Using Feedback to Motivate Yourself

When you are trying to stay motivated it is very easy to lose focus and direction. Distractions can also have a negative influence on what you are trying to achieve. When you find that your motivation to complete a task, work on a project or do something that requires attention, input and effort begins to slip it is time to focus on ways you can regain that spark of self-motivation.

Feedback is a valuable source of information from other people, and can help you understand a situation or problem much more clearly. The information you receive can help you identify a possible solution and inspire and motivate you into action.

Starting Point

Decide what you need to know and work towards getting access to the information you want. If you don’t have a goal in place you will not be able to work towards your aim. Setting a goal – in this case, asking for feedback – will enable you to focus on planning how you will work towards your goal and what you will have to do next.

You must plan your goal in a way that allows you to regularly check on your progress. If setting yourself small challenges helps you to focus on making positive progress it is important that you make room in your schedule for creative opportunities that challenge your thinking.

How to Ask for Feedback

In order to make continual progress you will have to review your actions periodically. In the workplace asking colleagues and staff for feedback will enable you to get an accurate idea of how others evaluate your input, productivity, performance and general contribution. It is important to ask for negative and positive feedback, as you will learn more about how you can improve the way you work if you are able to accept criticism as well as praise.

You could ask for feedback at the end of a particular project, or at regular intervals. Explaining why feedback is important, in your personal development, will encourage other people to give you a frank response to your request. You can then put the information to positive use by acknowledging key areas where you can make an improvement, or ways to challenge and stretch yourself further.

Brainstorming and mind mapping also provides an opportunity to gather feedback from others. Getting fresh ideas will help keep you motivated, and inspired to ask for further feedback whenever you need it.

Give Yourself Feedback

Regularly reviewing the way you plan, organise and go about your work will help you acknowledge any skills that may require updating or polishing up. You may notice that too much time is spent working on a particular task and realise there are other more productive ways of getting a job done. Taking the time to pay attention to what you do, and the way that you do it, will enable you to make positive steps in the direction of progress.

You can also view situations from another perspective, which may help you understand how others relate to you and the things that you do. Playing the ‘what if?’ game – seeing two different views of a task, problem or situation – will also enable you to motivate yourself in the right direction.