1. The document provides 11 tips for self-motivation backed by science: put your goal on a calendar, make working toward your goal a habit, plan for imperfection, set small goals to build momentum, track your progress, reward yourself, embrace positive peer pressure, practice gratitude, do some mood lifting, change your environment, and remember your "why." 2. Each tip is then explained in more detail, outlining strategies like creating "if-then" plans to trigger habit formation, anticipating obstacles, breaking large goals into smaller chunks, using tools to visualize progress, and boosting mood through activities like spending time in nature. 3. Reinforcing one's motivations by regularly visualizing the

1. How to Motivate Yourself: 11 Tips for Self
Improvement
Articles
Professional Development
How to Motivate Yourself: 11 Tips for Self Improvement
How to Motivate Yourself: 11 Tips for Self Improvement
click this link to watch cideo :
Achieve your goals with these science-backed motivation enhancers.
A smiling man wearing a shoulder bag and carrying a to-go cup of coffee leaps from
one bench to the next outside an office building.
Setting a goal—anything from getting a degree or landing a new job to achieving a
new level of physical fitness—is a big step toward improving your life. But following
through to achieve what we’ve set out to accomplish can be challenging, especially on
those days when motivation wanes. So how do you follow through on your
commitments during those times when you just don’t feel like putting in the work?
We all lose motivation from time to time. When you’re feeling unmotivated, try one
of these science-backed strategies to get yourself back on track toward your goal.
Put your goal on the calendar.
Make working toward your goal a habit.
Plan for imperfection.
Set small goals to build momentum.
Track your progress.
Reward yourself for the little wins as well as the big ones.
Embrace positive peer pressure.
Practice gratitude (including for yourself).
Do some mood lifting.
Change your environment.
Remember your “why.”
Self-motivation tips
Let's take a closer look at each of the above tips. Here, we'll break down these self-
motivation techniques, detailing what they are and the science behind them.

2. 1. Put your goal on the calendar.
One way to give a boost to your internal motivation is to create some external
motivation: a target date. Whatever it is you’re aiming to accomplish, put it on the
calendar. You may be working toward a goal with a set finish date built in. Examples
include preparing for a test or taking a course with a fixed end date
If your goal lacks this structure, you can add it by deciding on a date by which you
could realistically achieve your goal.
Want to run a 5k or marathon? Sign up for a race on or near your target date.
Considering a degree? Research the application deadline and write it down. Aiming to
learn a new career skill? Register for a course and set a target date to finish.
Having a target date not only helps you stay motivated, it also helps you track your
progress—you always know how much further you have to go. This can have a big
impact on your performance
Note: Tip: Setting a target date
Be realistic when setting your target date, but resist the urge to give yourself more
time than you’ll need. Studies show that we sometimes perceive longer goals as more
difficult, even when they’re not. This can lead to a greater likelihood of
procrastination or quittin
2. Make working toward your goal a habit.
When you make working toward your goal a habit—an automatic conditioned
response—you no longer have to rely so much on feeling motivated. How do you turn
a behavior into a habit?
Identify a trigger.
Choose something that you already do everyday, like brushing your teeth or eating
lunch, to be a trigger for the action you want to make a habit. Write out an “if-then”
plan (also known as an implementation intention).
For example, if you want to create a habit of studying for a class everyday, your if-
then plan might look like this:
If I pour my first cup of coffee, then I will spend five minutes on my math homework.
To build consistency in exercise, it might look like this:
If I get up and brush my teeth, then I will immediately put on my workout clothes.
Making this plan and committing it to writing could increase the likelihood of
following through watching youtube video click this link
https://uii.io/Motivationvid123
Start small.
Notice that the above examples do not say that you’ll read six chapters of your
textbook, watch two hours of lecture videos, or spend an hour sweating on the
treadmill.

3. Getting started is often the hardest part on low-motivation days, and starting is much
easier when the task is small: Five minutes of study or putting on your workout
clothes [4].
These seemingly small actions can prime your mind for the task at hand, so the
followthrough—a longer study session or a full workout—can happen more naturally
with less mental resistance, according to The Science of Self Help [5]
3. Plan for imperfection.
It’s great to feel excited and confident about achieving your goal, but it’s also possible
to be too optimistic [6]. Not every day will go exactly as planned, and that’s okay.
Life happens.
One way to boost motivation on difficult days is simply to plan for them. As you think
about your goal, jot down a list of the things that could get in your way. If you’re
taking an online course, this could include:
Losing internet access
Getting a phone call in the middle of a study session
Having a child home sick
Feeling stuck on a difficult concept or assignment
If your goal is to go running everyday, some obstacles might include:
Rainy weather
Injury
Illness
Getting asked to stay late at work during the time you usually run
We can’t predict everything that could happen, but we can predict those obstacles that
are likely to happen from time to time based on our unique circumstances.
Once you have your list, make a plan for how to handle the obstacle. How can you
plan ahead for when your internet goes out? Maybe you could keep a few lecture
videos downloaded to your phone or computer for offline access, or you could
identify a nearby coffee shop that offers free wifi.
Now when that obstacle pops up, instead of losing motivation and feeling deflated,
you have a plan in place to keep the momentum going.
Keep in mind that for some obstacles, missing your task is a perfectly acceptable plan.
4. Set small goals to build momentum.

4. “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed
every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a
small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and
another.”
Naval Admiral William H. McRaven gave this advice during his commencement
speech at the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. The former Navy SEAL was onto
something.
Research shows that frequent small successes can build a sense of momentum that can
in turn drive long-term success, especially early in the process [7, 8]. Whatever your
big goal may be, start by breaking it down into smaller chunks. Getting a new job
might be a big goal. Smaller goals could be updating your resume, making a portfolio
website, earning a certification, or attending a networking event.
5. Track your progress.
Seeing progress can be highly motivating [10]. You’ll find many tools out there to
help you track your goals. This could be as simple as a to-do list or calendar where
you can cross off tasks or days as you complete them. Or you might opt for a free tool
like Trello, which allows you to create a personalized digital task board to categorize
your big goal into daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly sub goals.
Another option is to draw a progress bar on a sheet of poster board or paper. Hang it
somewhere where you’ll see it regularly, and fill it in as you get closer to your goal.
6. Reward yourself for the little wins as well as the big ones.
It feels good to be rewarded for our work. But rewards can also improve motivation
and performance. Rewarding yourself for reaching small milestones and completing
big goals could boost your interest and enjoyment in the work you’re doing [11].
These rewards don’t have to be big or cost a lot of money. Here’s a quick list of ideas
you could use to reward yourself:
Take a short break
Go for a walk outside
Enjoy your favorite snack
Read a chapter of your favorite book
Spend a few minutes meditating
Listen to an episode of your favorite podcast
Plan a night out with friends
Play an online game
Visit a free museum or attraction

5. Have a long bath or shower
Call a friend or family member
7. Embrace positive peer pressure.
You’re ultimately the one who puts in the work to achieve your goals. But other
people can be a great motivator.
Research shows that feeling like you’re part of a team can lead to boosted
perseverance, engagement, and performance, even if you’re working alone [12].
Depending on your goal, this might mean joining a study group, running team, gym
class, professional organization, or virtual challenge.
Another study suggests that sharing your goal with someone whose opinion you value
can strengthen your commitment to attaining that goal [13]. For work goals, consider
sharing with a mentor or supervisor. You might choose to share educational goals with
a teacher or academic advisor, or fitness goals with a coach or fellow gym member
who you admire.
8. Practice gratitude (including for yourself).
It might seem like gratitude would lead to complacency and acceptance of the status
quo. Yet some studies have shown otherwise. Feelings of gratitude can:
Motivate self-improvement (https://uii.io/Motivationvid123)
Make us feel connected to others (i.e. part of the team)
(https://uii.io/Motivationvid123)
Enhance motivation across time, beyond the duration of the gratitude practice
(https://uii.io/Motivationvid123)
Induce a sense of wanting to give back (https://uii.io/Motivationvid123)
Improve physical and mental health, as well as sleep (https://uii.io/Motivationvid123)
There’s more than one way to foster an attitude of gratitude. Spend the first five
minutes after you wake up going through all the things you feel grateful for. Better
yet, write them down in a gratitude journal. Is there someone in your life you’re
particularly grateful for? Write them a letter expressing your thanks.

6. 9. Do some mood lifting.
A good mood has been linked to increased productivity, and improvement in both
quality and quantity of work [19, 20]. This doesn’t mean that you have to be positive
all the time—that’s not realistic. But if you’re feeling sluggish about working toward
your goal, a quick mood lift could be enough to get you started.
Need some ideas for how to boost your mood? You could try to:
Spend some time in nature (or at least get some sunlight)
(https://uii.io/Motivationvid123)
Look at some cute pictures or videos of animals on
Watch funny videos on YouTube [https://uii.io/Motivationvid123]
Exercise [24]
Adopt an alter ego (i.e. the Batman effect) [https://uii.io/Motivationvid123]
10. Change your environment.
Sometimes a change of scenery can help you approach your task with fresh eyes (and
a new sense of motivation). This is called the novelty effect—a short-term boost that
comes from altering your environment [https://uii.io/Motivationvid123].
If you usually study at home, have a session at your local library. Do you always
watch lecture videos on your computer? Try downloading them to your phone to
watch outside in the park. Switch up your running route, or try a new exercise routine.
11. Remember your “why.”
Why is this goal important to you? Why is that reason important to you? Why is that
important to you? Keep digging until you get to your ultimate “why”—the core value
that’s driving your goal.
To further reinforce your “why,” set an alarm every morning to remind yourself to
spend one or two minutes visualizing what success would look like. What would it
feel like to achieve your goal?
What’s your career goal?
Empower yourself to achieve your career goals, big and small, with Coursera Plus.
Get unlimited access to more than 7,000 courses, hands-on projects, and certificate
programs to enhance your resume. Get started with a seven-day free trial
Click on this link to watch the video (https://uii.io/Motivationvid123)