7 scientifically proven ways to stay motivated

1. Share your goals with others

In a study conducted at the Dominican University of California, scientists found that our motivation depended on the opinions of friends. Participants who told their friends about their goals showed a much higher level of motivation - 35% higher than those who preferred to work without reporting to anyone.

Therefore, if you are lacking in determination to start a new project or sign up for the gym, let your friend know that you intend to do so. And you will immediately have the motivation to act - if only because otherwise your friend will laugh at you.

2. Set clear deadlines

Researchers from the University of Southern California and the University of Michigan studied When Does the Future Begin? Time Metrics Matter, Connecting Present and Future Selves, how people perceive time. Scientists have come to the conclusion: for a person to get motivation to do something, he must feel the inevitability of the approaching deadline. And this is possible only if a specific date is known. If it is not there, a person will only deal with current affairs, completely without thinking about the future.

So don't make promises to yourself "I'll finish my book by November" or "I'll resume training next month." Write your goals like this: "I will write the first chapter on October 2", "I will go to the hall on September 25". A clear deadline is a great motivator.

3. Choose specific goals

University of Maryland psychologist Edwin Locke is known for his theory of goal setting and task performance. It says: people perform simple and understandable tasks with much more persistence and motivation than abstract ones.

A well-defined goal is half the victory.

Edwin Locke

Locke's theory has been confirmed by research from Harvard The Harvard MBA Business School Study on Goal Setting, State University Interrelationships among employee participation, individual differences, goal difficulty, goal acceptance, goal instrumentality and performance of New York, and Success and Goals: An Exploratory Research in Small Enterprises Bucharest. Simply put, “I'll get better, stronger, and smarter” doesn't work. And "I will read these two books in a week" and "I will lose 10 kilograms" - quite.

4. Record your achievements

Additionally, Edwin Locke recommends Motivation through Conscious Goal Setting to track your progress by recording what you did useful. This creates a sense of contentment and increases motivation to continue doing the same. Locke calls the process of recording one's accomplishments "feedback."

Checking the boxes in the to-do list or task manager is already good at stimulating motivation. It's even more useful to keep a diary, noting what you did in the day, how many documents you finished, how much weight you lifted, and so on.

5. Reward yourself

Rewarding for completed tasks is quite an effective way to increase motivation, according to The science of motivation experts at the University of Reading. Including those bonuses that you give out to yourself. Interesting fact: According to the study It's about time: Earlier rewards increase intrinsic motivation, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, we are much more motivated by the award already received, rather than the one we only expect.

When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character with me, I tell him: "Everything is in the script." If he starts to object: "But what is my motivation?" - I say: "Your salary."

Alfred Hitchcock

However, there is one point to consider. As you know, there are two types of motivation: external and internal. The first has to do with the opinions of others and the rewards we receive for achievements, and the second has to do with our own desires.

Experiment Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation, conducted by scientists at Princeton University, showed that extrinsic motivation in the form of rewards works well with boring and repetitive tasks. But when it comes to doing things that involve creative thinking, the reward, on the other hand, lowers motivation. Such is the paradox. Talent must be hungry.

Therefore, when you want to motivate yourself to finish routine tasks as soon as possible, reward yourself with something pleasant: delicious food, an interesting book, or long-awaited purchases. But if you are focused on something complex and creative, you should not indulge yourself - it will only hurt.

6. Eat chocolate

Everyone knows that chocolate makes us happier. But it also increases motivation. According to research Dopamine regulates the motivation to act, its level depends on the amount of dopamine in the body.

Chocolate, on the other hand, contributes to the Consumption of cocoa flavanols results in an acute improvement in visual and cognitive functions in the production of this neurotransmitter, thereby enhancing cognitive functions, spatial memory and attentiveness. Cocoa and chocolate also stimulate the neuroprotective effects of cocoa flavanol and its influence on cognitive performance in areas of the brain involved in learning and memorization.

So if you find it difficult to concentrate on work and feel tired and unwilling to do anything, eat a piece of chocolate. By the way, according to Chocolate and Health, Rodolfo Paoletti, author of the book Chocolate and Health, white chocolate is slightly more effective on memory than bitter chocolate.

7. Get some sleep during the day

People are more cheerful in the morning, they are more willing to perform complex tasks. In the evening, I don't feel like doing anything: this is the nature of our circadian rhythms. But there is a way to trick her - daytime sleep.

Experts from the Brock Sleep Research Laboratory in Canada have identified Benefits of napping in healthy adults: impact of nap length, time of day age and experience with napping, which significantly increases motivation and performance after a short nap. However, keep in mind that if you sleep for more than 10 minutes, you will wake up even more tired and overwhelmed than before. A 10-minute rest reduces fatigue and energizes.