6 Strategies to Maintain Your Willpower

NINA ZIPKIN
Staff Writer. Covers media, tech, startups, culture and workplace trends.

It isn’t enough to just want to achieve a goal. There are going to be times, when you’re busy, tired or discouraged and you'll feel like you don’t have it in you to keep going. But you have to fight through those feelings to get over the hump and accomplish everything you set out to do. You need to have the willpower to persevere.

1. Take good notes
Keep a record of everything you do. The times when you are most productive, the circumstances that cause you to fall behind, how you are feeling -- anything that is relevant. Use this information to teach you about when you are the strongest, so you can replicate those steps every day until you reach your goal.

2. Be consistent
Establish a routine that inspires you to move forward. Whether it is getting up early, going for a run or checking in with a friend about your progress, find the things that give you strength and make sure you do them every day. Show up on time and get started.

3. Schedule breaks
While a reserve of willpower can get you through a lot, there will be nothing to draw on if you do not take time to rest. When determining your downtime routine, make sure you make boundaries and carve out time to recharge your brain. Also, focus on setting time aside for eating something healthy, staying hydrated and getting outside.

4. Think positively
At the end of each day, recall three good things that happened and what you did to achieve them. Even if you are only very early on your pursuit of your goal, acknowledging those net positives will replenish your energy. You will start fresh the next day knowing you are making significant strides.

5. Appreciate right now
If your goal is starting to wear on you, step back for a moment and put yourself in an alternate universe. Think about what you could be doing instead of pursuing this. Ask yourself, are you more content? Are you more engaged? Are you doing work that is meaningful? If not, then you have your answer and the resolve to stay on track

6. Build your support system
If you work towards your goal all by yourself, it is easy to get stuck in a vacuum and get down if if something goes wrong. Make sure that you tell your support system -- friends, family, colleagues, even like-minded people on social media -- what you are up to so you can bounce ideas off of them, turn to them in times of struggle and have people to share good news.
source: www.entreprenur.com