Five motivational tips for helping yourself and others stay on track.
Some days, you wake up and you run through tasks and chores like you’re on a mission: finishing the dishes before your kids sit down for breakfast, replying to every unread email in your inbox before your cup of coffee is empty, and successfully getting yourself, your spouse and your children out the door on time for the first time all month.
There is nothing better than getting into bed at the end of the night knowing that you’ve accomplished everything that you set out to do that day. Unfortunately, for most of us, this type of inadvertent motivational behavior is far and few.
Staying motivated and on task is a constant struggle, especially if you are responsible for being the head motivator of your entire household. No matter how many grocery lists, sports schedules, chore charts or to-do lists you may produce for yourself and your family, your motivational drive is constantly waned by negative thoughts or failure to stay on task.
Unfortunately, there is no simple solution for lack of motivation, but what separates the highly successful from the procrastinators is the ability to keep moving forward. By learning how to focus on the task at hand, pass out motivating thoughts to the rest of your family, and following simple, encouraging tricks for staying on task, you can pull yourself and others out of a motivational lull before it diminishes your productivity.
Here are five positive motivational tips and tricks that will help yourself and your family stay on track during day to day tasks:
1. Become More Confident
The strongest killer of motivation and drive is a lack of confidence. If you already believe that you are not going to finish all of your tasks, or that you don’t have the ability to complete a project, there is a good chance that you will fail. This is because the mind conforms reality to want it wants to believe. Therefore, if you are constantly thinking negatively and saying that you cannot do something, your mind will believe it. If you are truly confident about how proficient and motivated you are, your mind will generate a way to believe it.
2. Get A Partner To Help With Daunting Tasks
Having a friend or a family member present when you are trying to complete a difficult project can help motivate you to work harder and see your task through to the end. For example, if you are constantly trying to free up your schedule and go outside and exercise, but you always seem to find something else to do instead, ask one of your friends to work out with you. It’s a lot easier to put something off when you are just letting down yourself. However, you will be less likely to skip out on a task that you’ve pre-planned with a friend.
3. Trade Work With Someone Else
When many kids are assigned the same chores week after week, it is easy for them to lose interest and become unmotivated in the task at hand. Offering children the option to trade chores with their siblings or parents will change up their daily routine, making it seem less boring and arduous.
4. Reward Your Family For Victories
Nothing is more motivational than the prospect of receiving a prize or a reward after finishing a difficult task. Try laying out a specific amount of tasks or chores for your family to complete by the end of the week. Once you have all achieved your goal, celebrate with a night out on the town or a trip to a movie that you have all been wanting to see. It doesn’t matter what the reward is―the point is that it is easier to stay motivated and positive when there is an appealing prize at the end of the tunnel.
5. Let Go Of The Past
It’s easy to get down on yourself for not finishing a project or a task that you told yourself you would finish. However, dwelling on past failures or burdens can be a huge demotivator. While you may have been unproductive or didn’t do a task as well as you would have hoped, it’s important to remember that these instances are already in the past and you no longer can change them. Always remember that each day is a fresh, new start to finish any tasks that you have laid out for yourself.
At one time or another, every person encounters a period of procrastination or low energy. It is important to train your mind towards positive thinking so that you do not allow these minor hiccups to turn into mental disasters. By following these five motivational tips and tricks, you can help preserve your drive and energy while propelling yourself and your family towards success.
