Motivation for the Day:
7 Simple Habits to Get Motivated

The hardest part of pursuing anything worthwhile is not in the planning but in the execution. You can write down a to-do list that spans your whole week and still end up spending an entire day not getting out of bed.

But don't worry; you're not alone in facing this. If you're getting tired of leaving your to-do lists with unchecked boxes, take a look at our take on motivation management for a fresh perspective.

It is noted that almost every successful person is quoted to have said something that includes the word "motivation." However, rarely do they have a detailed explanation of why they continue to have the motivation for the day to do things no matter the obstacles they face.

In this section, we're going to talk more about how motivation affects things that become reasons to get out of bed.

It is quite well known in the academic research world that motivation contributes to how well you'll perform in any task. This holds true regardless of what tasks you do.

But different people have different motivations, even when they are doing the same thing. In fact, you can even have different motivations when doing the same task at different times!

So, how does motivation affect performance? Just like internet comments, everyone has different opinions. Some people think that motivation is a tension inside you that drives you to satisfy your needs. Others think that motivation is biological, an interaction between the processes governed by certain parts of the brain.

However, regardless of the processes, the one thing you should take note of is where your motivation comes from. We call this the extrinsic and intrinsic motivation types, which we'll explain here:

1. Extrinsic motivation: This is the type of motivation where you do things because you expect or seek some form of reward from doing the task. It could be that you seek admiration from others or expect to receive money from doing them.
   
2. Intrinsic motivation: This is the type of motivation where you do things because you have a desire to do it. You don't get any rewards apart from personal satisfaction.

If there are two types of motivation, is one better than the other? Here's the good news: Having both is better. Much research has shown that if you are already motivated to do a task because you want to do it, adding a special reward for completing it doesn't hurt.

So, let's say that you know what gets you going. Why are there times where it doesn't seem to work for you anymore? There are numerous reasons as to why you may suddenly lose your motivation for the day. Here's our opinion on several of the most common reasons:

• You are experiencing burnout. Burnout happens when you feel physically and psychologically exhausted to the point that you no longer care about the things you have to do. This can happen when you have been under a lot of stress for a long period of time. The best way to deal with this? Take a break, and re-evaluate your priorities.
  
• You are losing sight of your end goal. This can happen when you don't make your bigger goals specific enough nor break them down into smaller goals. Remember to start at the smallest possible step when you feel as if the task in front of you seems insurmountable.
• Your values have changed, and so has your motivation. As previously mentioned, different people are motivated by different things, and when you have changed as a person, the things that are important to you will also change. When this happens, you have to take some time to assess your current goals and figure out whether you still believe that they are important to achieve for you.

We've talked about this before, and we're going to say this again — in anything you do, start small. When you start a new goal and begin to muster up your motivation for the day, you need to look at something that is often overlooked, but that may determine the success of your whole day: getting out of bed. Here are some tips that we believe are going to help you start your day on the right foot:

A pleasant morning routine can help give you the motivation to get out of bed. It can also help you become healthier. There are several things that you can incorporate in your morning routine, such as meditation after waking up and eating a healthy breakfast. The most important thing is that you have to do this consistently if you want to reap the benefits.

If you're struggling with to-do lists, try to organize them further by putting them into time slots in a calendar instead. Deadlines, after all, have been proven to encourage people to finish a task. You can choose to use a mobile application or use a manual system instead, such as a daily planner. Do not worry too much if you feel the need to go back and forth between the two systems. What matters is that you finish the tasks that you intend to do.

We think that just like how we celebrate people for what they do for us, you should do the same for yourself. When you've successfully finished a task, you should celebrate a little to make yourself feel appreciated. More often than not, we need to be our own cheerleaders, so don't hesitate to increase your motivation by giving yourself praise.

If you're not healthy, you won't have the energy or concentration to do things no matter how important or urgent the task is. Remember, motivation is what gets you started, but it is only one part of performing well. Eat healthily, sleep well, and don't forget to exercise. If you're sick, take care of yourself first before doing anything else.

This is something that high performers do, and you should take note of as well. As we've said before, putting time limits on the tasks you have to do can push you into completing them. Another approach you could use is to ask yourself, "Would I rather have to deal with this again tomorrow, or would I rather finish it now?"

Some tasks can be more tedious than others, but tasks where you put a lot of your effort in should ideally be about the things you care about. How much you enjoy doing a task has been found to affect your motivation to do it. You can also use this insight to manage your task list — put tasks you enjoy doing between the ones you don't enjoy as much.

What does being kind to yourself have to do with your motivation? Well, research has shown that self-compassion, or treating yourself kindly, has a direct relationship with intrinsic motivation. So, we can say that if you are kinder to yourself, then you can motivate yourself better. Don't be too hard on yourself when you cannot finish the to-do list that you have made for yourself; remember, it's progress, not perfection.

When you're dealing with times where you don't have any motivation for the day to do your tasks, you now know several approaches that you can use.

Firstly, find out whether you derive satisfaction from doing the tasks or if you need to reward yourself with something to encourage you to complete them.

Secondly, make sure that you're not suffering from burnout and that your goals are still important to you.

Lastly, when you wake up, prepare a morning routine to follow every day. Use daily schedules and deadlines to guide your day. Don't forget to be kind to yourself, including making sure that you are healthy, in body and mind.