The question I am always asked by the unmotivated is “how do others become motivated?” Motivation is created by both internal and external stimulus.

When motivated your energy levels increase, your interest in the task amplifies and your commitment to work towards your goals peaks. So, how can two people doing the same task have different motivational levels?

The reward for finishing a task is highly motivational, but this alone is not enough, as many people set goals with the reward in mind but never take action. The secret to motivation is knowing how to overcome personal procrastination to proactively take positive action.

Here are the 3 Mind Hacks To Boost Your Motivation:

Mind Hack #1: Trick the mind

The brain is a complex muscle that solves complex mathematical problems, creates innovative ideas that have put humans on the moon, invented the internet which changed the way we live and the mind gave us the intelligence to cure serious diseases saving countless lives.  But the mind can be tricked

Read this statement out loud; “I Love London In The The Summer Time”

Did you notice the double use of word “the?” Most who read this didn’t. This same psychology can be used to trick the mind into Motivation: 

• Think of a task that you need to complete but procrastination has stopped you in your tracks

• When thinking about this goal, do you imagine how hard this task is, the amount of steps you have to take, and do you second guess how you will fail?

With a focus on the problems and pain of the goal, your mind magically deletes the positives, the potential fun and your optimistic outcome:

• Picture again, the negative images that stop you from taking action

• Push this image away from your mind’s eye so you can imagine seeing it in front of you

• Turn the image into a black and white picture (if your image plays like a movie pause the movie)

• Move the black and white further and future away from you so it becomes smaller and smaller, until it becomes a dot on the horizon

• Replace this image by imagining a large, coloured film. This film is you at your best, enjoying each step towards your goal and the film ends with you seeing you achieving your goal and the positive effect it has on your life

Mind Hack – Focusing on the positives deletes procrastination

“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

Mind Hack #2: Mind the steps

Over thinking the required steps to any goal creates stress. Research has shown that when you are stressed the brain actually shrinks in size. Keep the steps required to your goal simple and small as this becomes manageable and creates motivation. Over thinkers make an easy task complicated by predicting too many problems;

Goal – Get a haircut “first I need to decide which stylist I should attend. I could go to ‘Anne’s Hair’ but there is no parking nearby, which means I will need to walk, if it rains I will get wet and I haven’t got an umbrella, I could buy one but I have no cash, so I will have to drive to a cash machine. My car is running on empty so I need to fill up first, hmmm that takes me away for the stylist, but I can get cash out at the petrol station, even though the card machine at that petrol station swallowed my card last time I used it, which would mean ringing up the bank, I hate that, they keep you on the phone for an age, asking you loads of security questions that I can never remember the answer to……..”

Even reading this gives me a headache and she hasn’t even considered the other two stylists yet! Keep the steps to your goal to a minimum by stacking small task under one heading:

• Goal – Get a Haircut; Choose a stylist within walking distance of my house

• Book appointment

• Attend appointment on date

Mind Hack – Manageable tasks create motivation

Mind Hack #3: The innovative mind

When working towards a goal you can easily become stuck due to a mental block. The problem or barrier your goal requires you to overcome is de-motivating when you can’t find the solution.

Once inspired to achieve your goal you can easily fall into the trap of overthinking the barriers you come across:

• Problem that needs solving

• You ask “What’s the answer? What should I do? I should know this!”

This common action creates a mental block because your focus kills your creativity:

1. Re-ask the question from different perspectives as this will access your brains creativity
2. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and relax. In this state your subconscious will find the answer and you will have an “ah-ha” moment
3. Day dream as this allows your mind to focus on the motivation of your goal and will give you the solution, often in a metaphor form to your barrier

Mind Hack – Creativity solves the problem

Thank you for reading my article! What mind hacks would you add to this list?