Listen, we’ve all been there, in fact, most of us are currently there. We find ourselves sitting around in a state of hyper awareness of the fact that we have things that need to get done but instead distract ourselves with less troublesome things that don’t work well enough to drown out the feeling that time is running out. 

I interviewed my mom, Maria, on what she does to keep herself motivated, she answered, “I keep an eye on the goal and remind myself that nothing worth attaining is easy and I understand that it takes a lot of work to get there.” 

There is undeniable truth to these words, for many people, it helps to have a goal in mind and to know that all of their effort will not go to waste. This kind of reasoning seems expected, certainly a sentiment we’ve all heard before. So, the question is, how can someone who struggles with staying motivated reach her level of self-discipline?

As for me, I can rest on my bed and bask in my own misery, all while knowing that I should be doing something, anything, yet not having an ounce of motivation to pursue the task. In this article, I am going to be sharing three ways to motivate yourself when you’re feeling overwhelmed with work or when you’re just not feeling all that productive. 

[perception] 

The first thing you have to do is to change the way you think. Oftentimes, we will associate our responsibilities with feelings of dread, confusion, and/or dislike. These feelings can be difficult to change right away, however, given time, it can be done. We have to make a conscious decision in our mind to change the way we think about certain things. 

This will enable us to prepare ourselves for a job well done without feeling like we are wasting our time on things that do not matter to us. If we can change the dread to anticipation, the confusion to understanding, and the dislike to like, there is no limit to the things we can accomplish. 

[inspiration/muse] 

My second piece of advice is to keep your eyes open, you don’t know when the next burst of inspiration will strike. Watch a movie, listen to a song, read a book, go on YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, etc. There’s a whole world of people filled with different ideas and words of wisdom. Be open-minded and explore the possibilities of what might resonate within you. You’ll be surprised by what, or who, can move you. 

I am not ashamed to admit that Pinterest is awesome when you know how to use it. When I am feeling downright neglectful of my schoolwork, I will go through my boards with pins of school life and pretty academic photography and get filled with much needed inspiration. I try to emulate the feelings from the photos or the words and find that doing my work becomes much more enjoyable and rewarding. All I can say is, don’t knock it until you try it. 

[social support] 

The third and last advisable thing I have for you is to open up to friends and family about your goals. They can help by providing resources, information, and verbal and physical support. Who doesn’t like praise and hugs for a job well done? Occasionally, that’s all I need to rejuvenate myself during finals week or events of equal importance. 

I asked my mom what she does to motivate others, her response was, “I let them know that it’s okay to fall but that it is important to get back up and start again. Celebrate milestones to help you continue to achieve goals that have a long timeline.”

Once again, I defer to my mother’s expertise, this may seem redundant, but rewarding yourself is a good way to go when wanting to stay on track, as well as picking yourself up when things don’t go well. That’s what your social support system is for, after all.