20 Ways to Motivate Yourself

Sometimes You Need Some Inspiration

We all need a little motivation every once in a while.

Maybe you aren’t feeling on top of your game.

Or perhaps, you have suffered a loss or setback.

Sometimes we fail at things.

When this happens to you, how do you get yourself motivated?

20 Ways to Motivate Yourself

Here are 20 ways to get yourself going when you need a little motivation:

1. Exercise – One of the best ways to pump yourself up, is to exercise. It doesn’t matter what form as long as you enjoy it.

2. Read One of Your Favorite Quotes – Keep your favorite quotes nearby where you can see them. Here is one of my favorites:

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, and dream for tomorrow.”

3. Do It Today – What have you been meaning to start? Start something today that you have been putting off.

4. Finish Something – Nothing feels as good as finishing something to completion. And remember, when you can’t do big things… do little ones.

5. Get up! – Really! Get up and move around. Walk around. Better yet, go outside and do a lap around your house or office. The fresh air will do wonders for your motivation.

6. Play Some Music – Keep your favorite music at hand. Whenever I need some inspiration, I have a special playlist on my phone.

7. Clean Something Up – When I say something, I mean anything. You desk, your files, even your cell phone. (Delete those unused apps!) A clean environment leads to productivity and motivation.

8. Tell Someone About Your Goals – A great way to motivate yourself is to tell someone about your goals and what you will accomplish. Often, you will gain a deeper understanding of your motivation by explaining it to someone else.

9. Read a Motivational Article – Here is one of mine.

10. Watch This Speech from Rocky Balboa on YouTube

11. Stretch Yourself – Do something you didn’t think you could do. We are all stronger than we think.

12. Get Your Productivity Started – Sometimes you just have to sharpen your pencil and get your productivity going. Your motivation will soon follow.

13. Visualize What Success Means – Think about what success means. Motivate yourself by visualizing what things will be like when you accomplish your goals.

14. Write a Letter to Your Future Self – Write your future self a letter about what you will have accomplished. Here is a great site to help you do that: FutureMe.org.

15. Think Back to a Time You Won – Remember something from your past when you succeeded. How it felt, what you did, why it made you feel proud.

16. Finish Something Ahead of Schedule – Finishing something ahead of schedule feels great.

17. Be Early – Being late brings stress. Be early and be happy. Here are 17 ways to be early.

18. Build Some Momentum – Sometimes you need get some motion in order to motivate yourself. Here’s how to build some productivity momentum.

19. Call a Good Friend– Even better if it is someone you haven’t reached out to in a while.

20. Be Yourself – In our society of conformity, remember what makes you…you. Celebrate why you are unique.

Inspire Yourself

Sometimes we just need to pick up our mood.

Other times, we need to pick ourselves up from the ground.

We all have ways that we motivate ourselves.

I invite you to share below your favorite methods of motivation.

How do you motivate yourself when you need some inspiration?

26 thoughts on “20 Ways to Motivate Yourself

  1. awww i love so many of them e.g 4,6,7,11 but i have never done 14, so I think I will do just that. sounds exciting already 🙂

  2. I love a number of them 4,6,7,11 but I have never done 14 before. I just might do that, sounds motivating already 🙂

  3. awww i love so many of them e.g 4,6,7,11 but i have never done 14, so I think I will do just that. sounds exciting already 🙂

  4. I love a number of them 4,6,7,11 but I have never done 14 before. I just might do that, sounds motivating already 🙂

  5. Craig,

    These are great tips! Especially #15 is important: To boost your self-confidence and motivate yourself, you should remember your past victories.

    Also, when I don’t like to work, I try to remember the true meaning for my work and why I do it in the first place.

  6. Craig,

    These are great tips! Especially #15 is important: To boost your self-confidence and motivate yourself, you should remember your past victories.

    Also, when I don’t like to work, I try to remember the true meaning for my work and why I do it in the first place.

  7. #4 not just the act of finishing something but crossing it off a list or putting a big tick next to it when completed helps keep me motivated

    1. @Louise_Mason Absolutely! Crossing something off your list “feels great!”

      I know many people who keep paper lists simply because they love the feeling of physically crossing tasks off. 🙂

  8. #4 not just the act of finishing something but crossing it off a list or putting a big tick next to it when completed helps keep me motivated

  9. @Louise_Mason Absolutely! Crossing something off your list “feels great!”

    I know many people who keep paper lists simply because they love the feeling of physically crossing tasks off. 🙂

  10. I just found your site when searching for productivity apps for the iPad 2. Great stuff! BTW, could you please tell me the author of your favorite motivational quote above? I Googled the quote but no author was tagged to it that I could find.

    1. @Kevin_A. Kevin… not sure how I missed your comment from a while back…

      There are many variations on that quote you will find. Think one of the originals is attributed to Einstein. (His was “Hope for tomorrow.”)

      I sometimes add… “And May The Force Be With You.”

  11. I just found your site when searching for productivity apps for the iPad 2. Great stuff! BTW, could you please tell me the author of your favorite motivational quote above? I Googled the quote but no author was tagged to it that I could find.

  12. Nice list of motivation, appreciated the talk of Sylvester Stalone! On the right track of motivation, yet this sight helped me move forward not just inches, but yards:) Thank you for sharing your insight!  

  13. Nice list of motivation, appreciated the talk of Sylvester Stalone! On the right track of motivation, yet this sight helped me move forward not just inches, but yards:) Thank you for sharing your insight!  

  14. @Kevin_A. Kevin… not sure how I missed your comment from a while back…

    There are many variations on that quote you will find. Think one of the originals is attributed to Einstein. (His was “Hope for tomorrow.”)

    I sometimes add… “And May The Force Be With You.”

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