By a Stanford Student Athlete

While there are many factors in play when it comes to succeeding as a student-athlete, motivation ranks pretty high on the list in my opinion. Without motivation, it's difficult to focus long enough to do your homework or to challenge your body during your workouts. Motivation is essential when it comes to the little things--the things that elevate an athlete from good to great. Self-motivation is the best type of motivation, but sometimes, for some reason or another, we just aren't feeling it on a particular day. When those days arise, I turn to these 5 tips that I have found through personal experience to stimulate my motivation.

#1: Rest

Sleep is one of the most valuable things you can give your body and mind when it comes to performance and health (Fry), but I have also found in my own life that rest makes a difference in my motivation and focus. Often times, when I am struggling to gather motivation for a workout, it's because I am tired. Yawning, laying on the bed, zoning out on the track. I've also found that when I struggle to focus on my homework, it's because I want to lay my head down on my desk and sleep. When I'm studying late one night and start to get sleepy, I get less and less productive. The more tired I am, the less motivated I am, and the more Instagram breaks I take during my studying. On the other hand, when I go to bed early the night before a workout, I am more likely to want to go and get it done the next day. So, if you find yourself suddenly unmotivated, reflect upon your sleep habits. Try going to bed an hour earlier, or try adding a nap in your routine. It might decrease the quantity of the hours you are awake, but it will certainly increase the quality of these hours, which I have found is better for productivity.

#2: Rise & Grind

Sometimes, you've just got to fake it til you make it. Somedays, you're not going to want to practice or study. On these days, my recommendation is to just rip it off like a bandaid. Wake up, eat breakfast, and go run. Study. Lift. Get it out of the way as early as possible, because the longer you wait, the more difficult it is going to be to muster up the motivation to go.

#3: The Buddy System

The more the merrier. For me personally, this is the most effective way to get motivated. Doing your workout with a partner or group is going to push you. As an athlete, it will get your adrenaline going, and you'll likely want to get on the line and compete. And when you finish, you can look over beside you and see another person experiencing the same fatigue. So, if you have the option, grab a teammate or two and head to the track or field or court or pool. Even if you're not doing the same workout, you can still motivate each other and hold each other accountable.

#4: Set Goals

Imagine you are on a road trip with a super exciting destination. Maybe it's college, maybe it's the beach, maybe it's Disney. Whatever it is, you are willing to travel a long time, even drive through Kansas or the scary snow, to get there. Nobody is going to drive through Kansas without a reason (no offense if you're from Kansas, but I think you understand). When you have an end goal in sight, it is a lot easier to find the motivation to do the monotonous drills (Kansas) or puke-inducing practices (snow) to achieve that goal. Last fall, as I prepared for my senior season, my coach would shout my goals to me: "State champion in the making!" Or "53 seconds isn't going to come easy!" These reminders would reignite my own motivation. For those struggling with motivation, I'd encourage you to write down your goals--a PR, a state title, a league record--somewhere that you can see them when you practice, such as your wrist or bag. Then, when you find yourself dreading practice, remind yourself of these goals.

#5: Switch It Up

Sometimes, we lack motivation because of the redundant nature of our practices. If this is the case for you, I would suggest adding a little variety into your routine. Stanford does this by having different warm up sequences. I do this myself by changing up my lift locations (lifting is my motivation Achilles' heel). One day I go to Kula Sports Performance, another day I stay home and lift in my garage, and sometimes I go to my high school weight room to lift. Mixing it up will make your sport feel less like a chore and more like a passion, boosting your motivation in the process.

Fry, Alexa. “Sleep & Athletic Performance.” Sleep Foundation, 22 Jan. 2021, www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-activity/athletic-performance-and-sleep.

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