Motivation

Motivation can be tough- whether you're trying to motivate yourself to do well at school, to keep up with a hobby or just to do something you don't want to do. If you have struggled with motivation in the past, this may be helpful for you, or if you feel like you could be more motivated in the future. All of these tips are ones which I have found helpful in the past.

• Get enough sleep. Sound simple, but it can actually have a huge impact. When you don't sleep enough, or have disturbed nights, you can feel very tired for long periods of time. This tiredness will cause you to want to rest and not do whatever it is that you want or need to do. So, try- if you can- to have a better sleep. If you cannot sleep for long, try having naps during the day when you have free time. If your sleep is not good at all, and hasn't been for a long period of time, it may be worth speaking to a doctor as there could be many causes of this which they will be able to help you with.
• Find your drive. Whether it's something big like you wanting to run because you're aiming for a marathon, or something small such as you wanting to get out of bed early tomorrow morning to be able to have an extra few minutes to get yourself ready- as long as it's something driving you to do what needs to be done, listen to it. If you're at school and you're struggling for motivation for exams, think of something like- if you spend a few days or weeks revising now, it'll positively impact your performance in your exam, therefore meaning that you will achieve a higher grade.
• Think ahead. Will it matter in a week if you don't do your homework? Yes, it might, in that case, use the fact that it is a short term goal to encourage you to get it over and done with. If however it doesn't matter in a week if you've done something, such as going for a walk on one day, then you can allow yourself to have a day off if you need it.
• Don't push yourself too hard. if you expect too much of yourself and set your standards too high, disappointment often follows. You need to work to your abilities. If you are too tired to clean the house, do it another day when you feel up to it. If you're too stressed to do your shift at work, see if it can be switched to another day. This may not be possible for all jobs, but some will understand. If you do it though, don't make a regular habit of it.
• Find friends with similar interests. For example, if you want to start cycling but often don't feel motivated to do it. Find some friends who want to join you, or look to see if there are any local that you can join, that way you can also make friends with similar interests.
• Focus on the end goal. Whether you want to get healthy, get through education or get through this week- focus on the goal. Keep in mind what you are working towards, and how good it will feel when you get there. Remind yourself that without hard work, it'll be much more difficult to get there.

If you have any further questions, motivation tips for others, or anything that you have done which has really helped you to feel motivated, please do share them by leaving a comment.