Ayelet Fishbach is an expert in the science of motivation. She's studied motivation and has written a book. If you're getting frustrated with not accomplishing your goals or never completing your to-do list, she has some advice.
- Set a positive, attainable goal. It starts with the "what." She says don't make your goals "don'ts." If you want to make it to an early morning workout class, make the goal exactly that "go to morning workout class." Don't make the goal "don't oversleep."
- Monitor Progress and don't be afraid to change focus halfway through. When you reach the halfway point on your to-do list, see if you need to refocus. A lot of us lose our way halfway through and don't finish, we lose motivation. It's ok to re-focus to tackle our goals.
- Your goals should balance each other. If your goal is to eat healthy. You should not have a goal to "take the family out for ice cream once per week" on your list.
- Support. I can attest to this with my healthy living goals, I put it out there and I have so much support! I also have a health coach who helps me be held accountable.
Good luck!