15 strategies that can help with motivation
15 strategies that can help you stay motivated
- Set realistic and specific goals.
- Make a list of the reasons why your goals are important to you. Highlight or make post-it reminders the most motivating reasons. Reflect on these reasons regularly.
- Enlist some support people, particularly those who share similar values or goals, or people who understand why keeping motivated is important to you.
- Find ways to enjoy the process.
- Use positive reinforcement, not punishment.
- Make note of your progress fortnightly.
- Reflect on your obstacles and devise solutions.
- Create a routine.
- Make a playlist, image diary or quote list that reflects why your goal is important
- Minimise distractions.
- Prepare your environment and equipment needed for success.
- Develop a routine.
- Maintain life balance.
- Be compassionate with yourself in setbacks, and try again.
- Speak with a psychologist to see if there are underlying reasons that inhibit motivations like mood, trauma, personality traits, relationships.
Goal Setting for 2026
Goal Setting for 2026
2026 has arrived
Its time to reflect on the year that has passed and make plans for the next 12 months ahead.
Goal Setting in Elite Endeavors
Goal setting is a cornerstone of success in elite sport, providing athletes with direction, motivation, and a clear framework for evaluating progress. Top performers commonly establish a mix of short-term and long-term goals, which may include technical improvements, strategic milestones, or outcome targets. These goals are often specific, measurable, and achievable, helping athletes stay focused and maintain accountability throughout their training and competition schedule.
Elite athletes and regularly review and adjust their goals in response to performance feedback, coaches and sport psychologists input and changing circumstances. This dynamic approach encourages continuous growth and adaptability, allowing athletes to overcome setbacks and seize new opportunities. By celebrating small wins along the way, athletes can boost their confidence and sustain motivation even during challenging periods. Ultimately, effective goal setting not only drives peak performance but also supports overall wellbeing, making it an essential part of the athlete’s toolkit.
Long term, short term, outcome and process goals, can be used to:
- Direct attention,
- Motivate effort and sustain persistence,
- Inform decision-making processes,
- Encourage continual development and growth,
- Foster confidence as milestones are achieved throughout the process.
Effective goals are personally meaningful, specific, challenging but achievable, involve actionable and controllable steps that can be measured and are evaluated regularly.
Please be in touch to learn more.
Rest time?
Athletes often have a little time off training at this of year.
Do you struggle to take a rest period or have trouble motivating yourself after downtime?
If you struggle to take well-earned rest….
- Remind yourself that rest and recovery is essential for development and progression. Athletes need rest and recovery periods for their body and mind to function optimally. Rest and recovery periods help regulate emotions an behaviours as well as improving sleep and allowing a more complete physical repair.
- Remember that burn out will set you back. Relentless training leads to more illness, injury and physical and psychological tiredness. It can also lead to decreased ability to recognise physical and future psychological cues that the body needs a rest, thus making future illness and injury more likely and potentially more significant.
- Explore what you are missing when not taking time off and consider its value. Many athletes’ busy training schedules mean that they have little time for socialising, holidaying, and relaxing. Given balance is vital for a healthy lifestyle, taking time to do these things when able is essential for well-being. It also means athletes may feel more motivated to get through busy training loads when there is less time for these important things.
- When deliberating over a recommended rest period, consider the importance of the goals that lie ahead and make a wise decision.
If you struggle to get motivated after time off
- Set some small, achievable process goals for one week only, then review them. If you don’t achieve them, they were too big! Set some smaller ones for next week. If you do achieve them, set some slightly different ones for week 2.
If you need help allowing you self to take a rest period or getting motivated afterwards, please be in contact.
Social Calendar
Many people find themselves attending more social gatherings during this season than at other times of the year. Work parties, social celebrations, New Year’s Eve events, and family get togethers, quickly fill up the calendar. While these occasions can bring excitement and variety to everyday life, they may also feel tiring or overwhelming. Everyone handles this busy social period differently: some eagerly accept every invitation, filling their schedules with events, while others are selective, sometimes skipping occasions they would actually enjoy. Those who thrive in lively environments might feel invigorated by all the activity, whereas those who prefer quieter moments may end up feeling drained.
Maintaining balance is beneficial for everyone. This includes making sure to engage in enough social activities, as well as getting enough rest, eating well, and exercising throughout the year. It’s important to pay attention to personal signals indicating when you need more downtime or increased activity.
Remember that people’s social preferences vary. It’s wise to consider the needs of loved ones—partners, children, and others—and to stay flexible so plans can be adjusted if there’s a difference in what people want. Being present and enjoying positive moments with those you care about not only lifts your mood but also creates happy memories to cherish in the future.
Lists, lists and more lists….
December is often packed with deadlines, events, shopping, and lists, which can lead to stress and strain on time management, routines, health and relationships.
“To do” lists help prioritise tasks, improve organisation, and support effective time management. They boost motivation, enhance the likelihood of finishing important jobs, and contribute to greater satisfaction.
Relying too much on lists can cause people to overlook what matters most to many: relationships. When someone is absorbed in their task list and trying to get things done, interruptions from others may feel unimportant. Focusing only on tasks and not relationships can lead to feelings of regret, guilt, or disappointment.
Combining structure with adaptability can boost your sense of fulfillment. If you usually concentrate on making lists when you’re busy but want to put people first, try adding daily time with loved ones to your priority list until it naturally becomes part of your routine. If you want to talk more about becoming more involved and connected with people in your life, contact us.
Goals in Elite Sport
Goal Setting in Elite Sport
Goal setting is a cornerstone of success in elite sport, providing athletes with direction, motivation, and a clear framework for evaluating progress. Top performers commonly establish a mix of short-term and long-term goals, which may include technical improvements, strategic milestones, or outcome targets such as tournament wins. These goals are often specific, measurable, and achievable, helping athletes stay focused and maintain accountability throughout their training and competition schedule.
Elite athletes and regularly review and adjust their goals in response to performance feedback, coaches and sport psychologists input and changing circumstances. This dynamic approach encourages continuous growth and adaptability, allowing athletes to overcome setbacks and seize new opportunities. By celebrating small wins along the way, athletes can boost their confidence and sustain motivation even during challenging periods. Ultimately, effective goal setting not only drives peak performance but also supports overall wellbeing, making it an essential part of the athlete’s toolkit.
Contact us for an appointment.
Sport Psychology in Tennis
Sport Psychology in Tennis
Tennis is as much a mental game as it is a physical one. Elite tennis players often turn to sport psychology to gain a competitive edge, manage stress, and recover from setbacks. The psychological demands of tennis such as maintaining focus during long matches, bouncing back after lost points, and handling the isolation of singles play require mental resilience and specific strategies to perform at the highest level.
Before matches, many athletes mentally rehearse points which helps build confidence, sharpen focus, and prepare the mind for various scenarios that may arise during play. Additionally, many players develop pre-serve routines to centre themselves and reduce nerves, using deep breathing or constructive or technical self-talk to stay in the moment.
Players set short-term process goals, such as improving their first-serve percentage. Breaking down objectives into manageable steps not only boosts motivation but also provides a sense of progress and achievement, which is crucial during challenging training periods or after defeats.
Managing emotions is important for tennis players, who often compete in high-pressure environments. Techniques like mindfulness and relaxation exercises can help players remain calm under pressure, recover quickly from mistakes, and maintain a positive attitude throughout a match. By learning to regulate their emotions, players can minimise the effect of frustration or anxiety on their performance on court.
Finally, working with sport psychologists allows tennis players to develop personalised strategies for building resilience, overcoming mental blocks, and maintaining a healthy mindset. Whether it’s coping with the expectations of competition or dealing with injuries, psychological support is now recognised as an essential part of a well-rounded athlete’s toolkit. Through these practices, tennis players are better equipped to handle the ups and downs of their sport, ensuring they can perform at their best both physically and mentally.
Can’t sit still.
Can’t sit still?
Some people feel like they are so busy they can’t sit still.
Anyone can experience periods of life that seem very busy or develop habits of being constantly on the go. If these times are temporary and self-care is maintained, people usually bounce back with little long-term impact. However, being hyperalert for an extended time during waking hours can lead to burnout and other physical / mental health symptoms and complications.
What makes it difficult to sit still?
- Busy periods of time, habits or beliefs may become entrenched or cause lasting impact.
- High levels of stress, preceding potential burnout can make physiological arousal heightened, making it difficult for people to sit still.
- Not having enough to do can also make it difficult to sit still because the brain naturally seeks stimulation.
- Untreated underlying mental health issues including ADHD, depression, anxiety can also impacts ability to feel calm and content.
- Other medical conditions as well as medications can impact motivational state and physiological arousal.
- Having self-worth tied to achievement creates a psychological drive to seek out activities to enhance self-worth.
Many busy people experience high levels of stress. This may be because the activities they are undertaking are inherently stressful or they are engaged in numerous significant tasks and are consequently short of time thus feel perpetually rushed. It might also be that significant importance is placed on their endeavors by themselves or others. When a circular process between stress and business is created, the stress response also drives in inability to sit still.
What to do….
- Notice when it is difficult to sit still. Look for triggers or common factors.
- Try relaxation techniques to help slow down. Look for activities that help, like walking or sitting in nature. Keep looking for a strategy that works for you.
- Contact us to explore and process underlying reasons there may be making it difficult for you to sit still.
Meltdown
Meltdown
I’ve heard people use the phrase “I had a meltdown”.
It seems what they are usually referring to is a time when they felt that the level of stress they were experiencing in that given moment was significantly more than they were comfortable with.
Some people describe an overflow of emotions, whilst others are describing scrambled thoughts.
At times people are referring to an overt display others are quietly experiencing it inside.
Some describe being compelled to express many emotions at once, whilst others say they can’t think clearly or find a logical path forward.
During these moments, it is often helpful to be around a trusted ally. This encourages a feeling of safety which enables more effective use of strategies to calm the body’s physiological responses, thus allowing more productive expression of intense emotion. After 10 minutes or so, logical thought and planning might again be more possible.
To talk about overwhelmed experiences, make an appointment with us.
HSC Pressure
HSC Pressure
Performance Under Pressure
A diligent attitude to study can be of great benefit for students who would like to
- gain direct entry into a tertiary course
- build commitment, dedication, study skills and knowledge for personal growth
- open up opportunities
However, it is vital to remember
- Balance is essential for optimal performance and to reduce chances of burnout.
- Physical, mental and emotional health are important to maintain.
- High expectations can cause pressure that often hinders performance.
- Self-worth that is based on performance will be transient and greatly uncontrollable.
- Sleep is essential for consolidation and recovery.
Some people find it helpful to…..
- Plan study schedules and breaks. This way they reduce stress by knowing what is achievable in the time period.
- Study in time blocks and do something physically active in their breaks to increase oxygen flow and decrease muscle tension.
- Vary the location of their study if it starts to become tedious.
Some students feel excessive pressure around HSC exams.
Why?
- The importance they, or others, place on the exams as a pathway to future opportunities.
- Expectations from themselves or others to prove their abilities. Try studying because you can, not because you must.
- Over reliance on extrinsic events to shape self-worth. You are much more than an ATAR.