Everyone wants to be a success at what they do.  Most however don’t have the motivation to get there.  Perhaps you need to understand yourself more so you can learn how to best motivate yourself.

Dibya’s blogsphere has an article called “The Key To Your Motivation and Success” that can assist you in this task.  From the article:

“When it comes to motivation one size does not fit all. One of the elements that makes human beings so endlessly fascinating is that we are all individuals. It is the primary reason our species has been so successful. It also means we each have different interests, goals, and motivation.

So before you can begin following any one of the thousands of motivational programs available you must first determine which motivational group you fall into.”

The four categories of motivation that are discussed are:

1. The Pessimist

2. The Competitor

3. The Minimalist

4. The Exhibionist

So which category do you fall into?  What one do you think I fall into?

Time management is often an elusive creature that many say they have master, yet upon inspection most find they have only temporarily tamed the beast. Because it is discussed so often it is hard to find simple information that can be implemented.  Harri Jussila, in the article “Time Management: Our Definition” laid out six skills that are the foundation of time management.

1. Managing goals is important because if we don’t know what we strive at, we are lost. When we define a goal, we know our direction. The doing then automatically starts to focus at the right direction.

2. Managing tasks is also needed, as we always end up with many goals and too many things to do. If we don’t manage our tasks, we forget important things, and miss deadlines.

3. Prioritizing complements task management, because time is limited. Prioritizing means putting things in an order of importance, and taking this importance in consideration when making decisions. The bottom line is that prioritizing skills help in situations where we have several things we should start doing. It answers the questions: what is most important to me, and what should I do next?

4. Calendar utilization. As a platform for managing appointments, we all need a calendar. The best solution for you is one you feel confident using.

5. Managing procrastination. We all know the situations when we just can’t bring ourselves to start something. This is called procrastination, and it must be handled – using the other tips listed.

6. Follow-up systems. We need some kind of follow-up systems for ensuring that things get finished. With proper follow-up systems old projects can be closed, or be put on hold.

I’ve been ‘collecting’ ways to improve yourself from many years.  One of the ways is by sharing.  I will be providing these tips in bite size posts so you don’t get overwhelmed and try to do them all at once.  Add your own tips in the comments.

1.  Read every day.  It can be a book, magazine or e-book.  It doesn’t matter.  The more you read, the more you learn.

2. Learn a new language.  This will take you on a journey by itself.  As you learn the language you will develop new skills and learn about a new culture.

3.  Start a new hobby.  Pick something you normally wouldn’t learn.  It will help you expand your awareness and stretch yourself, mentally, emotionally and depending on the hobby, even physically.

4. Take a course at a college or university.  This is a great way to learn something new and met others.  You don’t have to go full or even part time.  Take one class each semester.

5. Create an environment that inspires.  This could be a special place or even a room in your house.  Where isn’t important, as long as the place puts you in the mood to be inspired.

Richard Newman over at WorkAwesom.com has and intriguing question.  Are we really rewarding our self when we procrastinate?  This is what he says.

“What if I told you that every time you procrastinate you are actually rewarding yourself?

It’s true.

When you procrastinate you are not only rewarding yourself with each choice to do something else — but when you end up pulling off that all-nighter it rewards your behavior as well.”