As college girls, busy with this and that while juggling a social life, it can be hard to keep our motivation up. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and to procrastinate rather than buckling down and getting the work done ahead of time so that we don’t feel stressed. While becoming unmotivated can be the easiest thing in the world, regaining motivation proves much more difficult.
Whether a bad break-up, an injury, or just the stress of day-to-day life has you feeling less like moving like Jagger and more like never wanting to leave this bed, here are some easy ways to turn that mood around so that you can get on with your busy, wonderful life.
1. Set a Goal: Setting a goal holds you responsible for completing smaller daily tasks so that you can work up to reaching your ultimate goal. For example, if you’re extremely stressed about an upcoming exam or you know you have a big term paper due in a couple of weeks, start by making daily to-do lists so that you can check things off as you go along. Even if it’s something as small as making 10 notecards today, visually seeing that you were able to check that off will help motivate you to reach your final goal.
2. Listen to Music: Whether you’re into country music or you have a thing for 90’s pop, put on your favorite song and dance. Sure, you may look a little silly dancing around your room, but it will definitely put you in a better mood almost instantly; and let’s face it, it’s much easier to get things done when you’re happy.
3. Reward Yourself: Rewards are a great motivator because they’re tangible. Sometimes our goals are so far away that it’s hard to get motivated to reach them, whereas a reward can be given after completing even the smallest of tasks. For example, if you give yourself a 10 minute Facebook break for every 30 minutes spent studying, the 30 minutes of studying won’t seem nearly as terrible since you’ll soon be rewarded. If you have an even bigger task to accomplish, try bribing yourself with takeout from your favorite restaurant that night or by going to MA’s with your friends to blow off some steam after your hard work. If you don’t complete your task, than no reward for you. Sounds pretty elementary, but hey, it works!
4. Get Active: Even if the Million Dollar Stairs are your form of exercise, get moving! Releasing endorphins will help you feel better and give you more energy, which will allow you to complete whatever difficult tasks are at hand. Whether you’re an avid runner or a yogi, getting active and doing something good for your body for an hour a day will help put you in a better mindset, allowing you to regain your motivation.
Photo Sources:
http://positivelypresent.tumblr.com/post/5624488794
http://modernhepburn.tumblr.com/page/3
http://pinterest.com/pin/157977899399322863/
http://www.my20secondmentalrun.com/2012/05/just-do-it.html