This tip is about evaluating and celebrating progress.
Each week, reflect on the actions that you've taken and what you've learned, and I don't mean just checking things off a list.
What did the result of your actions teach you?
What can you learn about yourself?
What about your approach worked for you?
When are you most productive?
There is precious learning there about your motivation, your energy, your patterns to take advantage of.
Do the same with the actions that you didn't get to.
What got in your way?
What did you prioritize instead?
Taking a look at what you're drawn to and what you avoid can lead to a deeper understanding of yourself and how you work best. Use your learning to adjust next week's plan.
How can you repeat what worked?
Are there any tasks that are no longer needed?
How can your support system help?
How will you get past obstacles?
Celebrate! We often deny ourselves celebrating but our small victories are a great source of motivation.
Most of us tend to dismiss anything we did do and focus only on what we didn't do. But focusing on our failures obscures us from seeing the full picture. We can be so hard on ourselves and it's a complete motivation killer!
If you did just one thing, celebrate it! You did it. You are one step closer to your goal.
If you truly didn't do anything, you are not the first person to miss their goal on their first try. You can still learn from it and choose how you want to move forward. Or would you rather focus on feeling bad and giving up?
What feeling did you want when you set the goal? Maybe you wanted to feel proud, confident, content. Give yourself permission to feel that way now. Even just one task done is evidence that you can do it again. Even if no tasks are done, if you're still trying, you can make a better plan for yourself next week.
We reach goals through consistent effort over time. That doesn't mean you're perfect – that means you keep trying.
There will be hard days. There'll be days when you give up… until you're ready to start again. There'll be days when you should take a break.
Having trouble with motivation? Check out my time management tips.
If this message resonated with you and you'd like to see more from me, please like, comment, share, and follow. Better yet, send me a private message to let me know or share a topic you’d like some quick tips on. I’d love to hear from you!
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