Learn the art of self-motivation. To do sport, study, go to school, lose weight or simply to motivate yourself.

Do you sometimes lack self-motivation? Do you also sometimes find it difficult to get up and motivate yourself? Many of us procrastinate forever about the tasks at hand. And when we are about to do what we had planned, it suddenly seems more important, for example, to clean the windows, take out the rubbish or watch the news. If you can relate, here are some good tips.

Tip 1: Clarify at the outset what really needs to be done

Before starting a task, you should be clear about the following: Do you really have to do what you have to do? It may sound strange, but sometimes we resist a task because we unconsciously think that the task is not that important, that it is unnecessary or that it should be done by someone else.

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Therefore, make up your mind clearly for or against this task from the outset. Maybe you can delegate it? Maybe it is not so important? Then leave it alone.

But if you have to do something, make up your mind consciously and clearly about this task and do it.

Tip 2: Find out what motivates you personally and use this knowledge.

What motivates you in particular? Money? Recognition? When a task is difficult? When you can work with others? What exactly is it that attracts you?

Each of us has certain things that motivate us and each of us has certain things that demotivate us.

The trick now is to find out what motivates us and what demotivates us. Because when we find that out, it is often the key to success.

If you know what motivates you, you can design your tasks accordingly. Suppose you have to write a thesis and you know that you prefer to work in a team. Then you can motivate yourself by trying to write a thesis together with someone (in many disciplines this is possible). The point is that you can design your own tasks. Do it according to your needs. If you know what motivates you, you can use this knowledge for self-direction.

Tip 3: Self-motivate through visualisation

If you want to motivate yourself for a task, mentally picture yourself doing it with joy and enthusiasm. Paint it with bright colours and think about the moment when you have completed the task: how good and relieved you feel and how proud you feel.

Positive visualisations help to motivate you. But they are not enough.

For these positive fantasies to really reinforce your motivation, you have to combine them with something else.

In addition to your positive fantasies, you also have to visualise the obstacles you see on the way to your goal.

So: visualise positive fantasies + obstacles.

This will increase your motivation to the maximum.

Researcher Gabriele Oettingen has also developed a practical method called "WOOP".

The WOOP method guides you through this visualisation process in 4 easy steps.

And with the help of this WOOP method, you can motivate yourself very strongly in a very simple way.

Tip 4: Pay attention to your internal programmes

Don't keep telling yourself that "you can't concentrate" or that "you'll never finish this task". This is how you set yourself up to not want to do it, to fail or to remain unmotivated.

If you cannot switch off your thoughts, write them down once on a piece of paper and then tear it up. This is a cleansing ritual that can free us from tormenting thoughts.

Better yet, tell yourself that "the task is fun", "it will be done quickly" or "it's a piece of cake". Believe it or not, you are programming your subconscious for new useful thought processes and these thoughts are already second nature to you.

Tip 5: Motivate through rewards

Many people are motivated by rewards - are you too?

So take advantage of it. Offer yourself rewards for completing tasks: for example, a certain book, a trip to the cinema, a massage or a pair of tickets to the next sports final. Choose things that you really enjoy or would like to do. Say to yourself: "When I finish these ten files, I'll buy that book I've been wanting for so long", or "When I successfully complete this course, I'll reward myself with that new computer game".