No matter the task ahead of you, staying motivated is incredibly difficult. This is especially true if you have a short attention span. Even if you’re working on a project you enjoy, it’s easy to become quickly overwhelmed or even bored. 

When you find yourself feeling completely drained of energy and purpose, finding motivation can seem impossible. But, you have already taken the most important step, which is seeking a way to motivate yourself.

So, do not fear, here’s our guide to staying motivated. Whether it’s for a project you’re tired of, your job, or your path in life.

1. Meditation and/or Mindfulness

One of the reasons why some people find it difficult to stay motivated is through a lack of focus. If you don’t know your overall end goal, then how can you remain motivated to work toward it? Even if you do have an end goal, remaining focused on that goal can still be difficult.

Meditation is a fantastic way to practice controlling your thoughts. It might seem like a simple process of breathing. But a regular meditation practice can help you to develop the ability to be more conscious of your thoughts. This can also help you to understand why it is you are struggling to find motivation. 

If meditation needs like it might be a little too advanced for you, then why not give mindfulness a go? Mindfulness is similar to meditation but it is more guided. You can easily find free guided meditations online with apps and websites such as Headspace.

2. Make a Structured Plan

This might seem obvious but hear us out. If you are working on something, your end goal is easier to work toward. But even then, it can be difficult to see how you can get to that end goal from where you are now.

Whether this goal is the wrapping up of a project at work, getting a job, or saving money to buy a house. The gulf between you and your goal can often seem too big to cover. 

The best way to fill this gulf is with a plan. A detailed, structured, realistic, and sustainable plan is the best way to fill this gulf. This can simply be a spreadsheet that shows how much money you have saved every month. Or the next step you need to take in reaching the end of your project.

If, when you see this plan laid out, you feel overwhelmed and feel as though you have too much to do, you can simply focus on the next step. You can even make another plan to work toward that smaller goal.

This can help you to remain focused and motivated on the next thing you need to do. Rather than focusing on the huge overall goal that can seem unachievable.

Having a plan also means having a paper trail. Once you have reached a new step, you can look back and see how much work you have done. Then, once you have seen what you have already achieved, this will provide you with the motivation to keep going.

3. Having Fun

This might seem a little silly. But, even if you can just find a sense of enjoyment in what you are doing, then it will make you want to do it more. This might sound overly simple. But trying to find some fun in all the things you do can make life in general much more enjoyable.

Even if this is by giving yourself a small treat for reaching a small achievement. If you’re studying, this can be having a piece of chocolate for every 10 pages you read. If you work in an office, this can be through having fun little traditions with your colleagues. For example, having cakes on a Friday. You can even make this a hobby, each of you can bake something to bring in. Then, you have something to look forward to during the week. If you already have enough to look forward to on a Friday (i.e. the workweek ending) then you can do this on random days. For example, a hump day treat on a Wednesday to break up the week.

Having fun outside of your work is also very important. The phrase “work hard, play hard” might be overused. But it is important to also have fun outside of work. Even if it’s settling down to watch Netflix after work. Or making weekend plans. Having plans and things to look forward to is most of what life is. Having a rich and happy life outside of work can help balance out the stresses of your job.

It might be an overused saying but it is true that happiness should be part of the journey and not just a destination. Happiness and fun should be two of the most important things that motivate you in life.

4. Competition

Competition is often considered to be a bad thing. We’re not telling you to continuously compare your work and life to those of your friends and colleagues. This will only cause you to feel as though your life isn’t as good as other people’s. (Remember: your path is your own and you never really know what’s going on in other people’s lives). 

The kind of competition that is healthy is the kind that is fun. This can be something as simple as being a little competitive with one of your work friends. This can be trying to see who can do the most work during the day or the week. Then, whoever is the loser has to buy the Friday night drinks. This also makes your work more like a game and so you will want to work more. 

5. Keep a Diary of Past Achievements

When we have a set goal, it’s easy to become blinkered. This is especially true when you feel unmotivated in achieving that goal. It can seem as though there is something you want ahead of you but you have no way of getting there. This can often be because we underestimate our abilities.

One of the best ways to remember how much you can do is by keeping track of all of your achievements. These can be big things such as projects in your work, writing down your school results, or reaching big life goals. 

Or, these can be little things. If you feel really unmotivated, then looking back over big achievements can make you feel worse. You might wonder what happened to change you from the person who could do so much to the person you are now. So, track small achievements. Sometimes, just getting out of bed is an achievement. Write down when you get out of bed, make your bed, make a healthy breakfast, take a shower, and get dressed. These are all things that we do without thinking. But, when we see them written down, they suddenly become more impressive.

Just remember, that whether your achievements include buying a home or just making your bed, you can still achieve so much. A belief in your own abilities and capabilities is one of the most important things for feeling motivated.