Bruce Dias 
Self-motivation is not a problem for everyone. However, some people find it very difficult to overcome their inner obstacles. We reveal methods that you can use to organize and motivate yourself to achieve your goals at Hellspin.
To motivate yourself, you need to be clear about what you really want to achieve. But it is equally important to know what you don’t want. If you have your goals in mind and can distinguish the important from the unimportant things, the first step is already done.
Self-Motivation and Sorting Things
One method of distinguishing unnecessary from necessary tasks is based on the Eisenhower principle. This is how US President Eisenhower sorted his tasks by importance:
Write all the tasks you need to do at some point on a to-do list.
Draw an Eisenhower diagram, as in the picture. In the four fields, you then enter all the tasks from the to-do list accordingly.
It is best to complete the tasks in field A immediately, as they are particularly time-critical. Below we will tell you which methods can help you to do this.
In field B, you enter tasks that are important but do not have to be done immediately. In order not to forget them, you should think about a fixed date on which you will do them.
Field C contains all tasks that you don’t have to do yourself but that you can pass on.
For tasks in field D, you don’t have to motivate yourself. It is not necessary that you do them.
Overcome your inner pig: Goals instead of tasks with a to-do list; however, the tasks at hand are far from done. And the mere existence of a to-do list is often enough to prevent you from moving on. It is, therefore, important that you visualize the goals you have set for yourself.
For example, your goal could be to climb a mountain. You are standing in the valley and are about to climb up, but your inner bastard would rather drink a cup of coffee. Then you think about what it will be like when you stand at the top of the mountain: You see the snow-covered mountain peaks, the clouds pass by, the sun shines, the air is clear and refreshing – and you already trudge the first steps up to the summit.
Salami Tactics and Like-Minded People
You have to climb this insanely high mountain. That’s a huge task that you can break down into smaller ones – the stretch to the fork in the road, then to the alpine pasture, the section through the snow, and the via ferrata on the rock. You can easily overcome your inner pig if you only have to walk the first part, then the second, and so on.
And if your inner pig still gets loud? Take a friend with you on the mountain tour! In a company, self-motivation is no longer quite so important – now you can motivate each other.
The Pareto Principle
No one is perfect, including you. And even if you don’t quite manage a task – partial success is also a success! To stick with the mountain climbing metaphor: You may not have made it all the way to the top, but your knees won’t take it. Nevertheless, you got above the tree line and saw a wonderful panorama.
This is an example of the so-called Pareto principle: With 20 percent of the effort, you can do 80 percent of the work – but for the remaining 20 percent, you need 80 percent of the effort. Or, to put it another way: with the exhausted knee, you are on 80 percent of the distance you wanted to cover. But the last 20 percent would take you four times as much effort as the way you’ve been walking.
