Video lesson
Whether it’s a new workout plan, a big project at work or a home renovation, it’s important to find ways to stay motivated and ensure a sustained burn over the long haul.
Reflection questions
- When facing a challenge, how do you stay fired up?
- What does procrastination look like for you?
- Who could you ask to be your “accountability buddy” (someone you share a goal with and ask to check in with you regularly about your progress)?
Exercise: Practise “Now How Wow”
Try this three-step, three-minute daily habit to energize you for the day ahead.
1) Now: A grounding exercise to put you on a solid footing. Pick a colour, any colour. Now spend the next 30 seconds or so making a mental inventory of everything around you containing that colour — your coffee mug, a car outside the window, your socks, etc. (Essentially, it’s the game “I spy with my little eye” but with no wrong answers.)
2) How: A daily intention to focus your approach to the day. After finding every blue, red or green item around you, ask yourself this question: “How do I want to be today?” This exercise isn’t about identifying what you want to accomplish or what’s on your to-do list. Instead, it’s an opportunity to be intentional about the attitude or energy you’d like to bring to the day.
3) Wow: A moment of gratitude. Finally, count your blessings. Simply take a moment to reflect on two or three things you’re grateful for. Sure, the world is full of stressful jobs, scary pandemics and stupid jerks who cut you off on the highway. But it’s also full of awesome things, and reminding yourself of that fact can be a powerful mood booster.
Tools and tips from around the web
4 Motivators for Productivity and the Science Behind Them
Your Brain on Dopamine: The Science of Motivation
19 Highly Effective Ways to Stay Motivated
Motivational Life Hacks to Make You More Productive
StickK (an accountability platform to help you set and and stick to your goals)
20 Motivation Hacks You Wish You Knew Earlier
How to find an accountability buddy
Motivation: The Scientific Guide on How to Get and Stay Motivated
Explore other UpLift modules
Module 1. Making your own luck: Lessons learned from a coin flip
Module 2. Improving adaptability: Lessons learned from an absurd Christmas tree
Module 3. Embracing teamwork: Lessons learned from a rogue haybale
Module 4. Leveraging tools: Lessons learned from a poorly chosen sledgehammer
Module 5. Learning humility: Lessons learned from a very brief career as a valet
Module 6. Failing forward: Lessons learned from banshee babies and buttered butts
Module 7. Avoiding shortcuts: Lessons learned from a giant backpack
Module 8. Redefining success: Lessons learned from an idiotic bet
Module 9. Letting go: Lessons learned from a gooey pit of clay
Module 10. Taking responsibility: Lessons learned from trying to catch a train
Module 11. Getting creative: Lessons learned from the toboggan hill
>> Module 12. Fuelling motivation: Lessons learned from sleeping in a barn
Module 13. Handing over control: Lessons learned from riding in a shopping cart
Module 14. Practising gratitude: Lessons learned from a very special list
Module 15. Prioritizing self-care: Lessons learned from a surprise birthday celebration
Module 16. Creating lasting change: Lessons learned from life’s awesome and absurd moments
