Ever have one of those days filled with big tasks that are so daunting you can’t even get started? While it’s tempting to want to run for the hills and abandon the tasks, this isn’t always possible. Making motivation a habit in your everyday life can become more accessible and even automatic.

To achieve this, you need to treat motivation like any other habit or goal you want to develop. If you’re going to make motivation a habit, follow these techniques by our researchers at FinditHealth to set you up for success.

The Habit of Motivation

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If you are having a hard time finding or keeping motivation throughout your day, it’s time to start digging deeper to find out why.

Increasing and even realizing motivation is easier than you think and goes hand in hand with healthy, good habits.

Research has found that many people don’t consider habits key to success because they see them as routines. But the reality is habits dictate almost every aspect of motivated people’s lives. They are responsible for most of our daily actions, from big to small. It could be our morning routines, what we eat for lunch, and how we commute home after work.

Because we use habits so regularly in our lives, they directly affect our motivation levels. Certain habits or routines will encourage motivation, while bad habits can distract or drain the motivation from our mental mind.

The key to staying motivated is learning how to control your habits, so you can use them as a tool to create consistent actions toward the goals you want to achieve. This will create a consistent practice of motivation to achieve your goals. Creating a self-care routine can be a great example of a habit to increase your motivation to better mental health.

Conscious Versus Hidden Habits

To control and maintain your habits, you need to know what exactly habits are and how they are formed. There are two main types of habits that we usually experience, known as conscious and hidden habits.

Conscious habits are habits that require conscious thought to keep up and are easy to recognize. Basically, these habits would go away if you take your attention away. Examples of conscious habits are going for a morning walk every day or setting the alarm for each morning.

On the other hand, Hidden habits are habits that are stored in auto-pilot mode in our brains. We are completely unaware of them until sources or someone points out the behavior. This could be nervous ticks, saying the word like a lot, or even driving the same way home every evening after work.

We encourage you to take some time to think through your habits and determine which ones are hidden and conscious habits. Also, think about whether or not these habits are good and lead to stronger motivation in your life. Perhaps you want to set intellectual goals for yourself and a positive conscious habit you could include in your life to have a daily writing practice that helps you visualize these compelling goals.

Increasing Motivation

Now that you have a clearer understanding of what habits are, you can move on to increasing your motivation. Motivation is a massive force in our lives and does need to be direct so that you can make the most of it. Many people think of motivation as an on or off shift, but it’s instead more of a flow of positive reinforcement. Motivation is composed of various layers starting from the core and flowing to the surface. The surface is the end goal, or what you see, but the core desire drives this entire process. An example is you graduated and finally received your Bachelor of Arts Degree after four years of hard work. The surface is the actual diploma, but the core is the motivation of working hard for four years to get the diploma.

How to Stay Motivated Permanently

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You can do several things in your daily life to stay motivated permanently. We have highlighted our favorites below.

Preparation

If we fail to prepare, we ultimately set ourselves up for more failure. Preparation isn’t just a time-saver but is what sets you up for access. This could be planning and prepping your meals on Sunday, planning out daily tasks one week at a time, and even scheduling social media time so you can prioritize your time efficiently.

When we are prepared, we are ready for anything the day brings and no longer have excuses why something wasn’t done or finished.

Morning Routines

We need routines to make habits stick, and a morning routine will start your day off well, so the rest of the day goes smoothly! Always start with your most challenging task first, and you’ll be amazed at how much faster you’ll work and how much more you’ll achieve in a day! While it’s nice to dream and imagine being free and unplanned will keep you motivated, ultimately, having a routine will lead to higher motivation levels.

The Right Environment

Nothing kills your buzz faster than a slow internet connection or a distracting workspace full of loud colleagues. Work where you’re likely to have minor technical problems or interruptions. Suppose you want to make motivation a habit. In that case, you’ll take this seriously, even if it means avoiding the coffee shop or the main room of the office! In a nutshell, the right environment creates an ideal, positive place for you to perform good deeds that will ensure healthy, positive habits in your life.

Remove Distractions

If you want to make motivation a habit, you must remove all distractions and temptations. While video games can be beneficial, the more you play the longer you don’t want to stop the game! Distractions and temptations will only lead you astray and prevent you from reaching your goals. If you were on a diet, you wouldn’t stock your pantry with chocolate cake, so why would you sabotage your productivity by keeping your cell phone nearby? We encourage you to set up your office or homework desk in a quiet, peaceful area that will allow you to maximize your productivity.

Habits Motivational Quotes

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Did you know that around 40% of everything we do daily is habitual or living on autopilot? This is what habits are because and why it’s essential to instill good habits in the beginning.

Think through your habits, and if they empower or disempower you, limit or free, and help or hinder you from reaching your goals. As you evaluate your habits, this is the time to choose habits that empower you, free you, and help you reach your goals according to ProudlyWomen.com Quotes can be outstanding inspirations for staying on track with good habits. We have included our favorites below that inspire good habits.

And once you understand that habits can change, you have the freedom and the responsibility to remake them.

-Charles Duhigg

First, forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not.

-Octavia Butler

Motivation Vs. Habits

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It starts with motivation, but if you do not make it a habit, you will never reach where you want to. Motivation helps us get a head start, but it is the habit that will keep you moving in the right direction. The key is finding a motivation that speaks to you and turns actions into habits. 

We encourage you to wake up in the morning and practice the actions to reach your motivation. Over time, this will no longer feel like a routine and will become a habit.

Frequently Asked Questions

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How do I motivate myself as a habit?

Habits are a powerful motivator in that we do certain things all the time, and these habits can motivate us to continue to do them. It’s why it’s so important to create positive, healthy habits in your life.

Do habits form as part of motivation?

Habits are such a form of our daily lives they certainly affect our motivation. Certain habits will encourage motivation, while others may distract or demotivate us.

What are the four types of motivation?

The four types of motivation are extrinsic, intrinsic, introjected, and identified motivation.

Extrinsic motivation comes from outside us. We are compelled to, for example, because we are told to by someone who has power over us. Intrinsic motivation is done for internal reasons, such as aligning with values or simply for the hedonistic pleasure of doing something. Introjected motivation is similar to intrinsic motivation in that it is internalized but what makes it different is that if it is not done, the person feels guilty. Identified motivation is where a person recognizes that something needs doing but has not done anything about it.

Conclusion – Research by Findithealth.com

Motivation can be a tricky thing to begin with, but by making it a habit, we can reduce the struggle. We encourage you to see what’s holding you back, create routines and efficient workspaces, and prepare in advance.

Get started on these strategies by our team at Findit Health today to get the ball rolling. You can do this!