Photo courtesy of Looking Glass The Ultimate Guide to Motivation - How to Achieve Any Goal
“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” - Henry Ford
One of the biggest challenges in meeting any goal, whether it be related to productivity, waking early, changing a habit, exercising, or just becoming happier, is finding the motivation to stick with it.
If you can stick with a goal for long enough, you’ll almost always get there eventually. It just takes patience, and motivation.
Motivation is the key, but it’s not always easy, day in and day out, to find that motivation.
What follows is a guide to motivation using what I’ve learned over the last few years in a series of successful accomplishments, goals and habit changes. I’ve had many failures, but also many successes, and I’ve learned a lot from all of them. Motivation has been a particularly important topic of exploration for me.
What Motivation Can Achieve
What have I accomplished using these motivation methods? Too much to mention, just in the last 3 years: running two marathons, learning to become an early riser, losing 40 pounds, completing a triathlon, becoming vegetarian, becoming more productive, starting a successful blog, writing a book, becoming organized, simplifying my life, quitting my day job, tripling my income, eliminating my debt, and much more.
That’s not intended to sound like bragging, but to show you what can be accomplished (just to start) if you find the right motivation.
How Does Motivation Work?
Before we get into specific methods, it’s useful to examine what motivation is, what it does, and how it works.
Motivation is what drives you toward a goal, what keeps you going when things get tough, the reason you get up early to exercise or work late to finish a project. There are all kinds of motivations, of course, from positive to negative. Having a boss threaten to fire you is motivation — you’ll likely work harder to complete a project with that kind of pressure. But I find that positive motivation works better — if it’s something you really want to do, you’ll do a much better job than to avoid something you don’t want (such as being fired).
So motivation, in its best form, is a way for you to want to do something. There may be times, for example, when you don’t feel like getting up early, and in those times you may seriously just want to sleep in (not that there’s anything wrong with that). But if you have a reason to want to get up early, something you really really want to do, you’ll jump up out of bed with excitement.
The best motivation, then, is a way for you to really want something, to get excited about it, to be passionate about it. Remember that, as there are many other types of motivation (especially negative), but in my experience, this is the kind that works the best.
There is only so long that you can go trying to motivate yourself to do something you don’t like to do, something you don’t want to do. But if you find ways to really want to do something, you can sustain your effort for much, much longer.
8 Ways to Motivate Yourself From the Beginning
I’ve found that it’s important to start out with the right motivation, because a good start can build momentum that you can sustain for a long time. If you start out right, you have a much better chance of succeeding. Here are some tips for starting out:
- Start small. I’ve said this before, but that’s because it’s one of the most important tips in motivating yourself toward a goal. Don’t start out big! Start out with a ridiculously easy goal, and then grow from there. If you want to exercise, for example, you may be thinking that you have to do these intense workouts 5 days a week. No — instead, do small, tiny, baby steps. Just do 2 minutes of exercise. I know, that sounds wimpy. But it works. Commit to 2 minutes of exercise for one week. You may want to do more, but just stick to 2 minutes. It’s so easy, you can’t fail. Do it at the same time, every day. Just some crunches, 2 pushups, and some jogging in place. Once you’ve done 2 minutes a day for a week, increase it to 5, and stick with that for a week. In a month, you’ll be doing 15-20. Want to wake up early? Don’t think about waking at 5 a.m. Instead, think about waking 10 minutes earlier for a week. That’s all. Once you’ve done that, wake 10 minutes earlier than that. Baby steps.
- One goal. Too many people start with too many goals at once, and try to do too much. And it saps energy and motivation. It’s probably the most common mistake that people make. You cannot maintain energy and focus (the two most important things in accomplishing a goal) if you are trying to do two or more goals at once. It’s not possible — I’ve tried it many times. You have to choose one goal, for now, and focus on it completely. I know, that’s hard. Still, I speak from experience. You can always do your other goals when you’ve accomplished your One Goal.
- Examine your motivation. Know your reasons. Give them some thought … and write them down. If you have loved ones, and you are doing it for them, that is more powerful than just doing it for self-interest. Doing it for yourself is good too, but you should do it for something that you REALLY REALLY want to happen, for really good reasons.
- Really, really want it. This is essentially the same as the above tip, but I want to emphasize it: it’s not enough to think it would be cool to achieve something. It has to be something you’re passionate about, something you’re super excited about, something you want deeply. Make sure that your goal meets these criteria, or you won’t stick with it for long.
- Commit publicly. None of us likes to look bad in front of others. We will go the extra mile to do something we’ve said publicly. For example, when I wanted to run my first marathon, I started writing a column about it in my local daily newspaper. The entire island of Guam (pop. 160K) knew about my goal. I couldn’t back down, and even though my motivation came and went, I stuck with it and completed it. Now, you don’t have to commit to your goal in your daily newspaper, but you can do it with friends and family and co-workers, and you can do it on your blog if you have one. And hold yourself accountable — don’t just commit once, but commit to giving progress updates to everyone every week or so.
- Get excited. Well, it starts with inspiration from others (see above), but you have to take that excitement and build on it. For me, I’ve learned that by talking to my wife about it, and to others, and reading as much about it as possible, and visualizing what it would be like to be successful (seeing the benefits of the goal in my head), I get excited about a goal. Once I’ve done that, it’s just a matter of carrying that energy forward and keeping it going.
- Build anticipation. This will sound hard, and many people will skip this tip. But it really works. It helped me quit smoking after many failed attempts. If you find inspiration and want to do a goal, don’t start right away. Many of us will get excited and want to start today. That’s a mistake. Set a date in the future — a week or two, or even a month — and make that your Start Date. Mark it on the calendar. Get excited about that date. Make it the most important date in your life. In the meantime, start writing out a plan. And do some of the steps below. Because by delaying your start, you are building anticipation, and increasing your focus and energy for your goal.
- Print it out, post it up. Print out your goal in big words. Make your goal just a few words long, like a mantra (”Exercise 15 mins. Daily”), and post it up on your wall or refrigerator. Post it at home and work. Put it on your computer desktop. You want to have big reminders about your goal, to keep your focus and keep your excitement going. A picture of your goal (like a model with sexy abs, for example) also helps.
20 Ways to Sustain Motivation When You’re Struggling
The second half of motivation is to keep yourself going when you don’t feel the same excitement as you did in the beginning. Perhaps something new has come into your life and your old goal isn’t as much of a priority anymore. Perhaps you skipped a day or two and now you can’t get back into it. Perhaps you screwed up and got discouraged.
If you can get yourself excited again, and keep going, you’ll get there eventually. But if you give up, you won’t. It’s your choice — accomplish the goal, or quit. Here’s how you can stop from quitting, and get to your goal:
- Hold yourself back. When I start with a new exercise program, or any new goal really, I am rarin’ to go. I am full of excitement, and my enthusiasm knows no boundaries. Nor does my sense of self-limitation. I think I can do anything. It’s not long before I learn that I do have limitations, and my enthusiasm begins to wane. Well, a great motivator that I’ve learned is that when you have so much energy at the beginning of a program, and want to go all out — HOLD BACK. Don’t let yourself do everything you want to do. Only let yourself do 50-75 percent of what you want to do. And plan out a course of action where you slowly increase over time. For example, if I want to go running, I might think I can run 3 miles at first. But instead of letting myself do that, I start by only running a mile. When I’m doing that mile, I’ll be telling myself that I can do more! But I don’t let myself. After that workout, I’ll be looking forward to the next workout, when I’ll let myself do 1.5 miles. I keep that energy reined in, harness it, so that I can ride it even further.
- Just start. There are some days when you don’t feel like heading out the door for a run, or figuring out your budget, or whatever it is you’re supposed to do that day for your goal. Well, instead of thinking about how hard it is, and how long it will take, tell yourself that you just have to start. I have a rule that I just have to put on my running shoes and close the door behind me. After that, it all flows naturally. It’s when you’re sitting in your house, thinking about running and feeling tired, that it seems hard. Once you start, it is never as hard as you thought it would be. This tip works for me every time.
- Stay accountable. If you committed yourself publicly, through an online forum, on a blog, in email, or in person … stay accountable to that group of people. Commit to report back to them daily, or something like that, and stick to it! That accountability will help you to want to do well, because you don’t want to report that you’ve failed.
- Squash negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. This is one of the most important motivation skills, and I suggest you practice it daily. It’s important to start monitoring your thoughts, and to recognize negative self-talk. Just spend a few days becoming aware of every negative thought. Then, after a few days, try squashing those negative thoughts like a bug, and then replacing them with a corresponding positive thought. Squash, “This is too hard!” and replace it with, “I can do this! If that wimp Leo can do it, so can I!” It sounds corny, but it works. Really.
- Think about the benefits. Thinking about how hard something is is a big problem for most people. Waking early sounds so hard! Just thinking about it makes you tired. But instead of thinking about how hard something is, think about what you will get out of it. For example, instead of thinking about how hard it is to wake early, focus on how good you’ll feel when you’re done, and how your day will be so much better. The benefits of something will help energize you.
- Get excited again! Think about why you lost your excitement … then think about why you were excited in the first place. Can you get that back? What made you want to do the goal? What made you passionate about it? Try to build that up again, refocus yourself, get energized.
- Read about it. When I lose motivation, I just read a book or blog about my goal. It inspires me and reinvigorates me. For some reason, reading helps motivate and focus you on whatever you’re reading about. So read about your goal every day, if you can, especially when you’re not feeling motivated.
- Find like-minded friends. Staying motivated on your own is tough. But if you find someone with similar goals (running, dieting, finances, etc.), see if they’d like to partner with you. Or partner with your spouse, sibling or best friend on whatever goals they’re trying to achieve. You don’t have to be going after the same goals — as long as you are both pushing and encouraging each other to succeed. Other good options are groups in your area (I’m part of a running club, for example) or online forums where you can find people to talk to about your goals.
- Read inspiring stories. Inspiration, for me, comes from others who have achieved what I want to achieve, or who are currently doing it. I read other blogs, books, magazines. I Google my goal, and read success stories. Zen Habits is just one place for inspiration, not only from me but from many readers who have achieved amazing things. I love, love, love reading success stories too.
- Build on your successes. Every little step along the way is a success — celebrate the fact that you even started! And then did it for two days! Celebrate every little milestone. Then take that successful feeling and build on it, with another baby step. Add 2-3 minutes to your exercise routine, for example. With each step (and each step should last about a week), you will feel even more successful. Make each step really, really small, and you won’t fail. After a couple of months, your tiny steps will add up to a lot of progress and a lot of success.
- Just get through the low points. Motivation is not a constant thing that is always there for you. It comes and goes, and comes and goes again, like the tide. But realize that while it may go away, it doesn’t do so permanently. It will come back. Just stick it out and wait for that motivation to come back. In the meantime, read about your goal, ask for help, and do some of the other things listed here until your motivation comes back.
- Get help. It’s hard to accomplish something alone. When I decided to run my marathon, I had the help of friends and family, and I had a great running community on Guam who encouraged me at 5K races and did long runs with me. When I decided to quit smoking, I joined an online forum and that helped tremendously. And of course, my wife Eva helped every step of the way. I couldn’t have done these goals without her, or without the others who supported me. Find your support network, either in the real world or online, or both.
- Chart your progress. This can be as simple as marking an X on your calendar, or creating a simple spreadsheet, or logging your goal using online software. But it can be vastly rewarding to look back on your progress and to see how far you’ve come, and it can help you to keep going — you don’t want to have too many days without an X! Now, you will have some bad marks on your chart. That’s OK. Don’t let a few bad marks stop you from continuing. Strive instead to get the good marks next time.
- Reward yourself often. For every little step along the way, celebrate your success, and give yourself a reward. It helps to write down appropriate rewards for each step, so that you can look forward to those rewards. By appropriate, I mean 1) it’s proportionate to the size of the goal (don’t reward going on a 1-mile run with a luxury cruise in the Bahamas); and 2) it doesn’t ruin your goal — if you are trying to lose weight, don’t reward a day of healthy eating with a dessert binge. It’s self-defeating.
- Go for mini-goals. Sometimes large or longer-term goals can be overwhelming. After a couple weeks, we may lose motivation, because we still have several months or a year or more left to accomplish the goal. It’s hard to maintain motivation for a single goal for such a long time. Solution: have smaller goals along the way.
- Get a coach or take a class. These will motivate you to at least show up, and to take action. It can be applied to any goal. This might be one of the more expensive ways of motivating yourself, but it works. And if you do some research, you might find some cheap classes in your area, or you might know a friend who will provide coaching or counseling for free.
- Never skip two days in a row. This rule takes into account our natural tendency to miss days now and then. We are not perfect. So, you missed one day … now the second day is upon you and you are feeling lazy … tell yourself NO! You will not miss two days in a row!
- Use visualization. Visualize your successful outcome in great detail. Close your eyes, and think about exactly how your successful outcome will look, will feel, will smell and taste and sound like. Where are you when you become successful? How do you look? What are you wearing? Form as clear a mental picture as possible. Now here’s the next key: do it every day. For at least a few minutes each day. This is the only way to keep that motivation going over a long period of time.
- Be aware of your urges to quit, and overcome them. We all have urges to stop, but they are mostly unconscious. One of the most powerful things you can do is to start being more conscious of those urges. A good exercise is to go through the day with a little piece of paper and put a tally mark for each time you get an urge. It simply makes you aware of the urges. Then have a plan for when those urges hit, and plan for it beforehand, and write down your plan, because once those urges hit, you will not feel like coming up with a plan.
- Find pleasure again. No one can stick to something for long if they find it unpleasant, and are only rewarded after months of toil. There has to be fun, pleasure, joy in it, every day, or you won’t want to do it. Find those pleasurable things — the beauty of a morning run, for example, or the satisfaction in reporting to people that you finished another step along the way, or the deliciousness of a healthy meal.
“Never, never, never, never give up.” - Winston Churchill
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- Posted on 5 June 2008 in Goals, Motivation |
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Comments (96)
Thomas Herold Says:
June 5th, 2008, 20:22 pm
Great article! - Here is an article we posted in March with almost the same headline:
http://www.dreammanifesto.com/ultimate-method-achieving-goal-dream-desire.html
Cheers
Thomas Herold
CEO Dream Manifesto
http://www.dreammanifesto.com
Michael Moniz Says:
June 5th, 2008, 20:23 pm
Motivation is so important to help people create better lives for themselves. A lot of my coaching clients come to me so I can help them find the motivation to keep working on their dreams in life.
There is a huge difference from trying and being committed.
The Geek Stuff Says:
June 5th, 2008, 20:28 pm
Excellent Post.
For me, I found it very easy to get motivated. However, sustaining it for a long term has always been an issue for me. Thanks for giving great pointers on how to address that issue.
I’ll be giving lot of thinking on each and every one of the 20 points about sustaining motivation and work on the points, which I never thought about before.
Thanks,
Ramesh.
SpaceAgeSage Says:
June 5th, 2008, 21:06 pm
“Build anticipation” — I had a writing mentor suggest I never finish a chapter of a book at the end of a writing session, but leave a little to finish up the next day to build a hunger and an anticipation about both finishing one chapter and starting a new one. When I stick to this advice (and work on one chapter at at time) it works!
Marelisa Says:
June 5th, 2008, 21:17 pm
I think that being very clear on why you want something is key to staying motivating. If you’re doing all of the things that you mention in this post, visualizing, connecting with people who are aiming toward the same goal, reading books, magazines, newsletters and blogs about your goal, settin up you environment to help you reach your goal, breaking your goal up into small pieces and rewarding yourself each time you reach a mini-goal, and so on, you’re basically building a structure around yourself which will help carry you until you achieve your goal.
William Bruce III Says:
June 5th, 2008, 21:24 pm
Drivel and poppycock, my good man.
Sweeping generalities garnished with platitudes.
I say; utterly worthless, old chap.
Laurie Says:
June 5th, 2008, 21:28 pm
Great points here Leo. In starting my own business I have taken on the motto: All things are possible.
I think it is important to not let yourself get overwhelmed. That’s why I am sticking to the philosophy to think big, start small and go for an instant win!
Thanks for the pointers! :O)
The Zen Dad Says:
June 5th, 2008, 21:34 pm
I personally feel the “commit publicly” is a huge step in my process. Accountability is huge when setting goals. Good points Leo!
http://www.zendad.net
Dumb Jock Says:
June 5th, 2008, 21:36 pm
Overall, I like really like this post. I believe it’s very informative and helpful.
However, in #3 - Examine your motivations, you say that doing something for another person is more powerful than doing it yourself. I respectfully disagree. I have heard countless stories of people who, despite their loved ones pleading with them, don’t quit smoking/eat healthy/exercise/whatever. I believe that a motivation coming from internal desire is much stronger than one coming externally (doing it for someone else).
To use a personal example, I wanted throughout my high school career to play football in college. My friends thought I was crazy, and my parents supported me (but didn’t give it much consideration). However, I went on to overcome the obstacles I did, because my goal was something I truly wanted internally.
Aside from that, again, great article. I would however add in another way to sustain motivation: focus intently in related areas when you feel burnout.
Using my personal example again, I thought about football all times of the day. Eventually, I would get burned out. Then, I would take my energy and focus in related areas of my athletic performance, such as nutrition. This not only benefited my performance, it took my mind off of football while still having a greater positive impact in other areas of my life.
Keep up the great work.
Leo Says:
June 5th, 2008, 21:38 pm
Thanks for the great comments everyone!
@Dumb Jock: I tend to agree with you, that internal goals are very important — but I found that doing a goal for my kids was even more powerful. Either way, you’re right — don’t worry about what others say, and just like with your own thoughts, squash those negative comments.
Vered Says:
June 5th, 2008, 21:41 pm
Tackling a single goal at a time, and turning that one goal into mini-goals, takes a lot of patience, but is probably one of the best ways for staying motivated.
Jonathan B. Says:
June 5th, 2008, 21:43 pm
Great article. I’ve discovered the Small Goals and Just Start ideas on my own and they are very true for me. It’s best to take baby steps, and I’ve noticed when I exercise that if I just start doing it then my desire to be lazy quickly goes away.
Bud Says:
June 5th, 2008, 21:43 pm
Thanks for the post Leo - I’ve been having some trouble with a project lately and I couldn’t agree with your tips more. You and your site rock, good sir!
Ashwin Nanjappa Says:
June 5th, 2008, 21:57 pm
Thanks for this post Leo. Due to a string of setbacks in recent weeks, I was feeling pretty down. I had even slacked and was waking late, wasn’t doing my runs and gym workouts. Basically, life is currently a mess. I hope to pull myself out of this.
Sara Says:
June 5th, 2008, 21:57 pm
This is one of the most powerful pieces you’ve written–at least for me. I really appreciated your point about letting the anticipation build. Anticipation is one of life’s greatest pleasures. I’m thinking it’s time to set some mini-goals (the large are too far out to seem tangible) and let the anticipation do its work before attacking the first one!
chris Says:
June 5th, 2008, 22:17 pm
Start Small, One Goal and Commit Publicly…These 3 things are the most important since they will set you up for success which you can build on. Of course in order to be fully successful you must seek help. Every single person whose been successful or have been good at motivating themselves have been fortunate to have the help that they need.
On a different note, stay strong Leo.
Martin Mulder Says:
June 5th, 2008, 22:18 pm
Leo, thank you for this post.
It shows me that although you don’t post frequently each post is well worth waiting for!
The Daily Minder Says:
June 5th, 2008, 22:18 pm
For me the biggest thing is making sure that your motivation is about helping others or making yourself more able to help others. If you are simply doing something for self serving reasons you will lose motivation a lot faster.
Fantastic post Leo - well polished and detailed.
Love it.
TDM
banji - LessonInLife Says:
June 5th, 2008, 22:35 pm
I would suggest a method in which we know how to “get up quickly after we fall”. Through out our plan there will bound to have a few unavoidable incident where we can’t stick to the plan. There might actually be quite a few incidents, and these themselves are very demotivating.
Personally I think getting back to our plan quickly is just as important as maintaining the motivation. A person who manage to run at least 5 times a month his entire life will benefit more than those who run everyday for one year and then stop.
Never skip 2 days in a row is a new idea for me. Thanks Leo :)
Jarrod Says:
June 5th, 2008, 22:40 pm
Great points, something that wasn’t a specific point but was mentioned in numerous ways in the post was to Plan.
I believe planning is critical to reaching any goal. Make the mini-goals, the task lists… all which serve a double purpose of rewarding you when they are done. The plan itself helps provide motivation.
Offcourse you have to make the plan to benefit from it :)
Evelyn Lim | Attraction Mind Map Says:
June 5th, 2008, 23:01 pm
I like the idea of finding like-minded friends. I used to think that starting an online business does not entail any interaction since I can conduct it remotely. But this is far from the truth. Having a group of friends to help cheer, inspire and motivate me has been very rewarding.
Thanks for your points! You are right. This is really the Ultimate Guide!
Evelyn
Marc and Angel Hack Life Says:
June 5th, 2008, 23:09 pm
Leo, I like how you doubled up on pointing out that you have to want it bad. Truthfully, if you don’t want it bad enough you’ll never achieve your full potential. Your desire must govern your willpower.
Matt Says:
June 5th, 2008, 23:14 pm
How is it possible to only focus on one goal at a time? I’m trying now to only focus on three goals but don’t see how I could only focus on one as you need to give up everything else. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts about this and if you really focus on just one goal or if you have one goal that takes more priority over others.
Thanks
Leo Says:
June 5th, 2008, 23:25 pm
@Matt: It’s a good question. The truth is that this is a very tough thing to do, focusing on one goal at a time. But in my experience, it’s much harder to focus on more than one at a time — we just don’t have that much energy.
Consider this blog — my writing has suffered on this blog as I’ve also focused on writing my book … and when I’ve run the marathon and tried to prepare for my wedding at the same time, it’s suffered even more.
You can work on more than one goal at the same time, but it becomes a juggling act. You will be switching your focus between the three goals, and while you’re focusing on one, the other two will suffer a bit. I’ve done this, and it’s possible, but it’s not as effective.
I suggest you conduct an experiment. Try focusing on three goals at once, for one month. Then the following month, choose just one of the goals, and put the other two on hold. See if that doesn’t make you more effective with that goal.
If that works, you should have made the first goal an automatic habit … once it’s a habit, you can focus on a second goal while only thinking about the first goal a little.
Zenplease Says:
June 5th, 2008, 23:36 pm
Great post, Leo. The hardest part is just starting.
Please check out my latest blog post about Zen Gardens:
http://zenplease.com/creating-your-own-zen-garden/
Shilpan | successsoul.com Says:
June 6th, 2008, 0:19 am
I’ve found that necessity is the mother of the burning desire. Developing a burning desire is a must step in achieving goal.
I’ve also found that before committing each goal, if I involve my alter ego to review and believe in my goal, I get highly motivated to achieve that goal.
Shilpan
Eric Blue Says:
June 6th, 2008, 0:36 am
Leo,
Great post! Overall this is great advice. If I had to pick *the* most important advice in this article it would be focusing on ‘One Goal’. I’ve learned this the hard way in the past. Trying to do too much at one time takes its toll on progress, and can hamper your overall motivation in a big way. It may take a bit longer to accomplish the things that you want, but you end up achieving more in the long run.
I love the topic of goal setting and would like to share 3 things with you and your readers:
1) Listen to the Neuropsychology of Self Discipline (http://www.sybervision.com/Discipline/index.htm). It’s one of my favorite personal development programs out there (next to Personal Power).
2) Vision Statement: The Power of Goal Visualization
http://eric-blue.com/blog/2006/12/vision_statement.html
3) Use Mind Maps to Achieve Your Goals
http://eric-blue.com/blog/2007/03/use_mind_maps_to_achieve_your_goals.html
Ash Srivastava Says:
June 6th, 2008, 1:07 am
Leo great post! This is one of the best resources I have found on motivation and keeping up with it.
Your 20 points are on the mark, I will print this article and keep it handy. You have great pointers on sustaining motivation.
One of the things which is creating conflict in my head is the very desire to want something really badly, creates more desperation and frustration. Wouldn’t it be better to develop a present moment awareness and act with non-attachment, giving the entire essence of my being to non-attached action and let my awareness guide my motivation.
At times when the mind is weak and ready to give up, then simply becoming aware of myself and reminding the why can uplift me into non-attached action towards the goal.
So figuring out the why is more important than really really wanting something desperately? Moreover because want comes mostly from ego and the achievement will not give more happiness in the longterm and eventually a person will end up in the same cycle of struggling between motivation and apathy.
A good question could be…How will what i want add more value to the world?
Thanks for the great post though, overall its solid.
Regards,
Ash
Ann at One Bag Nation Says:
June 6th, 2008, 1:11 am
I’ve learned that external rewards don’t work for me, whether it’s motivation for sticking to my food plan, or cleaning out my basement. Feeling and looking better and having a clean basement are reward enough. (and I’m starting very small on my basement project, just chipping away for 5 minutes at time).
I get up early to exercise, and what motivates me then is the knowledge - from experience - that the extra sleep NEVER feels as good as the workout!
My favorite section of your post was #7 Build Anticipation. I’ve never tried that, but it makes sense, kind of like the excitement leading up to a vacation or special occasion. So how can I create a little excitement around cleaning out my overstuffed file cabinet? :-)
Tina Su - Think Simple Now Says:
June 6th, 2008, 1:52 am
The point on focusing on one thing at a time is an important one to note.
I’ve gone through trying to focus on several projects at once and it just doesn’t work. In the end, I’m all burnt out and I’ve disappointed other people (which kills me the most).
Zissou Says:
June 6th, 2008, 2:42 am
Thanks, worth the wait.
Glen Allsopp Says:
June 6th, 2008, 3:18 am
Funnily, I think getting started can be the easy part, keeping it up is the hardest part and like you say, recognising the will to stop and overcome it :)
Improve Your Mind Says:
June 6th, 2008, 3:39 am
I have found that the key part to sustain motivation is also to have good understanding, that it is really worth the effort to achieve the goal (or at least continue with the process).
Shanel Yang Says:
June 6th, 2008, 3:59 am
I love your point about building anticipation and holding back. I also am raring to go whenever I start a new goal, and I can tell that these two tips alone will go a long way to help me keep that fire under my belly longer. Thanks, Leo!
Kim Says:
June 6th, 2008, 4:02 am
This article came at just the right moment, as I have been struggling with motivation to exercise. I have toddler twins and feel exhausted so much of the time. Intellectually, I know that if I will just start moving more I will feel better yet I can’t seem to pull it together and get started. I am going to try your advice to “start out with a ridiculously easy goal.” Two minutes a day!
Eugene (Editor, Varsity Blah) Says:
June 6th, 2008, 5:07 am
“Success follows doing what you want to do. There is no other way to be successful.” – Malcolm Forbes
SK Says:
June 6th, 2008, 5:49 am
Good Sharing, I have one here, a Frog tale of Motivation, visit
http://blog.successdynamic.com/point-to-ponder/a-frog-tales-of-motivation/
Brian Cragun Says:
June 6th, 2008, 8:17 am
Everything you’ve said is spot on about any particular goal.
What we need now is how to achieve multiple goals. If you focus on only one goal, then all other goals and any good habits may suffer to that one goal. So the ability to set and manage multiple competing goals is crucial.
For example, one can lose weight, but how do you move on to the next goal without sacrificing the lost weight to other time demanding matters?
Trevor Says:
June 6th, 2008, 10:25 am
Great piece, I especially like the idea of building anticipation before starting something new. That’s a new idea on me and I look forward to trying it… after a wait :-)
Something else I like to do is to try and build motivation into other systems I have and use, for example my GTD contexts:
http://limorefe.com/gtd/29-motivational-gtd-contexts/
Maria - Never the Same River Twice Says:
June 6th, 2008, 10:29 am
I’ve learned through a lot of trial and error that one of the best ways to stay motivated is to commit to something for only a short period of time - 30 days seems to work well for most people, including myself.
However, for me the VERY best way is to do something remarkable for a cause you care about. You can do almost anything if you believe in it long enough.
William Bruce III Says:
June 6th, 2008, 10:49 am
Leo, dear man: As I was motoring down the track to university this morning, I again ruminated upon what you’ve written above, and I must say again that your latest post is comprised of the most unmitigated balderdash and twaddle, old boy.
The result of your effort shares much in common with the bird dropping that currently bespoils the otherwise gleaming bonnet of my motorcar; your recent words are a blemish marring something beautiful, for usually Zen Habits is a smashing good show.
You really threw a spanner in the works with this one, though–not at all like your typically cracking offerings. Broad assertions and given statements presented in such a nonsense format hardly merit the praise lavished upon you by these fatuous and fawning cheerleaders who have prattled on about how really useful they’ve found your post. It really is the dog’s dinner, you know.
This post is claptrap and bunkum. You should heave it in the rubbish bin and go back to adverts; at least they might direct your readers to something truly beneficial.
I wouldn’t give a penny farthing for a million more posts like this one, Leo. It is nothing but tripe, chap, and you need to stop being so scatty in your writing. You’ve really been a bit of a wally lately, you know.
Any road, I just wanted to say that you’ve really got it arse-about-face this time, mate, and that you’ve really made a proper muck of the blog. Stop putting up these beastly dog’s bollocks posts and give us something worth reading then, right? We’ve had enough of these bloody gormy articles.
Sorry to get so brassed off at you, Leo–I didn’t mean to throw a wobbly, but then you’ve said that you appreciate the criticism, haven’t you? I don’t want to see any more such codswallop on Zen Habits. I don’t fancy that you want your loyal readers gobsmacked by such hooey, either, lest they conclude that you’ve gone off your trolley.
Well, Bob’s your uncle, then. I must be off. I’m knackered from my day at uni. Cheerio!
B Smith @ Wealth and Wisdom Says:
June 6th, 2008, 11:04 am
Leo-great post. I like how it is less esoteric and more practical. Deep is nice, but sometimes you need something to apply to your life today!
I find that often people lose interest for two reasons:
-There is no compelling “why.” They set a goal because it is something they should do not something they are driven to do.
-The goal is too large and long term. It is incredibly hard to stay motivated when you work your tail off and see no progress. Break your long term goals into short term goals and then into tasks. This way you can see progress.
Cindy Hammons Says:
June 6th, 2008, 11:15 am
I really enjoyed this.. Thanks it inspired me….
RJ - Ramoney Says:
June 6th, 2008, 11:23 am
Pretty extensive article Leo -nice.
Also, when you find yourself struggling to find motivation, may I suggest another motivational tool - regret. As in the regret that you will experience if you do not follow through on your projects. I find it very effective in getting my butt in gear :)
Jonathan B. Says:
June 6th, 2008, 11:28 am
@William Bruce III,
You’re a silly one. I like the words you use. But to call people who enjoyed the article “cheerleaders” is silly. Should I generalize you also? Should I call you a downer?
Funny thing. I considered staying in bed this morning even though I wanted to start work early. This blog post came up to my mind. And I was like, hell, I need to get up. And I did.
Anyway, I enjoyed your comment. Entertaining. :)
Tim Brownson Says:
June 6th, 2008, 11:50 am
LMAO at William Bruce II. Firstly mate if you were as English as you seem to want to appear you’d know that dogs bollocks means brilliant and isn’t an insult. Secondly, you don’t offer any reason as to why you think the post is crap. That might help your cause.
I often tell clients that I don’t believe in will power, just motivation. If you are motivated enough you’ll overcome anything. The best way to get motivated is to know what your end reward is and focus on that. It’s not money or fame or power, it’s more ‘core’ than that. Maybe significance, peace, making a difference etc? If you know what it is you can always get motivated.
BTW, I disagree somewhat about the one goal at a time thing although I heartily agree with the advice you gave to Matt. People are different and some react well to multiple goals. They are in the minority but they do exist and I would encourage anybody to try it out first and then adapt.
Very sound post and some excellent advice worth following imho.
Rick Says:
June 6th, 2008, 12:02 pm
William’s criticism that he claims Leo appreciates appears to me as verbal (or should I say literary?) incontinence. It’s just an opinion and a very poorly formulated one too. I don’t think it is not going to help anyone, especially not Leo.
Many times I have been frustrated and even hurt by people who felt like expressing their own opinion as fact. How many goals haven’t I dismissed because the way other people expressed their disrespect for things that were important to me. Who did that when I needed people who would support me in achieving my goals just because I am who I am.
For me one of the most important ways to sustain motivation is admitting that other people’s opinions are just that: opinions. Some people’s opinions are very valuable to me even though I don’t necessarily agree with them; others I just dismiss. And William, Leo is in the first category for me.
At this moment I think that motivation sustaining way #15: setting mini-goals is the most useful for me. In my life, crowded with potentially conflicting interests, the only viable way out seems to me what Maria suggested: commit to a goal for a limited period of time. And the only way to prevent failing to achieve any goal this way is to commit to mini-goals that can be achieved within such a limited time-frame. When I can divide the path to my goals into smaller mini-goals I’ll still pursue my bigger goals in life. I just need to remember to evaluate my progress frequently, as part of my commitment to them. Which is much in line with the most neglected part of David Allen’s Getting Things Done: the regular evaluation of all your projects agains your long term goals.
Anita Says:
June 6th, 2008, 12:39 pm
About raising the question: why do this? If the reason is for something more than yourself, the motivation factor can increase exponentially (in my experience).
About limiting to one goal at a time: this idea implies that there is a “single time”, a quantifiable aspect to time — and this is not zen. Same holds true for “one goal”. For example, my extremely high motivation to make the very best raku art Buddhas is not a time/motivation conflict with my extremely high motivation to be a great parent — if I’m paying attention. :)
Escobar Says:
June 6th, 2008, 12:42 pm
Great post as always Leo,
i’m in a moment in my life when im feeling that everything is a mess, i can’t commit to any of my goals,
i feel terribly unmotivated and i feel i have a lot of things against, like being an introvert. But
as you said in your post i feel motivated just by reading this post. Im going to try your points.
Thank you
Caroline Says:
June 6th, 2008, 12:53 pm
@William Bruce III - Tim is spot on that being ‘the dog’s bollocks’ is a good thing. You might also want to drop the “III” suffix if you want to pass as British, that’s an Americanism through and through. Fun to see someone wanting to learn the true lingo though!
@Leo - I did enjoy the post a lot. I have three questions that you might want to turn into further postings:
1. How did you triple your income? Any advice there would be appreciated.
2. I have a lot of trouble focusing on one goal at a time. I think I may be confusing a goal and a project or general work area. For instance, I’m working on creating a body of work large enough to approach galleries but that will take months if not years. I will need to work on other things in the interim. Any advice/definitions there on goals/projects?
3. What if a goal is coming from others? Presumably you AND your wife had to commit to reduce debt as a common, synchronised goal. How did you two go about agreeing that debt reduction would be your only goal for as long as it took? It isn’t easy to drop personal goals for a common goal for an extended period of time.
I’ve come to the conclusion that what the goal-setter calls ‘motivation’ might be refered to as ’stubborn-ness’ by anyone inconvenienced by that goal.
Charles Says:
June 6th, 2008, 13:06 pm
Thanks Leo for these invaluable tips.
Shanel Yang Says:
June 6th, 2008, 13:19 pm
Funny how some of us get too focused on one goal at the expense of others, and others of us seem to not be able to truly focus on one goal for too long.
I fall into the prior category. My two biggest goals these days are blogging and physical exercise. As soon as I get on a roll in some blogging task, I find I tend to neglect the workouts. Then, when I decide to workout, I want to do that for hours at a time and get too exhausted to blog effectively. It’s all about balance! It’s hard to stop the momentum, and I’m not sure I should try. So, I go with the flow of whatever is exciting me at the moment. Eventually, that nagging voice lures me back to the gym in a day or two. But, if it doesn’t, I force myself back by the third day by reminding myself that staying healthy is as important to my blogging as anything other task I do directly for it.
Rachel Says:
June 6th, 2008, 13:37 pm
This motivates me to… do something! I don’t know what yet, but just reading your article excited me. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I always turn to ZenHabits. You never fail to lift my spirits. Thanks :-)
Pete Says:
June 6th, 2008, 14:02 pm
What a wonderful way to combat the daily grind each of us face. I am in a creative field and motivation can be quite hard to come by at times. I think there is nothing better than hanging this list on a wall for daily inspiration.
I think i have touched on at least half of these twenty points in my blog..
Leo Says:
June 6th, 2008, 15:17 pm
I really appreciate all the comments, everyone!
@William Bruce III: Lol! At first I thought I would respond to your criticism, but reading over it I couldn’t find any, really. Funny stuff.
@Caroline: to answer your questions:
“1. How did you triple your income? Any advice there would be appreciated.”
Well, it’s a long story, and it happened over the course of two years. I started by doing freelance writing on the side, in addition to my day job. Then I added blogging, and soon was making as much as my day job. With advertising and donations and my ebooks, soon I was making enough that I could quit my day job and freelancing — so now I’m not making triple my previous income (I was for about 6 months) but I’m still fairly close. It helped that I wasn’t making a lot when I started out.
“2. I have a lot of trouble focusing on one goal at a time. I think I may be confusing a goal and a project or general work area. For instance, I’m working on creating a body of work large enough to approach galleries but that will take months if not years. I will need to work on other things in the interim. Any advice/definitions there on goals/projects?”
It’s a tough question and I’m not sure I can answer it satisfactorily, except to give you an example. For many years, I had numerous goals for the year, but rarely achieved them. Then one year my goal was to do the marathon, all year long. I had other goals during the year but eventually they kinda faded away as I renewed my focus on my main goal. I did the marathon by the end of the year.
The next year, my goal become to “liberate” myself from my day job. I started blogging and increasing my freelancing. I added additional forms of revenue. I switched my freelancing from print publications to online publications and made more money writing less. I wrote an ebook and that did well. I sought out and landed a print book deal. So I had multiple projects going on, but they were all focused on one main goal. And while I was doing each project, that project became my main focus. There were times when they weren’t my main focus, but they suffered.
Balancing acts between goals is possible, but harder. The same is true of projects, and of tasks at a daily level. Ideally you’d focus on one goal at a time, and while you may have multiple projects, you’d focus on one project at a time (putting others on the back burner), and while you’ll have multiple tasks, focus on one task at a time.
“3. What if a goal is coming from others? Presumably you AND your wife had to commit to reduce debt as a common, synchronised goal. How did you two go about agreeing that debt reduction would be your only goal for as long as it took? It isn’t easy to drop personal goals for a common goal for an extended period of time.”
First, my wife and I were both tired of being in debt and never having enough money. We both really wanted to do that goal. But also, I kinda took the ball and ran with it, with her permission — we agreed on the goal, but I came up with the plan, she agreed with it, I implemented the plan, with her help, I increased my income, with her help. So, not to take all the credit, but it became more of a one-person project with the strong support of the other person.
Second, I’ve written about this before, but after awhile, debt reduction didn’t become so much of a goal or project, but a series of habits. We focused on debt reduction for a number of months, but after that, we were almost on autopilot. We had created a budget and we were good at sticking with it, most of the time. We had created automatic debt payments and that was an automatic thing. We were saving, and that was also a habit. We were spending less, and that was a habit. So once these things became habits, we didn’t need to focus on them as much. We still kept track of them and made sure things were on track, but we could focus on other goals, which is what we did.
I hope this helps!
carl Says:
June 6th, 2008, 15:38 pm
motivation comes from thought. picture your goal. imagine it like its complete. feel the excitement with yourself for completing said goal. it this is something you really want, the excitement will be more than enough to sustain motivation in the struggling times.
Jim Kukral Says:
June 6th, 2008, 15:48 pm
Thanks for this piece. I really found it helpful. I use a lot of these methodologies myself. I can do better though.
Jay - Ready, Set, Change! Says:
June 6th, 2008, 16:05 pm
I paid a co-worker $50 to punch me in the balls every time I show up to work more than 5 minutes late. It only happened once, and now I’m here 30 minutes early each day. Thanks Leo!
Dave Says:
June 6th, 2008, 16:32 pm
@ Jim - After watching you play the Uke I’m not confident in your boast that you can do better. Funny video though. Made me laugh.
@ Jay - LMFAO. That’s too funny! And if it’s true, it’s even funnier!
Matthew Says:
June 6th, 2008, 16:38 pm
Hey Leo,
I really like this entry and I have book marked it to re-read when I find myself slacking.
It deeply reminds me of Anthony Robbins and his concept of “Small Chunking” things in order to achieve your goals.
I think it is important to focus on your end result and know that things will sort themselves out. - In the sense that if you think about the nitty gritty details of the journey it is possible to sike yourself out.
Good work mate!
-Matt @ http://www.thegrowingroom.net
Iva Says:
June 6th, 2008, 17:21 pm
I especially liked the mantra tip in ‘Print it out, post it up’.
I created my own for studying: ‘Study. Take breaks. Not too long.’
Cute, isn’ it? ;)
Drew Says:
June 6th, 2008, 18:36 pm
How appropriate. I’m listening to a Tony Robbins seminar about Personal Power (Taking action). :)
Jo Pelerin Says:
June 6th, 2008, 19:39 pm
Hey Leo!
I’ve been reading your blog for months now, and I haven’t found a single post I didn’t enjoy reading.
You know, I first entered your blog because of a phrase you wrote: “PASSION IS FUEL”… Now I’m sure about that.
Thanks a lot for all the things you’ve wrote here, they do help a lot!
Ryan McLean. Says:
June 6th, 2008, 20:51 pm
Starting small is a great tip
Thanks heaps for this post
Tiffany X Says:
June 6th, 2008, 21:50 pm
Ugh…not a helpful post for me. I can’t even clean/keep my kitchen clean. I start really small with a clean kitchen sink but it never spreads. I think it would help if I lived with other people. The only thing I can do is clean for parties at my house….but in between parties it’s a hot spot disaster!
Leo Says:
June 6th, 2008, 21:53 pm
@Tiffany X: Maybe keeping your kitchen clean is not something you really really want? Perhaps you’re not passionate about it? I’ve found that it’s hard to motivate myself if I don’t care deeply about it.
You might choose another goal you care more deeply about — then the tips above might be more helpful. :)