Sunday, November 19, 2006

Using Self Motivation Techniques To Keep Your Goals In Focus

by Elaine Currie
Self motivation is essential to success but sometimes it is difficult to
maintain. If our self motivation lapses, it is a struggle to restore
it. To avoid this unnecessary struggle, we can use tricks and rewards
to maintain the positive mental attitude that will enable us to forge
ahead towards our goals.

No matter what goal you are aiming for, staying motivated is a
challenge for everyone at times. Even though you have set those goals
for yourself, it will be hard to stay focused at times. Using self
motivation techniques is a great way to ensure that you stay positive
and have the mental attitude needed to achieve your goals. One of the
best things that you can do is to map out a plan detailing your goal
and the steps that you will take to achieve your dreams. It is also a
good idea to regularly reassess your plan and make sure that you still
feel that your original strategy is the best one. There is nothing
wrong with changing your plan if you feel that changes will improve it,
the plan is not carved in stone and should always be considered as a
flexible tool. Life is full of unexpected surprises and this can mean
your initial steps will no longer lead you to where you want to arrive,
you can change your written plan to take any surprise changes into
account.

Making your written plan is the first step. After that, you might
find that you still need sources of inspiration and encouragement. Self
motivation techniques such as breaking your plan into small tasks that
you can achieve daily will help give you a sense of accomplishment as
each task is finished. This is a great technique and will help you
avoid feeling overwhelmed or feeling that your goal is too hard for you
to accomplish. Remember, the way to eat a whole elephant is one bite at
a time. Make a written list of tasks for each day and cross them off
one by one as you complete them. Each time you cross off a completed
item, your spirits will get a boost that will encourage you to tack the
next task on your list.

Rewarding yourself after you complete your tasks will also help
keep you feeling mentally positive and optimistic. The reward can be
anything, eg a coffee break or ten minutes to chat to a friend on the
phone. The reward doesn't need to be anything big but, by giving
yourself an incentive, you will have something to help motivate you to
take the next step towards reaching your goal.

Procrastination is called "the thief of time" for very good
reasons. Procrastination is an easy habit to adopt and a very hard one
to break, so it is best to have a scheme in place to avoid it all
together. Avoiding procrastination is one of the simplest and biggest
ways that you can increase your motivation and remain focused on taking
the necessary small steps towards achieving your goals.

Making written lists (and following them!) is an excellent way
to avoid procrastination. Try taking your yearly goals and breaking
them down into manageable monthly chunks. Next break the monthly lists
down further into weekly parts. Finally make daily lists that involve
small steps towards your yearly goals. By working on your yearly goals
in this step by step fashion, you will reduce the opportunities for
being tempted to procrastinate. Once you get into the habit of
following your daily task list, the temptation to put things off will
be overridden by the desire to see all the items crossed through by the
end of your working day.

When you finish your daily tasks, be sure to reward yourself.
If you finish earlier than normal, award yourself some extra time off
to spend as you please. If you are keeping to your step by step planBusiness Management Articles,
there is no need to put in extra hours. The days of procrastinating and
then needing to work longer hours will be over. List making sounds
simple (and it is) but it is a powerful way to keep yourself on track
day by day to accomplish your ultimate goals.

Source: ArticlesFactory.com | November 19, 2006

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

To read more articles by Elaine Currie visit http://www.elainecurrie.com
or her Work At Home Directory at http://www.huntingvenus.com

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