The most popular comment on that video asked for how to study when you don't feel like it.

This is actually a pretty common request.

I get this question all the time, like how to get motivated and stay motivated

and even how to get motivated to exercise and eat healthy.

So today's video is going to be all about motivation and how to stay motivated.

According to Google, motivation is "the general desire or willingness to do something"

It's funny because sometimes there are days where we feel extra motivated

and feel like we can do anything.

Gym? No problem.

Study for several hours? Lets go!

But then there are days where we don't feel like doing anything all.

So my first tip is to automate your motivation.

Let me explain!

Every day I have to make small choices like what time should I wake up, what should I wear,

what should I work on, should I go for a workout, what should I eat for lunch, what about dinner?

Should I do more practice questions?

Should I watch an episode of Fresh Prince?

What time should I go to bed?

All these small decisions can get overwhelming and sometimes leads us to make bad choices.

There is actually a term for it.

It's called "decision fatigue."

"Decision fatigue" is refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual

after a long session of decision making.

A good example would be eating unhealthy and not working out after a long day at work.

One way to overcome "decision fatigue" is to limit the decisions you make in a day.

For example the late Steve Jobs famously wore the same outfit every day.

Mark Zuckerberg does too and even President Obama!

In an interview with Vanify Fair he said:

“You'll see I wear only gray or blue suits. I'm trying to pare down decisions.

I don't want to make decisions about what I'm eating or wearing

because I have too many other decisions to make.”

Wearing the same thing everyday is one way of automating and limiting the decisions you

make but there are other ways of automating your decisions like prepping your meals for

the week so you don't have to decide on what to for during lunch.

Or having a workout routine so you know exactly what you're working out out on that day.

But I think one of the best way(s) to limit decisions you have to make is to use a calendar or a

schedule to make a routine.

So when it comes to making a routine,

it should be personalized to the type of person you are.

We all have different personalities and preferences, so if you're a night owl, then maybe you

should schedule your work or study sessions at night.

Likewise, if you're more productive in the morning then you should do the opposite and

schedule your work sessions during the day.

You should also consider where you feel the most productive.

For example, some people prefer studying alone in a room with little or no distraction while

others prefer studying in the library or coffee shops.

It goes back to the meaning of motivation which is “the general desire or willingness

to do something” so if you place yourself in a setting where it's optimized to your

preferences, then your willingness to do work will come by easier and you don't have to

rely on the random bursts of motivation.

Stephen King once said “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration,

the rest of us just get up and go to work.”

I think that's true for most successful people.

One example is Serena Williams.

Before she was tennis super star, she had to practice a lot.

When she was a little kid, her life was described like this:

“...get up, 6 o'clock in the morning, go to tennis court before school.

After school, go to tennis.

But it was consistency.

I hate to put it like this, but it's like training an animal.

You can't just be sometime-y with it.”

So in the end, the whole idea of a routine is to get you to a position where everything

is automated and you don't have to think about your next move.

It's has already been decided.

If you're already at the library or the coffee shop, or at the tennis court, your

choice has been made — you're there to get some work done.

When it comes to making a routine or a schedule building, I find that what works best for

me is having combination of an electronic calendar and a physical to-do list.

But even this can be personalized to your preferences, some people like using agendas

and bullet journals, while others like using some sort of electronic calendar.

I don't think there is a universal “best” method of keeping track of your routine.

I would say the best one for you is the one you're going to stick with long term.

So let's say you have your routine and it's optimized to who you are, naturally,

the follow-up question is "How do I stay motivated on achieving my goals?"

One way to do it is to break down big goals into smaller, more-manageable tasks.

A pretty common resolution for new years resolutioners is to get healthy and lose some weight.

Getting healthy and losing weight may be a daunting task at first, and may cause you

to lose motivation especially if you don't see results at first.

Breaking it down to smaller, more achievable tasks can help you stay on track and not lose motivation.

So if the big goal is to get healthy, we can break it down to smaller but easier, more

concrete tasks, like exercising 45 minutes a day for 3-4 times a week, or meal prepping

for the whole week.

For me, whenever I finish a smaller task, it gives me a sense of accomplishment, which

feels good and helps me stay motivated with the bigger picture.

So there you have it!

Those are my tips on self motivation and how to stay motivated.

Comment below on... Hey!

Comment below how you guys stay motivated.

And as a reminder I have some new stationery items at the store at thestrivetofit.com

so don't forget to check it out!

Hope you guys enjoyed the video!

Don't forget to like and subscribe and I will see you guys next time.

Bye!