everybody. Whenever you get something finished -- or even if you just get started on it! -- pat yourself on the back and step back to look at what you've done. It feels good to see how far you've come, or how much of the job you've done. Don't think "Look how far I still have to go" -- think "Wow, I've already finished that much!"

Answer 2

remember your strengths and talents (if you're a good artist, good mom, good at a certain talent..)

things you take for granted(healthy body, safe limbs, safe teeth..)

remember it and don't keep comparing yourself with those who are luckier in life. remember it could always get worse!

Answer 3

In order to be more motivated, you first have to have a goal. Think about what you are trying to achieve - this can be short term, like doing homework or getting a job done, or it can be long term, like buying a house or graduating from school.

Once you have a goal, here are some tips to help you get more motivated to move towards that goal:

• write your goal on a card or paper and post it somewhere that you can see it every day
• take short steps - don't try to do the whole thing in one big chunk because that way you just feel hopeless! If you're studying, study for 15-20 minutes and take a 5 minute break. If you're working on a job, break it down into small steps and take one step at a time until you're done. If you're cleaning your house, do 15 minutes and take a break.
• have a positive outlook. The big problem with motivation for most people is that horrible little voice in your head that says "you can't do this!" Learn how to shut that little voice down - any time you notice a negative thought crossing your mind, STOP (you might even stop physically and "freeze" in place if it's a really bad thought) and deliberately think the word "REALISTICALLY..." Then finish the sentence with a positive statement. For example, if you have a thought "I'm a failure," STOP yourself and think "REALISTICALLY ... I have done the following things successfully (list everything you've ever done well)." This helps you to re-train yourself to think positively instead of negatively
• get a friend. Often, if you can't seem to get started on your own, you can find a friend to come over and help you. Make a study group to help you get that school work done; have a friend over to help you clean house and feed them a nice meal as a reward; get a coworker to help you with that project and then help them with one of theirs.
  

Here are some ways to motivate yourself to do things:

• Give yourself a little reward. Make up something small -- like for every X minutes you do something you don't like, you'll do something else you do like for X minutes; or every time you do one chore, you get a star or X points, and when you have a total of Y points or stars, you can buy something you want, or go out and do something special.
• Set a time limit. Do whatever it is for 15-20 minutes, then take a rest break. If you're trying to motivate yourself to do chores or work that is always piling up, like housework or laundry, tell yourself you're just going to do 15-20 minutes. Often, just getting started is enough that you'll end up finishing the chore -- getting started is the tough part.
• Schedule it. Pretend the chore is a job -- put down a time to do the work every day, write it on your calendar, and pretend you're going to work! This way, you're more likely to take it seriously.
• Praise yourself. Motivation is a problem for everybody. Whenever you get something finished -- or even if you just get started on it! -- pat yourself on the back and step back to look at what you've done. It feels good to see how far you've come, or how much of the job you've done. Don't think "Look how far I still have to go" -- think "Wow, I've already finished that much!"

Answer 4

Motivation is not something that someone can tell you; motivation comes from within yourself.

It's hardest to be motivated when you haven't had enough sleep. There is no artificial stimulant that will replace natural sleep for this purpose.

The hardest things to get motivated about are things that you find boring but are required to do; things that you've done so often that they provide no stimulation; things that loom large over your head that you fear failure; and things that seem too huge to accomplish, especially with a deadline.

In all of these cases, focusing on the end result rather than what it will take to get there is the place to start. The next step is to 'lift a finger'; make any small move at starting without thinking about the whole thing. Whenever you find yourself thinking about what will hang you up, snap your mind right back to the end result and keep moving forward. For large looming or large overwhelming things, focus only on each small step and just try to accomplish that. Whenever you find yourself thinking about what will hang you up, snap your mind right back to the end result and keep moving forward. Somewhere along this process, when you can see some result taking shape, the motivation will start to grow. The large tasks ones will get done by accomplishing each smaller part; the small tedious ones may be done even before you feel motivated, but they will be done.

If you are simply unmotivated in general with nothing special to accomplish, then find a goal, even a really small one. Make a sandwich, take out the trash, then build on that step by step. While you are doing a few little things, you may be stimulated by something that will motivate you; something you had forgotten about or something new that comes to mind. It is much less likely to happen if you just sit around and wait.

Answer 5

Lack of motivation is often the result of sub-clinical or clinical depression. The first steps are to get plenty of sleep, eat properly (especially avoiding sugar), and exercise. If that doesn't help, we suggest contacting a doctor for a good talk and physical.