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1-2-3 Social Psychology for Leaders: How To Stay Motivated

How to stay motivated https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11BFOXSJJUQWelcome to 1-2-3 Social Psychology for Leaders, a bi-weekly newsletter that helps ambitious people lead their

How to stay motivated

Welcome to 1-2-3 Social Psychology for Leaders, a bi-weekly newsletter that helps ambitious people lead their lives and careers intentionally with confidence and energy. Has someone forwarded you this? Subscribe here so you don’t miss the next one.

Today we are going to talk about:

Motivation Killer
The ‘Taking Responsibility Moment’
How to Sustain Motivation and Drive

Dear curious mind,

The summer is over, and for most of us, that means that work is picking up speed again. At the same time, stores will quickly remind you that you need to start preparing for the holiday season (yep, not only are the pumpkins back, but so are the snowflakes).

I feel slightly under pressure, which doesn’t necessarily make me more productive. On the contrary, it actually decreases my creativity and, with that, my motivation at times.

Does this resonate?

I have observed this about motivation over the years, working as a social psychologist, consultant, executive leadership coach, and lecturer:

Motivation Killers:

Pressure & stress 🏋️‍♀️
Too many repetitive tasks 📅
Lack of energizing interactions 🗣️
Family drama 🥴
Financial stress 💸
Health issues 🚑
Lack of exercise 🏃‍♀️
Lack of goals or vision 🎯

⏳ When Pressure Becomes Motivation

I also learned that pressure and stress can act as motivators and incentives, especially when they are self-produced. Let’s be honest: We often create stress ourselves by writing endless to-do lists📝, setting unattainable goals and timelines, or spinning stories about situations that really don’t matter. What if you turn it around?

I call this the ‘Taking Responsibility Moment’.

Taking responsibility for your thoughts, actions, and feelings means accepting yourself with all your strengths and weaknesses. The most challenging part of self-acceptance is tolerating yourself when things don’t go as planned and taking responsibility for your thoughts, which directly impact how you feel and how motivated you are.

In moments of distress, you have two choices:

Go down the rabbit hole of negativity. 🐇
Pause and figure out what I’m missing to stay motivated. 🧘‍♀️

For me, it’s usually a lack of connection.

This phenomenon is called Social Motivation—a learned psychological drive we develop through our upbringing. Social motivation helps us achieve our goals; without interactions, we lose motivation. Through connection, we stay motivated and find meaning in our work.

Of course, other factors like burnout, grief, lack of purpose, and poor physical health can also contribute to a loss of motivation, as mentioned before.

Whatever the cause, there are ways to stop yourself from spiraling downwards.

How to Re-Energize Yourself:

Motivation and energy are directly linked—so how do you boost your energy? Start by understanding what drains it. What triggers your lack of motivation?

Ask yourself:

What do you lack motivation for? 🏃‍♀️

Do you need a new path? 🌟

Are you trying to turn an idea into reality? 💡

Need more activities outside of work? 🎨

Want to work towards your next promotion? 💼

Then, figure out what you need to stay motivated. Most people underestimate how much energy it takes to self-motivate—even the most successful visionaries and leaders question themselves sometimes.

Practical Self-Development Tools

Exercise 1: Success Ladder Visualization

Set a Clear Goal 🎯: Pick a small, specific goal that you want to achieve. It should be something realistic and achievable in a short time (e.g., completing a project, learning a new skill).
Break It Into Steps 🪜: Imagine this goal as a ladder with 4–5 rungs. Each rung represents a mini-task or milestone. Focus on one step at a time. The key is to build momentum by accomplishing small, manageable tasks that move you toward your larger goal.
Visualize Past Success 💡: Close your eyes and visualize a past success where you achieved something challenging. This helps you reconnect with the feeling of capability and reinforces the belief that you can succeed again.
Take Action 🚀: Start working on the first step of your “success ladder.” Each time you complete a task, take a moment to acknowledge your progress. Celebrating small wins reinforces your belief in your ability to succeed.

By progressing through the ladder, you’ll gradually strengthen your self-efficacy through visible, manageable accomplishments!

Exercise 2: The “5-Minute Action Boost”

With this exercise you can kick-start your motivation by tackling small, manageable tasks to build momentum and re-engage your focus.

Step 1: Pick One Small Task Choose a task that takes no more than 5 minutes to complete. This could be something as simple as replying to an email, tidying up your workspace, or organizing a few notes.

Step 2: Set a Timer for 5 Minutes ⏲️ Once you’ve chosen the task, set a timer for 5 minutes. The goal here is to focus solely on this one small action, avoiding distractions.

Step 3: Complete the Task Start working on the task. The key here is to finish it within the 5-minute window. Don’t overthink it; just complete it and move on.

Step 4: Celebrate the Win 🎉 When the timer goes off, acknowledge the fact that you completed the task. Give yourself a small mental pat on the back! This sense of accomplishment, no matter how small, starts to create positive momentum.

Step 5: Repeat or Scale Up If you feel energized, repeat the exercise with another small task. Gradually, you’ll notice that completing these small tasks gives you the motivation and confidence to tackle bigger, more challenging ones.

Why it Works: By breaking tasks down into manageable chunks, you reduce overwhelm. Completing even small tasks gives you a sense of achievement, which is a powerful motivator to keep going. This exercise is all about building momentum, and small wins can snowball into larger successes. 🌟

“Self-motivation is an essential leadership skill and is one of the few core competencies underpinning emotional intelligence.” –

unknown

3. Additional Resources:

Podcast Suggestion

why listen?

This Podcast Is Perfect For You To Get Inspired And Motivated To Do The Hard Things In Your Life. Each Guest Is A Very Successful Person Who Shares A Story You Won’t Find In Their Bio! These Are Stories Of FAILURE – Not To Glorify It, But To Humanize The True Story Of Success