2020 has been an unpredictable year, to say the least. At this point, it is fair to say most of us have felt at least a little overwhelmed at the many changes it has brought. The pandemic specifically has changed the way households and businesses operate and provided new challenges to families across the world.
At the beginning of the pandemic many of us, now forced into our homes, became motivated to complete new projects, take on new tasks, and work hard to keep ourselves busy and improve our lives. However, months into this crisis, many of us are finding that that initial stay-at-home motivation is beginning to wane. The once hurried excitement of home or self-improvement may seem a little lackluster now, leaving many of us wondering, how exactly do we maintain motivation amid a pandemic that doesn’t seem to have an end in sight? Here are five ways to help maintain your personal motivation and avoid burnout during this pandemic.
1. Focus on intrinsic motivation
There are two types of motivation, extrinsic motivation which focuses on acts done to receive an external reward like wealth or fame, and intrinsic motivation which focuses on things that are personally rewarding like helping a friend in need. The pandemic has pushed most of us into extrinsic motivation and in order to keep from burning out, we must focus on things that are intrinsically motivating. By focusing on what is important to ourselves, we reignite our motivation.
2. Be Altruistic
Altruism is especially important during this pandemic not only for motivation and feeling good about yourself, but because people need help! By helping others, you help yourself to feel good. This feeling helps us to stay motivated by helping improve the lives of others.
3. Divide Large Goals into Small Specific Tasks
This is one of the easiest ways to avoid burnout. A large task can seem very daunting if you look at it as a whole; however, if you break it into smaller tasks it becomes more palatable. If you take a step further and schedule the smaller tasks before you know it the task that once seemed impossible is now done.
4. Avoid Perfectionism
No one is perfect. This pandemic is not the time to focus on everything that is wrong. Let the perfectionism go because focusing on making every task perfect will just keep you stuck on one task. Let it go.
5. Reward Yourself
After a job well done, reward yourself for completion. You deserve it! By allowing yourself to feel good about a job well done and including a reward you will always have a reason to stay motivated.
With everything that is going on in this world, it can be hard to stay motivated. Many of us may be thinking, “what is the point of trying?” That feeling of doom can hold us back from achieving our goals during this pandemic. Don’t allow that feeling to control you, be mindful of all the wonderful things around you. Allow yourself to help others, and in turn, you will help yourself. We are all in this together.
