100 different ways to stay motivated; the ultimate list

If you are searching for the motivation to work or study, you have come to the right spot. You will love these 101 different ways to stay motivated.

These 101 ways helped me to stay on top of my work. And you can customize this list as you want.

So let's dive into it.

Morning Motivation

Wake Up Early

From athletes to leaders of fortune 500 companies, everybody wakes up early. But, for your mental health and productivity, waking up early is beneficial.

A study by the University of Colorado found that waking up just an hour early can reduce the chance of depression by 23%.

Exercise right after waking Up

Exercise in the morning improves your sleep quality and also your mood. Exercise helps our body to increase blood flow to the brain, which results in high motivation and concentration capacity. Many studies suggest that exercise leads to the development of various neuroprotective proteins.

Drink water

Sometimes you feel dizzy when you wake up because of dehydration. Our body needs lots of water, which is deprived when sleeping. Drinking water right after waking up helps our body to hydrate to work at the optimal level. Drinking water in the morning retrieves your energy and motivates you to work. You can read more about the benefits of drinking water in the morning.

Meditate

Meditation helps to better understand our thoughts and emotions. And motivation is a direct outcome of our thoughts and emotions. If we can understand our thoughts better, we can direct our thoughts to the right subject. Focusing on the present helps reduce anxiety and stress about your work or life.

Do Breathing Exercise

The right type of breathing can trigger your performance, concentration, and motivation. In times of stress and anxiety, it is found that breathing exercises reduce heart rate and improve thinking capacity. Deep diaphragmatic breathing helps in reducing blood pressure and improving concentration and motivation.

Journal your thought

Journaling your thoughts helps you to make better decisions. Journaling helps you to capture all your ideas in a flow. I have been journaling for more than a year and found that my motivation comes from my journal entry. We need a listening subject to maintain a positive psychological aspect, and your journal can be your best friend.

Take a nice cold shower.

A cold shower sends a small electrical impulse to our brain, which increases alertness and clarity. Exposure to cold activates the sympathetic nervous system, increases the brain's production of beta-endorphin, noradrenaline, and dopamine, and increases the brain's synaptic release of noradrenaline.

Do not use social media for at least 1-2 hours after waking up

Using social media in the morning is the worst habit you can develop. It has more negative effects than positive effects. You start comparing yourself with others on social media, which is the virus for motivation. You easily feel stressed and less valuable, and you also lose your confidence and ability to overcome your fears.

Stay in the sunlight for about 30 minutes.

Staying in the sunlight, especially in the morning time releases the hormone called serotonin, which is responsible for improving a person’s mood. The mood is responsible for the motivation behind it. If you are in a good mood, then it will be easy to complete the task.

Do not drink caffeine or alcohol products.

Caffeine drinks are the most popular beverage after water on some accounts, people prefer caffeine drinks over water. Caffeine is an energy amplifier. Caffeine helps to raise the stress hormone cortisol and is also responsible for being unable to sleep. We need caffeine, but not in the morning. We have plenty of energy, and we don't need an amplifier in the morning.

Make your bed

Making the bed after waking up gives you a sense of accomplishment and keeps you in the mindset of success. Making a bed inspires creativity because making a bed creates order and clarity in your mind. This simple act makes you feel more organized and productive and sets the tone for the whole day.

Have a nice healthy breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After a long sleep, our body needs the energy to work, and we can get this energy from a healthy breakfast. You can eat fruits, bread, nuts, dry fruits, salad, etc. to get the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals.

Day Motivation

Go for a walk

Going for a daily walk helps to reduce stress and tension. Walking just for 20-30 minutes every day strengthens your immunity system and reduces the chance of getting sick. If you are immune to disease, you can focus for a long time on your work.

Do your most difficult task at first.

Doing the most difficult task at first helps you eliminate anxiety over your work. For example, when you start your day, and you have the hardest problem you need to solve that day, then you should start with that problem. Starting the day with a difficult task helps to focus all your energy on solving that task, and the rest of the day can be anxiety free.

Try Positive Affirmation

Positive affirmation sets your mind for positive things. Starting your day with positive affirmation helps you to improve your self-esteem and boost your mood. When you have gained self-esteem, it will be easier to complete any type of task.

Review Your Goals and target

Sometimes your ambitious goals also make you feel motivated to work. Your ambitious goals might be the reason behind the difficulties you face today, so reviewing goals helps you to understand the reason behind your work.

Visualize positive outcomes

Visualizing the result you want always helps you to work hard. Whether it is about studying for an upcoming exam or preparing for that interview, if you visualize the positive result, it will motivate you to work hard.

Get Organized

Organizing things helps your mind to see from a new perspective. It also helps to reduce stress. Various studies have found that getting organized helps you get better sleep. Also, organizing increases your productivity.

Reward yourself for your success

Our mind craves reward, so why don’t we give that even for little success? Giving rewards to ourselves helps our brain to move in the momentum of success.

Overcome Your Fear of Rejection

We have various fears, and we need to overcome those to motivate ourselves. Fear limits you from playing a safe game. Overcoming fear at first can be hard, but with help, you can be confident about your ability.

Read books

Reading books helps you to gain knowledge in your industry. Sometimes the cause of lack of motivation is also due to a lack of knowledge. To fill gaps, you can start by reading books or taking courses. Book author invests their entire life in research to present that book, so it is always beneficial to read a book whenever possible.

Listen to Podcast

Another modern way to gain knowledge is to listen to podcasts. In podcasts, people talk about lots of things, this is like 21st radio. Listening to expert thoughts on different topics can ignite ideas in your brain. Listening to their thoughts motivates you to work.

Clean your room

Some people hate to clean their rooms, and trust me; I am one of them. I always hated cleaning my room, but I have found out that cleaning the room creates a positive stamp on our minds which motivates us to get things done.

Wash Your clothes

Wearing clean and ironed clothes helps us to gain confidence in ourselves. Your clothes don’t need to be expensive, they just need some renovation, for example washing them. Wearing clean clothes motivates us to do the right thing.

Listen to your favorite song.

Who doesn't love listening to music? There are lots of benefits to listening to your favorite song. Listening to music helps to reduce stress and anxiety. Research suggests that listening to music also reduces the chance of depression.

Build momentum

Momentum is necessary for great things to happen. Rome was not built in a day or two, so to great things happen takes time and momentum. The momentum of work or practice motivates you, and it is true nobody tells you.

Practice Gratitude

Being grateful for what you have or get is a wonderful habit you can develop. Not everyone can be grateful for what they get. Becoming grateful sets the mind to accept success and failures, which is an essential part of life.

Try to be in a different environment.

Sometimes we get bored living in the same environment. It is a nice practice to change your working environment or living environment for quite a while. With a new environment, our mind's ability to learn and focus improves.

Remember your why

To get motivated, you need to have a strong desire; that strong reason is essential to get you up early in the morning. Our emotional drive is the strong reason behind everything we do. For example, You might want to be a doctor in the future because you lost someone you loved in your childhood due to a lack of medical care, and there are many examples like this.

Try to approach the goal in new ways.

We try to approach our goals old-fashioned, but it is time to think differently. Trying things with different approaches sets the mind for accepting changes. Like working in different environments and trying goals with different approaches, our ability to focus and work for a long time increases.

Be Kind and compassionate.

Kindness and compassion are the two main pillars of human nature. Kindness and compassion reduce our stress and anxiety levels. Kindness and compassion motivate you towards peace.

Learn something new

Sometimes we feel demotivated due to a lack of education or skills. Learning something new every day helps you to gain information, and information leads to motivation. If you could improve just 1% every day, you could end up 37% better by the end of the year.

Renovate Yourself

Some people hate how their body looks, but it is not about how our body looks; it is about our mindset. If you cannot change your mindset, why not change your looks then? You can wear clean and ironed clothes, a trimmed beard, a nice hairstyle, and many other things. The main idea is if you feel bad about your looks, then change that look.

Give back to the community.

Helping others is also a kind of activity that motivates you to work toward your goals. Giving back to the community enriches you, connecting with people and their ideas that impact your life. Giving back to the community is a way of growing and motivating yourself.

Challenge yourself

Human biology loves challenges. Just like how we grow muscle, we also grow mentally with the challenges that we face throughout our life. Our challenges are stepping stones for our success and motivation.

Get out of your comfort zone.

Getting out of your safe zone is hard, but the result is beautiful. Your life starts where your comfort zone ends. Think of it this way, getting out of your comfort zone helps you to grow, be creative, increase your confidence, and have lots of other benefits. Getting out of your comfort zone is like dropping out of college, quitting that 9-5 job, getting out of toxic relationships, etc. The prime reason people don't get successful or motivated is that they love their comfort zone. Being afraid of getting out of your comfort zone makes you back. 80% of people are afraid of getting out of their comfort zone.

Take power nap

Throughout the day, we get tired with tons of work, and we need some brain reset to work optimally again. Beyond motivation, power naps help to better your memory, have stronger logical reasoning, improve critical thinking ability, and many other things.

Try time logging

This technique of time logging I got to know from relatives of mine when I was in high school. This goes like this, you log everything you do on a normal day, and at night you analyze where you spend your time, and the next day you do the same thing again. By logging your every move on a day, you will gain control of your time.

Stay hydrated

Our body comprises 70% of water, so water is the most crucial thing for our body. We feel low when we lack water in the body. To revive our energy when we wake up, it is essential to drink water.

Embrace changes

We are afraid of changes, we never get ahead in life just because we are afraid of accepting new things. Accepting changes is an important part of survival strategy and embracing changes motivates you to work harder.

Meet successful people

Our environment shapes our mind and behavior, so to get and feel motivated, we should surround ourselves with successful and motivated people. Get away from toxic people and relationships as fast as you can.

Stop always lying on the bed.

You got to stop lying on the bed, not because I told you so but because research shows that people who do not get moved or in another language always lie have high chances of diseases. Also, always lying in bed makes you lazy.

Read some quotes

Some people might say to you that you should not read quotes, but that is not right. Reading or listening to quotes motivates you to get up and do that work. Our mind loves negative things more than positive ones, so it is necessary to fill the mind with only positive and impactful thoughts.

Work Motivation

Get yourself a job

This can be anything but a job. You need a job to fill you up, whether a study or an income-generating job. Staying without doing anything is the worst thing you can imagine with yourself.

Plan out your every single day

Planning your day can be hard at first, but with some practice, you will get used to it. Planning your day helps you beat your procrastination habit, and you will also get more focused time.

Work in a silent environment

It will be harder to work in a noisy environment. It is a lot harder to focus in a noisy environment so find yourself a silent environment. It can be anywhere where you can sit and think.

Keep clean desk

A clean working environment is necessary for focusing on the long hours. If there are distracting elements here and there on your desk, it is impossible to focus, so before sitting to work, clean your desk.

Keep your working room cool.

A cool working area is necessary to perform in an optimal state. If it is hot in your working environment, it will be hard to focus optimally, so find ways to make your environment cool. Not everyone can afford air conditioners, but they can place a table or ceiling fan around them.

Get crystal clear clarity.

Getting clear about your goals and tasks is hard, but it is important. So, how do we get clear about our goals? The first and foremost important thing is that goals must be achievable. Read this article indeed to learn more about setting clear goals.

Surround yourself with people, loneliness makes you feel demotivated

We feel demotivated and low when we are alone. Sometimes it is better to have some friends or family members to talk to during times of demotivation. Demotivation arises within yourself, so it is important to take care of our thoughts and surrounding environment.

Keep up your energy

Learn to use your energy more wisely. Don't waste your precious time and energy on entertainment instead, you should learn or do something. Learn to distribute your energy to certain tasks according to priority.

Make public goals

Making your goals public makes you more accountable, and you will be able to achieve them, but it is important to know which goals are public and which are not.

Break Your task into small manageable chunks

Humans love to build or assemble things. When you are breaking your task into small chunks, you are preparing to assemble things up, and that is what makes it easier to work for a long time consistently.

Team up with similar mindsets, people

It is said that our environment shapes our personality. We human beings have an advantage over other animals, which is the ability to choose our group. Be wise to choose your peers; it is them and their thoughts that set you up.

Make todo list

I think everybody must have told you to make to-do lists, but why make to-do lists because it is a superior productivity tool. Why is it a superior tool? It makes you think about your tasks. Here is the detailed guide to making a to-do list.

Keep track of your progress.

Keeping track of your progress helps you to understand whether your efforts are working or not. If you keep working and there is no progress, then there is no meaning in working hard, and there is zero motivation.

Remove any kind of distraction.

It is important to have a distraction-free working area. Unlike in the past, modern-day distractions are mobile phones and social media notifications, so be sure to turn them off.

Be in positive competition.

The positive competition invites creativity in your work. It is also a type of competition where team members, instead of competing with each other, compete for the team's common goal.

Have fun

Having fun in a stressful working environment can be hard, but if you try, you will be surprised to know that your stress is gone and you have a new dose of motivation to work.

Hold yourself accountable

The major problem with our motivation is our lack of accountability. It will be easier to be accountable if you have an accountability partner, somebody who forces you to work on your promises.

Do not compare yourself with others.

Here comes another enemy of motivation and lack of confidence. Comparing yourself to others only makes things worse. Sometimes it is also beneficial to compare with others, but that situation has a minor impact.

Develop a ritual

In the name of being yourself, most people don’t have a work ritual. Work ritual is important, and it doesn't have anything to do with you being yourself.

Avoid Gossips

What do you think, is gossip bad or good? Whatever your answer may be, the result of gossip is always negative. When you gossip, you tell your audience that you cannot be trusted.

Control your cravings

If you don’t control your cravings and desires, then they will control you. One must have a clear and concise understanding of their cravings to get motivated.

Stop Complaining about everything.

I have seen many people complaining about tribal things, but that is not a good sign for having focus and a motivated mind.

Try to complete what you have started.

When I don't complete what I have started, I feel uncomfortable until I finish that task. When you complete the task, you get a sense of achievement, and your confidence rises.

Get away from limiting wishes.

In a simple sense, this means having audacious goals. I have seen capable people in miserable conditions because of limiting wishes. Thinking big needs some practice, but you will gain experience in it.

Start your day with success.

Starting your day with success sets the momentum for the whole day. If your starting is successful, then it creates a motivation to follow that momentum. Start your day with easily achievable goals, for example, drinking water, meditation, etc.

Get conscious about your information intake.

Due to the internet, everybody got the opportunity to have a university in their hands it came with some drawbacks. The risk of information authentication is dangerous so it will be wise to consume information that is verified and authentic.

Think outside of the box

Everybody is talking about thinking outside the box, but what is it? Thinking outside the box means thinking unconventionally. It is a modern way to say think creatively. This skill can be learned, and it takes time.

Just start

When you have lots of tasks waiting to be completed, you understand how much easier it will be when you just start. Many people don’t even dare to start, so they become unmotivated and miserable.

Focus on end goals

Most of us know what are but what are end goals well; end goals are broad, long-term goals. Having end goals, one can fully understand the path that needs to follow.

Show your result

Sometimes showing our results with friends and family also motivates us. How does that work? We get positive compliments when we show our successful results to others, and it sets a momentum of motivation.

Be optimistic

A positive and open mind is necessary for learning and getting successful in life. According to a study, optimistic people have a 35% lower chance of getting heart disease.

Try different hobbies

We get bored doing the same thing for a long time, but this does not have to be always like this. You can find new hobbies and interests. Trying new hobbies help you to understand your problems in a new way.

Make connection

Humans are a social animal, our connections shapes who we become. If you want to be successful, then it is important to make connections with successful people and learn from them. It will also act like an accountability partner and motivates you to work harder.

Wear clean and comfortable clothes

Our clothes make our image. The way we wear clothes sets an impression on other people. Everybody loves clean and comfortable clothes. Clothes don't have to be expensive ones, but they need to be well stitched and ironed.

Try to avoid multitasking

Multitasking is bad for your productivity. It kills your focus, quality of work, and ability to work for a long time. Focusing on a single task motivates you to work for a long time.

Study Motivation

Find study partners

Studying alone can be a boring task, and you can eliminate that boredom with the help of a study partner. You can discuss problems and test each other. With a study partner, studying can be fun and easier.

Mix up the learning style

Every person has a different learning style, for example, a person may be a visual learner, auditory learner, kinesthetic learner, or reading or writing learner. But if you try to mix up those different styles, you will learn the concept easily.

Create visual material to understand better

Our learning primarily depends on visuals, so with interactive and fun visual material, you will learn the concept easily, and your motivation will boost.

Put your smartphone on silent.

Smartphones are the major distraction a student can ever find. Not just put your smartphone on silent, but also keep your phone away from your study room so that you are fully focused on the task.

Use a mind map to organize information.

If you are learning harder subjects like medical courses or engineering, you will be surprised to know the benefits of using mind maps. Using a mind map helps you to organize your information system and help in learning.

Enjoy the process

Many students feel demotivated when they encounter harder problems they cannot solve. The solution here is to enjoy the process, not the problem.

Reduce news intake

Students don’t need to know what is happening in Hollywood. Reducing the consumption of news has a significant impact on your information intake capability. If you cannot, then you might change the types of news or articles you read.

Learn to say no

What is meant by learning to say no? It means you must learn to say no to unwanted parties and gatherings. You might say we need to socialize; yes, you have to, but only after you have completed your task.

Try to accept your feelings

Student life is hard, we are frustrated and depressed throughout our student life but that can be changed by accepting your feelings. Recognize your feelings and try to overcome that. You can take help from your friends.

Have positive peer pressure

Like negative peer pressure, positive peer pressure can drastically improve your life. Choose people who are ambitious, hard-working, and have good character as your friend.

Burn all the bridges

Burning all the bridges means not leaving any type of alternative. Studying is a focus-intensive task so all distracting material or options should be avoided.

Try different approach

If you cannot understand or solve that problem, try another process. You cannot expect to get different outputs with the same input. You have to be ready to try a different approach.

Have a designated study or working area

Students who use designated study areas other than the kitchen, bedroom, etc. are much more likely to be disturbed, and they produce quality work. With better focus, you will retain information quickly and are less likely to be demotivated.

Ask for feedback

Most students growing from children to teenagers become shy and afraid of asking for feedback. But students should take the initiative to ask for feedback. Taking feedback allows you to focus on your weak part.

Don't worry about things you cannot control

This is important. You don’t have to worry about the sun coming closer to earth or a tsunami in the pacific ocean. What you have to worry about is how you can improve your study. Once you think like that, you gain motivation to work harder.

Try dopamine detox

What is dopamine detox? Dopamine detox is avoiding dopamine-triggering activities for a set amount of time. You might ask why we do that. Well, dopamine detox has benefits, and one major one is that it helps you to get rid of unhealthy habits.

Teach others

When you take the responsibility to teach others, you become more focused and active in the learning process. And also, teaching others helps you to think clearly about those topics. It will motivate you to study more.

Use Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro technique is a time management technique that involves doing 25 minutes of work and taking 5 minutes break. This work and break time can be changed at your will. With the Pomodoro technique, you can work for a long period.

Know when to take a break

Just like starting to work, it is also important to know when to take a rest and gain energy. With focused, intensive tasks like studying, we become tired, so it is important to take a break to gain focus and strength.

Create achievable goals

Of course, you should think big, but thinking big doesn't mean having unrealistic goals. Your goals should be achievable and have a big impact on your life.

Imagine the outcome if you don't do it.

Think about what will happen if you don’t do that work. Whether a student or a working professional, this technique will help you gain instant motivation. Once you are clear about the result, then you will feel motivated.

Ask for help

Once you are stuck on some problem, you must ask for help. You can ask your family, friends, neighbors, tutors, or even strangers to help you. You just need to ask, and there will be people with knowledge and experience at your door to help you.

conclusion

Here we go; you just got the 100 secrets to gain motivation. Did I miss anything? I want to hear from you. If I miss anything or you have better ideas, let me know in the comment section below.