Psychological tips to maintain motivation
1. Instant Habits
The theory: Using what psychologists call ‘Implementation Intentions’ you can make any behaviour habitual quickly. The key is to pair a situation with your desired behaviour.
This works because similar contexts around performing repetitive behaviour are very powerful in making those behaviours automatic/habitual. For example, when we get dessert cravings after a nice meal even though we’re full.
One study found that participants who had agreed to an IF-THEN statement (If I see…Then I will…) for a task rather than a statement of intent (I intend to…) were more persistent in the task in the face of adversity (an annoying noise).
Just because of the wording by which they thought of the task!
How to use it: Use an IF-THEN statement to associate a walk to a time of day. IF I take a lunch-break, THEN I will go for a 30 minute walk.
2. Intrinsic Motivation
The theory: Self-Determination Theory outlines that the more internal the source of the motivation is, the more effective it will be.
Intrinsic motivation stands in contrast to extrinsic motivation, which is more focussed on doing something for external reward or social pressure. Studies have frequently found longer commitment and better achievement when a sense of intrinsic motivation can be fostered, including workplace outcomes!
How to use it: How can you foster an internal sense of motivation? Ask yourself what you would value from doing well in this experience? Would you like to enable Rentstart to do more? Would you like to become fitter? Start healthier habits?
3. Self-Efficacy
The theory: To sum this one up: the more you believe in yourself, the more likely you are to be able to achieve your goal.
Self-Efficacy is your belief in your effectiveness. So self-efficacy in this situation is how much you believe that you can do 10,000 steps a day for the next week.
Self-Efficacy has been linked to a vast array of positive outcomes, for example succeeding academically and in entrepreneurship, but most relevantly for achieving exercise goals.
How to use it: Set yourself ways of hitting the 10k target that you feel confident about achieving. This could be breaking it up into smaller walks, or smaller step targets throughout the day.
Sources
Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2004). Fostering healthy self-regulation from within and without: A self-determination theory perspective. In A. P. Linley & S. Joseph (Eds.), Positive psychology in practice (pp. 105-124). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Gielnik, M. M., Bledow, R., & Stark, M. S. (2020). A dynamic account of self-efficacy in entrepreneurship. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(5), 487–505. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000451
Kuvaas, B., Buch, R., Weibel, A., Dysvik, A., & Nerstad, C. G. L. (2017). Do intrinsic and extrinsic motivation relate differently to employee outcomes? Journal of Economic Psychology, 61, 244–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2017.05.004
Legrand, E., Bieleke, M., Gollwitzer, P. M., & Mignon, A. (2017). Nothing will stop me? flexibly tenacious goal striving with implementation intentions. Motivation Science, 3(2), 101–118. https://doi.org/10.1037/mot0000050
Locke EA, & Latham GP. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation. A 35-year odyssey. The American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717.
Oman, R. F., & King, A. C. (1998). Predicting the adoption and maintenance of exercise participation using self-efficacy and previous exercise participation rates. American journal of health promotion : AJHP, 12(3), 154–161. https://doi.org/10.4278/0890-1171-12.3.154
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61. DOI: 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860
Talsma, K., Schüz, B., Schwarzer, R., & Norris, K. (2018). I believe, therefore I achieve (and vice versa): A meta-analytic cross-lagged panel analysis of self-efficacy and academic performance. Learning and Individual Differences, 61, 136–150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2017.11.015