Lesson 7. Making motivation last

Welcome back to Methods to Motivation, a free multi-part course on how to gain + maintain motivation. Here’s what we’ve covered so far:

Now, let’s move on to our final lesson…

Making motivation last

In this final lesson, you’ll learn the real secret to making motivation last over the long run.

NO ONE can be motivated all the time.

Oftentimes, people say to me, “Wow Dean, you’re so motivated.”

But here’s the truth: I just look like I’m motivated all the time, when in reality I’ve just been diligent about installing several keystone habits in the areas of my life that matter to me most.

You see, I don’t have to muster up the motivation to get up at 5 AM every morning, because it’s a habit.

I don’t have to motivate myself to focus on writing every day, because it’s a habit.

I don’t have to get motivated to go to the gym every day, because it’s a habit.

I don’t have to motivate myself to do ANYTHING that I’ve already become habituated to, because habits are things we do regularly and automatically with little or no conscious thought or effort.

So, here’s the real question:

How do you develop habits?

How to apply this method

In general, any habit can be broken down into a three-part loop that goes like this:

  • 1. Cue—something in your environment that sets off a habit. (You smell fresh cookies.)
  • 2. Routine—the set of actions you take in response to the cue. (You eat the cookies.)
  • 3. Reward—the results or feelings you experience from executing your habit. (You enjoy the reward of deliciousness. Or the pain of regret, if you knew you shouldn’t have eaten the cookie.)

Here’s a 5-step plan on how to develop a habit that you might typically think requires tons of motivation to stick with. You can use it as a guide for creating a habit of your own:

Let’s say you’re struggling to get motivated to exercise, and you’d like to change that by developing the habit of going to the gym five days a week.

Step 1. Identify the habit:

— Develop the habit of exercising 5 times per week.

Step 2. Identify your CUE:

— Every habit has a trigger that launches your desired behavior. Identify the one that regularly works for you.

Example: I’ll set my alarm to wake me up at 6 am every morning so that I can exercise before work.

Step 3. Identify the REWARD:

— What reward will you give yourself at the end of the behavior/habit. The reward can be anything, the key is the craving.

Example: Delicious protein shake, sense of accomplishment, endorphin rush.

Step 4. Execute the ROUTINE:

— The routine is the actual activity/behavior you want to become a habit.

Example: Drive to the gym and exercise.

Step 5. Write it down, make it happen:

— The simplest and most effective way to form a new habit is to write a plan. Use the following formula to write yours:

When ________,cue I will ________routine
because it provides me with ________reward.

Example: When my alarm clock goes off at 6 am, cue I will jump out of bed and drive straight to the gym to exercise for 60 minutes routine because it provides me with a healthy lifestyle, a fit physique, and an energetic start to my day reward.


If you found this free course valuable, then you’ll love Month of Motivation

Build momentum, sustain motivation, and unleash your potential—one day at a time with my new 30-day program, Month of Motivation. 👇

Month-of-motivation-cover-square

30-Day Guarantee—Not for you? Not a problem. Email hi@deanbokhari.com within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

About

Month of Motivation is a 30-day program I designed to help you get and stay motivated—both in life and at work. Across 30 easily digestible, 10-minute audio lessons, you’ll learn research-backed techniques to ignite + sustain your motivation.

Here’s what you’ll learn about in the course:

✓ Overcome lack of motivation + develop strong habits.

✓ Science-backed strategies to increase self-motivation—and make it last.

✓ What to do when motivation fades.

✓ Research-backed techniques to ignite your motivation in different scenarios—at work and at home.

✓ Studies + stories about inspiring people from around the world—and the unconventional methods to motivation they discovered on their way to success.

✓ End fatigue + sustain your drive.

✓ And much, much more.

Learn more »

How it works

📆 30 days. 30 methods. Each day, for 30 days, you’ll receive an email with a new method to gain + maintain your motivation.

🎧 Listen + learn. Audio lessons you can listen to no matter where you are. Simply push play + let me be your guide.

💨 Fast + actionable. Lessons include actionable exercises you can implement immediately. Simply carve out 10 minutes for your daily ritual.

Start Your Month of Motivation »

What you’ll get

🔑 Lifetime access. You’ll have lifetime access, so you can come back again and again until the lessons become ingrained in your mind.

💻 Private dashboard. Simply log in and start learning. Your progress is automatically saved + synced on all your devices.

⚡️ Action guides. Select lessons include downloadable and printable action guides.

🏆 Certification. Get a time-stamped certificate with your name immediately upon completion of the course.


30 days of world-class training on motivation with me.

👇

Go here to get started now »