5 Scientifically Proven Tools to Boost Motivation

Here's the burning question: "Are you still feeling pumped and excited about the goals you set at the beginning of the new year?" Research shows that only 64% people stick to their resolutions after the first month of the year, and after six months, only 46% of people do so.

On top of that, if you look at their track record throughout the year, almost 80% of them fail to keep up with their new year resolutions.

But fear not! We're dishing out five simple tools from the science of human motivation to make you defy those statistics and stay on the right track to achieve your goals all year long.

5 Scientifically Proven Tools to Boost Motivation

1. Defining and Focusing on Your Priority Goals

Most people have three main goals in mind: saving money, losing weight, and being fit. But hey, your circumstances and priorities could be different. Maybe your finances are solid and your health is tip-top, but you're itching for a change of scenery or a new friendship. So, as a first step, always check out the different aspects of your life, pick the three areas that aren't quite cutting it for you, and set clear goals in each area. Here's a helpful list to get you started:

• Health and well-being.
• Personal growth and passion.
• Career.
• Friends.
• Family.
• Environment.
• Fun and recreation.
• Finances.
• Relationship status.

2. Checking the Significance of Your Goals

Before committing to those new-year resolutions, make sure they truly matter and resonate with you. Some mobile apps and tools allow you to systematically track this process, giving each goal a "score" to show its importance to you. You can also use an assessment sheet to rate each of your decisions based on the following criteria:

2.1. Focus on Intrinsic Motivation

Follow what drives you, even if there's no external reward or incentive pushing you. When you set each goal, ask yourself, "Would this goal still matter to me if I had no external incentive and if nobody knew I achieved what I set out to do ?"

If you answer "yes," you've got what researchers call "intrinsic motivation"—an inner drive that pushes you toward your goal because you genuinely care about it. Neuroscience research shows that intrinsic motivation works entirely differently from external incentives because it activates different neural pathways in the brain, like the Basal Ganglia.

2.2. Be Specific about Your Goal

Clearly identify your goals and decide when and how you'll approach them to maximize your chances of working on them. For example, saying, 'I'll stop eating pizza on weekends,' is more effective than saying, 'I'll eat healthy.'

2.3. Focus on the Positive Outcomes of Your Goal

Focus on things that bring you closer to the desired outcome rather than those that steer you away from a potential threat. For instance, stressing enhanced focus and better health is a stronger motivation for exercising and following a healthy diet than avoiding the risk of sickness because fear is a weak, temporary motivator.

3. Sketching a Detailed Picture of the Personal Change You Want to Achieve

The clearer you visualize yourself actively pursuing your goals, the more likely you'll be to achieve them. Any technique you use to visualize yourself in the future can be a big boost, like designing a vision board with images of your success after committing to your resolutions. You can print it out or set it as your computer background.

Make sure you have daily visual reminders of your yearly goal, but don't go overboard. Psychologists Gabriele Oettingen and others at New York University (NYU) have demonstrated through research that focusing just on desired success may actually drain your motivation.

Make sure your vision board includes images of both the desired outcome and the potential roadblocks. You will be more prepared and won't be caught off guard if you can envision the challenges you might face. This is because identifying the challenges that could stand in your way will force you to put your energy into finding solutions.

Gabriele Oettingen and her colleagues at New York University tested a technique called 'mental contrasting' in various contexts. In one study, subjects were split into two groups based on whether they harbored feelings for other people in secret. One group was asked to imagine being with the person they desired, while the other was instructed to practice mental contrasting—imagining the obstacles they might face while trying to connect with the person they liked.

According to the findings, those in the second group were 2-3 times more likely to build relationships with the people they liked, proving that mental contrasting is effective for balancing the visualization of goals and desires.

4. Praising Your Progress

Give yourself a pat on the back for sticking to those new year resolutions, and remember to assess the progress you've made from the very start to the current moment. Write down each month how you started and your current progress.

Researchers Heidi Grant-Halvorson and Carol Dweck of Columbia University found that people assess their progress in two ways: either in terms of how close they are to achieving their ultimate goal (like being at their ideal weight) or in terms of how far they have come in the sense of improving themselves (like how much weight they've lost so far, regardless of the weight they're aiming to reach). According to the study, the latter group of participants had better chances of accomplishing their goals.

In a study with Columbia University and first-year chemistry students, Heidi and Carol discovered that students who assessed their performance compared to their starting point had better grades at the end of the semester and also reported enjoying their lessons more.

5. Identifying the Motivators That Drive You to Take Action

We're all busy, juggling multiple responsibilities that become priorities in our schedules. But there are some things we do automatically without much thought, like brewing our coffee in the morning, releasing the brake handle to drive our cars, or heading out for lunch from work. These behaviors are linked to motivators we respond to automatically (like waking up or getting in the car or the lunchtime routine).

In her book Succeed–How We Can Reach Our Goals, Heidi explains how to use the "if-then" formula as a planning tool. Every activity you need to do should be linked to a motivator that inspires you to take action.

For instance, if you're determined to get fitter and more active, instead of planning 'to go to the gym three times a week,' plan to go 'directly to the gym after dropping the kids off at school.' If you plan to cut calories, order tea when you look at the dessert menu.

In this context, technology can also be quite helpful. By using reminder apps or calendar alerts, you can set up reminders to motivate you throughout the day.

These motivators in your daily life drive you to work on your goals automatically by responding to them, freeing you from constantly having to think about New Year's resolutions.