Very few of us are lucky enough to never have an issue with motivation. No matter how much try not to, there are times when we simply cannot bring ourselves to stand up and get things done. For most of us such motivational slumps are a occasional occurrence that we quickly overcome. For others a lack of motivation is a serious long-term issue that can negatively impact upon their lives and those of their family and loved ones.

The benefits of being motivated may seem obvious, you get things done and you feel good as a result. But there are several secondary benefits that you may not immediately be aware of. A person who is motivated and gets more things done will be less stressed and sleep better as a consequence. They will also be looked upon favourably by their peers and colleagues who will see that person as being reliable and trustworthy as they get things done. The disadvantages are plentiful and you probably don’t need me to tell you what they are are. Suffice to say that being unmotivated doesn’t make you look good and could hurt you or your family if you refused to tackle a long term motivational slump.

A lot has been written about how to get motivated. Everything from simple leaflets through to massive tomes. My take on it is that getting motivated isn’t difficult, in fact it is quite easy. All you need to know are a few simple things that you can do when you suffer a motivational slump. So without further ado, here they are…

Take Self Control - You should always be aware that you alone are responsible for how you feel. While it is true that other people can help you get you motivated, they aren’t going to be around to help you at the precise moment you need it. A true gentleman will take full repsonsibility for his own affairs and abilities.  If you are lacking motivation you will have to take control and motivate yourself.

Have Fewer Parallel Goals - Reducing the number of goals you are aiming for at once will help a lot in getting you motivated. Having too many goals at once can make you worry about being able to get them all done in time, which in turn has a massive impact on you motivational levels. Humans aren’t very good at multitasking, we like to focus on one thing at a time. Achieve one goal before moving on to the next.

But Still Set Goals - Goals are vitally important to getting motivated, prioritise the most important goals in your life, intermixed with some easy to achieve ones. Accomplishment breeds motivation, so the more goals you achieve the more motivated you will be.

Tell People What Your Goals Are - Tell people about your goals and how much time you expect it to take to achieve them. It’s easier to get motivated when you want to avoid losing face to those who know about your plans. People will respect you more as a gentleman if you keep to your word.

Think About Your Goals - The more you think about achieving something the more likely it is that you will succeed. Keep a diary about your goal and perhaps regularly research your plans. Places notes and images around your desk so that you are constantly reminded about your goal. By doing these things you increase the chances that you will actually achieve your goal sooner rather than later.

Think Happy, Positive Thoughts - Try not to dwell on negative things, instead think positive and keep happy thoughts in your head. I’ll admit this is easier said than done, we tend to care more about bad things than good things. But at least making the effort to quash bad though can help in some little way. The fewer negative thoughts you have clouding your thinking the more likely you will be to get on with life and get things done.

Be Realistic - Only take on goals that you know you can achieve. Taking on tasks that you later learn were beyond your abilities cab be both demoralising and incredibly de-motivating. By all means take on tasks that challenge you and encourage you to learn new skills, but always remember to be realistic. Start off with simple tasks and then progress on to more difficult ones.

Manage Distractions - Some people would say that if you want to get anything done you should eliminate all distractions. I would say that is unrealistic. Instead I think it is better to accept that you will be distracted at some point, so therefore you should try to manage your distractions. An example of this is how I manage my time at work. If I am trying to complete a task I know that people will occasionally come to me with questions. I manage this by asking people to email me the question instead and I will respond in good time. I will then respond to those queries once I have a suitable break in my work. If you let distractions get in the way of your efforts to complete a task then your motivation levels will take a knock as your train of thought is derailed and you are forced to take longer to complete the task in hand.

Get Excited - There’s no better way to give yourself a quick motivational burst than to get excited about something. If you can’t manage it by yourself then  why not go and talk to someone about it and get them to help you get excited. Try thinking about all the great things that may result from achieving your goal, that’ll should help you get you excited.

Think About The Consequences - Let’s face it there are some tasks we really cannot be bothered to do. Everyday employment springs to mind. If you can’t get excited about the task in hand and if any of the other methods I mention fail to work than I would suggest thinking about the negative consequences of failure. How many people have you heard mention that they hate their jobs, but keep doing them for the benefit of their families? It’s that sort of thing I am referring to.

Get Support - There’s no harm in asking friends and family to give you help and support in order to get motivated to achieve a goal. They can give you gentle encouragement or if necessary a good kick up the jacksie to get you going.

Accept that You Can’t Always be Motivated - No matter how hard we try we can never be motivated 100% of the time, so just accept this. There will be times you just can’t be bothered to do something. Just don’t let it get you down, given some time you’ll be raring to go again. We all have our motivational ups and downs.

If you have any motivational tips or stories of you own please feel free to leave a comment.