Why you are not motivated to reach your goal

Do you have an iPhone? Okay, perhaps a better question is:  who doesn't have an iPhone? 

I happen to use an iPhone, and for others who carry that little pocket-sized computer every where they go you may not realize it, but you have a powerful coaching tool, literally at your fingertips. In particular, an app that comes with the iPhone. The Reminders app. (I'll come back to this)

When I coach GrowLoop clients the process usually involves a goal, like launching a digital marketing strategy for a client's business.  Together we identify a deadline of when the client wants to achieve his/her goal.  We'll then break down the action steps necessary to work through and complete. Each action step has its own deadline, and culminates with the completion of the goal.

Most solopreneurs recognize the idea of plotting out a plan to meet their goal across a timeline.  However, it's when true action -- the real work -- is required that motivation toward reaching their goal, by the originally identified deadline, begins to wane.

What can keep you motivated to reach your goal?  That's a great question.

Well, one reason entrepreneurs hire coaches is to get assistance staying motivated.  By also having an outside perspective coaching clients have a useful arrow in their quiver toward reaching their goals and full potential.

In coaching relationships with clients, when motivation slows to a crawl is when I really hold clients accountable for the action they take, or don't, toward their goal.  I'll encourage clients to use a victory journal to look back at the many little victories they've already accomplished toward their goal.  Exercises like this are helpful.  Why?  ...because they show progress.

The key to staying motivated toward reaching your goal is to be able to regularly see your progress.

So back to the iPhone app, Reminders...  Reminders let's you make lists of things you need to be reminded to do.  I've really only recently begun using this app, but I like it because I can type in quick digital reminders that help me to remember to complete various tasks, like paying what bills when each month, or when to follow up with certain contacts who I may not have reached out to in a while.

The point is:  after I complete those seemingly small tasks I get to tap the little check box that indicates I've completed that task, and I keep those completed tasks in the Reminders app for about a week after completing them.  After the week has passed, I'll go back and review the completed tasks as I finally delete them.  The weekly review is a reminder of how many little steps I've actually taken that, together, equal a big step forward -- progress.

A few things happen when I use the Reminders app that help my motivation:

• I'm taking time on the front end to plan a few things I need to do in the future -- even if it's only a few hours into the future.
• Because I have a record of what I need to do, I can see it and it's on a timeline (usually a calendar of some sort), so that helps take the guess work out of what I need to do and when.
• By knowing what I need to do and when, I mentally put a stake in the ground on the date and/or the exact time I need to complete an action -- it creates a definite deadline, which allows the mind to segment tasks into smaller chunks as not to get overwhelmed with one large task that contains many steps...mentally, too large of a task -- one that should really be broken down into several smaller steps -- will feel too impossible to comfortably and confidently complete by the deadline.  Thus, motivation will fade, procrastination kicks in and pretty soon there is no progress to be had.
• In the Reminders app I like that I visually see my 'completed' tasks, which reminds me that I am taking action toward the things I need to be completing -- no matter the size of the task.
  

All of these above bulleted items show various stages of progress and allow me to engage with that progress regularly.  That keeps motivation strong.  Seeing and reviewing your progress is like having a map of your goal -- you can see where you started, how far you've come, and how close you are toward reaching your goal.  Do the work and you'll get there, but stay motivated by your progress.

Posted by:  Nick Venturella

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