Feeling in need of a motivational boost at the moment?
We need to boost from time to time. I know I certainly do.
I go through some periods of just going through the motions. You know…drifting.
Then something happens and makes me wake up, and realize I’m not achieving anything new. Or I am not improving or learning.
Maybe it dawns on me that my to-do list is growing and I need to make some time to clear out a load of tasks.
Or maybe I have not been working on anything new and exciting.
Either way. Having some motivational tips at the ready to give yourself a boost comes in extremely handy.
Here are 21 sure fire ways to motivate yourself:
Write Your To-Do List the Night Before
Make a note of what you need to do the following day, the night before. This means you can start off the day on the right foot, knowing exactly what you need to achieve.
Ask Yourself Questions
Holding yourself accountable is a powerful motivator. Ask yourself motivating questions like ‘where do I want my life to go?”, “what would I change about my life?”, “how can I make these changes now?”
Challenge Yourself
Setting yourself tough but realistic goals are great motivators. Make sure you need to work hard to meet your targets. But don’t set them out of reach, this will have the opposite affect as you feel you’re up against an impossible challenge.
Make a Deal with Yourself
This may sound a little ridiculous, but making a deal with yourself will give you something to hold accountable. Put a reward on the deal too, so when you hold up your end of the bargain there is a reward.
Do Your Toughest Task First
If you’re like me you have a running to-do list. It’s the easiest way to keep track of everything you need to do. Now choose the hardest task, or a task you have been avoiding and just do it.
Getting this tough task out the way will lift a weight off your shoulders. Now you’re over the hill you can get on with the easier tasks.
Take Time to Visualize
Taking a few minutes out of your day to visualize can have a huge positive affect on your day. Seeing positive results and what it looks like to achieve a goal is empowering. A certain motivator.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Comparing yourself to others is a very negative way to live and will kill your motivation. Everyone has their own struggles and opportunities, you cannot compare this to your own situation.
Instead, compare yourself to where you were a month ago, or two months ago. Check that you’re making advancements and always developing.
Remember Your Successes
Remind yourself of your successes, not your failures. We will all fail at times, and it’s completely fine. But learn from each failure and move forward. Keep your successes in mind and ride that wave of motivation.
Don’t Take It Too Seriously
There is a thin line between being serious about something, and being too serious. If you’re too serious and not having fun you’re not going to be motivated to do what you’re doing.
You should enjoy what you’re doing. One of the biggest motivations is looking forward to doing what you do, and enjoying it.
Don’t Be Afraid to Step outside Your Comfort Zone
You should always be looking to push yourself. Make a bucket list of things you want to do before you die. These are typically wild things, or tasks outside of your comfort zone. Tick at least one off each year and push yourself.
Don’t Be Afraid to Fail
We all have to fail on occasion. If not then you are not pushing yourself hard enough. There is nothing wrong with failing, in fact it’s an important part of developing your character.
Take failures in your stride. Don’t take a knock to your confidence. Dust yourself off, learn from the experience, and move forward.
Always Be Prepared
If you are about to tackle a task, the more prepared you are the more confident you will be. If you have time, always do your research and prepare fully. There is not many greater feelings then knowing you’re not going to be surprised.
Understand Why You’re Doing What You’re Doing
You cannot just go along blindly doing something without knowing why. If you’re not invested in what you’re doing, you need to understand the reasons, implications, and what the outcome will be. This will be a strong motivating factor spurring you along.
Write down Your Goals
I always have my goals noted down on a piece of paper somewhere. Not only does this help you keep sight of what your goals are. You can also look at the paper when you need a reminder and a motivator for the goals.
Have a Positive Attitude
This should come naturally, but you can do a lot to think more positively. Having a positive attitude makes space for positive things to happen. Motivation and having a positive attitude both share some common ground.
Break Bigger Tasks into Small Tasks
Big tasks can feel a little daunting. As mentioned earlier you should try and get the largest task out of the way first. This is going to motivate you, but it can still be daunting. So break down that task into small pieces if possible. Then pick off the smaller tasks, it will feel like a lot less work.
Narrow down Your Focus
If you are taking in information from all directions you’re going to suffer from overload. If you want to increase your motivation to get certain tasks done, narrow down the focus to that area.
Be Creative
We all love being able to express our creativity. Take some time in your day to be creative. You may be surprised with what you come up with. Note down all the ideas that spring to mind, no matter how silly they may seem.
Find What Makes You Happy
You should smile and laugh daily. Find out what makes you happy and put a little happiness in your day.
Make the Most of down Time
If you have down time in your day like travel time, waiting for something, lunch breaks, make the most of this time. Try listening to podcasts or audio books. This is a great way to absorb some information effortlessly.
Be Spontaneous
Doing something spontaneous will get the creative juices flowing, and get the heart racing. This can be incredibly motivating and give you that boost you’re looking for.

Phil lives in England, UK, and has around 20 years experience as a professional life, career and executive coach. He started this blog to help others find and define their own self development journey. Blogging about a wide range of topics to help facilitate a better future.