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Want to get motivated? Read this:

Writer's picture: Alex BeattieAlex Beattie

Motivation is an interesting beast, sometimes you’re full of it and nothing can stop you. Other times you cannot seem to get up and get on with it for the life of you, instead you sit around pondering and procrastinating.


In this blog, I’m not going to be screaming at you in some go hard or go home rant but instead breaking down the science behind motivation and hopefully help you understand how to stay more motivated long-term.


First step to breaking down motivation is understanding what it even is in the first place. Motivation in short is having the urge to do something you know you should be doing but keep putting off for whatever reason. You’ll usually struggle with having the motivation to do something because you have more comfortable options available.


Usually motivation takes hold of you when the pain of completing the task you wanted to is now easier than the pain of not completing it. For example, it is easier to go and hit the gym and start to make a change than it is to be sat in your house on the sofa talking down to yourself over and over again.


I believe this the back bone of what motivation actually is. It is easier to bare the pain of action over the pain of remaining the same. Usually you will find after an extended amount of time it gets to a breaking point of two different paths. You fall into your bad habits or you finally stand up to yourself and take on your tasks head first.


Now we need to know to how to act in order to become a more motivated individual. A huge misconception about motivation is that it comes before action.


The majority of people will sit and wait to be motivated when in fact motivation is rife when you act first. You rarely consume a video on social media and bust up off of your seat and drive to the gym. Instead you will make small movements throughout the day and this will start the snowball effect where you gradually become more inclined to complete what you need to. You gain momentum.


Once you’re in the process of completing something, there is a lot less friction towards the task. You will usually find the thought of the task is where the majority of the friction lies. Instead, when you start the smaller movements this then rolls into overcoming the bigger task the whole process becomes so much easier.


One trick I’ve found is essential when it comes to motivation and which the ‘de-motivated’ all seem to have in common is the need for structure. The need to schedule in specific things during specific time slots on your day. If you want to go to the gym and you have anytime during the day to do it you will push it back until you feel like you have the motivation to go. This may never  come.


If you have a specific time slot during your day which you always go to the gym then this helps much more as the task then becomes a non negotiable. Making sure you have structure applies to all categories of life and really helps with making sure things are getting done rather than being moved and pushed around. You don’t want to fall into the common habit of completing the easiest less meaningful tasks first and leaving off the ones you actually need to be doing to see progression.


People that are the most progressive in life all have one thing in common which they do consistently. They aren’t dependent on motivation or inspiration to get things done. Here are a few tips to get things done and get you motivated.


1 • Have a good morning routine.

This doesn’t have to be ‘up at 5am for a run’ but things that really help you get moving and into a flow with wanting to continue your good habits.


This however may mean getting up slightly earlier than usual to ensure you’re not rushing around to get out of the door for work. There are ways like this really help combat a stressful morning.


Getting up even half an hour earlier than you do means you can slow your morning down and actually sit to enjoy a coffee and some breakfast rather than scraping together minimal food and forcing a coffee down to try and wake up.


2 • Try get in something creative during your week. This really helps activate a different part of the brain which promotes activity and helps connect dots in other areas of your life.


Even taking yourself out for a walk rather than being sat in the house really helps light up the brain to process information and spark a sense of completion which boosts further motivation.


3 • When exercising I’d always suggest having a good warm up routine. Sometimes you’ll find you really don’t want to be there and it’s hard to throw yourself under a bar to give your all in a workout. I like to start with a steady incline walk for 5-10 minutes and mentally plan my session, listen to some good music and get myself into the mood to smash it.


Now the main goal is to make motivation a habit. Here are three ways to always ensure you’re more motivated that usual.


1 • Have a great pre-game routine. These are things you do to kickstart yourself into a motivated day. Drinking a glass of water when you wake, not snoozing your alarm, making your bed, getting into the shower and making it cold for about 15 seconds, brushing your teeth so you feel fully fresh, Opening the blinds to let in daylight around the house.


2 • A lack of mental motivation is often linked to a lack of physical movement. When your physical state when you're feeling depressed, bored, or lack motivation. You’re not moving very much at all. The opposite is also true. If you’re physically moving around and engaged, then it’s far more likely that you’ll feel mentally engaged and more energised. Weird but it’s very true, the more you love the more energy you have


3 • Make sure you follow the same pattern. The whole idea is that we understand that we’re not always going to be motivated but we have our pre-game routine to ease us into getting our main tasks so that we finally reach our end goal. Similar to practicing smaller runs before you attempt a longer one we wouldn’t just run a half marathon immediately. Why would you expect other things in your life to work like this. Make your processes easier for yourself by following the same pattern each day.


I hope you enjoyed this blog and now have a better understanding of motivation and how to become more motivated.


Alex

Achievable Academy


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Andrew Thorburn
Andrew Thorburn
2022年9月14日

Cheer Alex abd he best in business and so friendly and know he dose

いいね!
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