6 Unique Tips To Increase And Maintain Motivation Naturally

Keeping motivation in challenging times can be difficult. Using these tips you can initiate motivation and keep it going in a flow state. Motivation does not happen by itself. We must initiate it on purpose.

Photo by Arun Sharma on Unsplash

We need motivation for work, for fitness, for family obligations, and to experience a joyful life.

Motivation is an essential success factor for life.

I studied human and artificial cognitive systems. I know that the theories on motivation could hardly add any value to the public unless we share them as personal experiences in stories.

Therefore, my aim is to present a practical approach to those suffering from lack of motivation and having difficulty in sustaining motivation during these challenging times. I share my unique experience which can apply to others and provide useful insights.

We all have a different mix of neuro-cocktails in our bloodstream affected by diet, sleep, exercise, and stress; however, our cognitive patterns are similar. The mental techniques can be used by anyone regardless and can help instantly.

Like anyone else, I experience a lack of motivation, especially related to my writing goals. I find myself confident, creative, productive, focused and determined at most times, however, I have no superhuman capabilities to have infinite motivation.

Like anyone else, I must use certain techniques to sustain my motivation and achieve my goals.

Here are the six techniques that helped me increase and maintain my motivation, especially in challenging times.

1 —Be mindful of priorities and values

To be the boss of our lives, we need to set our priorities and stick to our values. Following the priorities and values of others is nothing but a failure in life.

The first and most straightforward approach is to articulate and understand our priorities and values.

For example, my priorities are my well-being, the happiness of my family, the success of my business, and contribution to world peace. I set these priorities and support them using my values.

We all have different values in life. My values are physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual satisfaction. There are no right or wrong values. It is up to individuals to set their values and assign relevant priorities.

2 — Watch for opportune times to produce

Our neuro-cocktail in the bloodstream keeps fluctuating. We face constant ups and downs. Emotions come and go. They influence our mental state. Our emotional and mental states determine our motivation.

Thoughts, feelings, and emotions are perceived as intermingled even though they are different physiological and psychological constructs. The sequence happens in milliseconds therefore we perceive them as a single entity.

Thoughts, emotions, and feelings create moods. Unless we understand our moods at a specific time, we feel confused and anxious.

Timing for each activity is a mindfulness game. Setting different opportune times for creative work and tedious work matters.

Once we recognize our moods and become aware of our priorities, we can arrange our work aiming at productivity.

I set opportune times for creative and tedious work based on my mood.

I mix and match activities based on my emotional and mental state.

These approaches bring us the next important and relevant point.

3 — Orchestrate activities with flow state

To maintain our motivation, we need to orchestrate our activities and maintain a flow state.

Orchestration requires a set of skills and cognitive abilities, such as action planning and task switching. Using our priorities, values, and timing, we can orchestrate the planned activities.

For example, setting the priority for family activities, I developed a specific time based on my mood and carry out my planned duties in this allocated time-frame accordingly. When I focus on my business, I take the necessary measures to prevent interruptions.

A proven orchestration method is completing tasks iteratively in small chunks. We cannot create the whole symphony in one go. We create it piece by piece with the flow.

4 — Take a short break every hour to rejuvenate

During this pandemic, the best approach I learned is taking deliberate breaks every hour by creating an alarm per hour.

We all have different hobbies and pleasure activities. What you can do during the break is entirely up to you. The purpose is to re-energize.

Some lifestyle tricks can help. For example, I take a ten-minute break, jump on my trampoline for five minutes and deliberately increase my heart rate to 150 bpm (beats per minute). Blood flow increases energy and energy is essential for motivation.

Another pleasure activity is listening or watching a piece of uplifting dance music. The effect of music can balance neurotransmitters that play a critical role for motivation.

5 — Watch habits and build new habits

We all have good and bad habits. Some of them can even be characterized as obsessions. I wouldn’t judge people’s habits, as one’s good habit can be described as another person’s bad habit.

My point is being aware of our habits. Habits are strong neural links in our brains. Therefore, the brain always chooses the most vital link to achieve a task.

Creating habits to support my priorities and values is one of the approaches I use for staying motivated and being productive.

Besides, creating and building useful habits are also important. The key to habit-building is introducing them in small chunks.

6 — Repeat habits using a mental model

Once we have productive habits, we need to observe them constantly. The dose of neuro-cocktail in our bloodstream determines the emerging order of our habits.

Based on the low emotional state and the moods, some unproductive habits may emerge. The technique, visualizing the infinity sign, is something I use regularly.

From my observations, the infinity sign can be an excellent representation of our moods. When I notice this mental picture in my mood- in the upward section, I say “Now, I am in a good mood and able to perform creative tasks”. When I notice my mood in the downward section, I say “Now I experience a low mood. It is time to vitalize myself and refill my depleted energy.”

This technique helps me to maintain my motivation and produce outcomes based on my priorities and values.

Conclusion

Using these six effective approaches, I managed to maintain my motivation and to produce results despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.

Let me summarise the takeaway points so that you may consider them for your self-improvement.

• Set your priorities and values. Don’t act based on the priorities and values of other people. You are the boss of your life.
• Find opportune times for various activities.
• Orchestrate your activities in a flow state. Leverage your cognitive abilities. Use action planning and task switching.
• Take regular breaks every hour to gain energy for motivation.
• Be mindful of your habits and create new small habits to keep you motivated and productive.
• Use mental models to understand the ups and downs in your mood and act accordingly.

I hope these simple yet effective techniques can help you stay motivated and produce the outcomes you desire in these challenging times.

Stay motivated, achieve your goals, and produce like a boss at all times.

Thank you for reading my perspectives.