Building momentum is a part of every successful person’s skill set. Everyone wants to build momentum, but what does that really mean? Momentum is when one success or multiple successes—no matter how big or small—start a domino effect, creating forward motion. This forward motion builds growth and moves the needle faster and faster in a (hopefully) positive direction.
Why Does Momentum Matter?
Momentum is how you can jumpstart your success. Focusing on moving the needle in small ways every single day is the secret to building momentum and speeding up your long-term progress. It’s the snowball that starts the avalanche. If you’re really looking for ways to build momentum, you’re going to reach your end goals much faster than someone who’s not focused on creating long-term success.
What Stops Momentum In Its Tracks?
Numerous behaviors will slow your momentum and, in doing so, strangle your success. One momentum-halting behavior is analysis paralysis, which happens when you’re unable to make a decision. Procrastination and negative thinking are two more actions that block momentum and derail your progress. Lastly, gossip is a guaranteed way to distract and detach you from your main objective. Avoid these behaviors to keep building momentum.
Top 20 Tips for Building Momentum
We all want to achieve success sooner. Whether it’s becoming a co-founder of a successful business, making a comfortable living as an entrepreneur, creating new products, or just putting out important work. Whatever your end goal is, you probably want to reach it quickly. Momentum is the simplest way to make that happen. Here are our top tips for you to build momentum:
1. Don’t Hesitate, Just Start
While it’s important to do your research beforehand, sometimes it’s best to just start. Jump in with both feet and do the damn thing! Now this doesn’t mean starting without any research. By all means, take in all the knowledge you can. Even better, learning from those with experience will speed up your journey. But once you’ve done your research, don’t be afraid to move. As the old saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is right now.
2. Make Your Bed
If you can start your day with a small success that will build your confidence, why not do it? Making your bed is a success habit that starts your day off with a win. It will make you feel more put together and create the momentum you need to face whatever comes your way. You may be surprised how much this seemingly small habit will change your daily attitude.
3. Keep Learning
The more you know, the more you can grow. Listen to podcasts, read books, watch YouTube, find a mentor—all of these simple tasks will help build momentum in the direction you want to go. When looking to learn, focus on your teacher. A lot of the time, we get so caught up in the how, but we need to replace it with who. Who can teach you the how, and put you on the fast track to building momentum? Expertise doesn’t always come cheap, but it is almost always worth it. So don’t hesitate to cut a check for speed.
4. Stop Taking Bad Advice
This goes hand-in-hand with finding the who. Take advice from people who’ve been there, and be cautious about taking advice from people on completely different paths. For example, you wouldn’t take relationship advice from someone who’s never dated. So stop taking entrepreneurial advice from your dad who works in corporate America. It’s different—plain and simple. Your family and friends mean well, no doubt about that. But the fact is, their end goals might be different than yours. And that’s okay! But you want to take advice from people on similar life paths as you.
5. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Whether you’re a business owner, an employee, or just someone who wants to reach a specific goal, you have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone to build momentum. Human beings spend a lot of time doing things that feel safe and enjoyable. But new opportunities and experiences come with risks and rewards. Facing the unknown can be scary, but it’s often worth it.
6. Set Short-Term and Long-Term Goals
In addition to setting long-term goals that you can use small steps to build momentum towards, you also want to set bite-sized goals that you can achieve in the short-term. It’s important to have both because attaining small goals will give you confidence that you can achieve your big goals. Plus, consistently accomplishing small goals can give you a sense of ongoing achievement and provide you with the courage you need to dream big.
7. Schedule Your Day
Use a calendar or planner to schedule your day, including work and free time. If you don’t plan for it, it likely won’t happen. Make time for your routines, to-do list, healthy habits, and some fun. Scheduling your day and accomplishing your tasks will help you build momentum to success, so be sure to schedule your day every day!
8. Exercise
It’s incredibly important to move your body every single day. Incorporating a small amount of exercise each day not only improves your life in the present, but you can rest easy knowing that you’re building momentum to stay healthy in the future. You need to be healthy so you can continue to show up for your life. Plus, when you focus on your health, you’re also being the best spouse, parent, friend, family member, community member, boss, employee, etc. you can be.
9. Visualize Your Success
To build momentum, visualize yourself achieving your goals and performing key tasks. Visualization is an excellent tool for getting in the right mindset. Think about your end goal, and visualize paths to achieve it. You can even do it while meditating for the maximum effect.
10. Be Patient
Momentum gets the ball rolling faster, but it isn’t instantaneous. So it’s important to keep moving the needle and be patient. Things are moving forward, but all things take time. You are doing important work! You are taking action every single day, and that’s the best anyone can do.
11. Move the Needle Every Day
Building momentum means not letting the ball stop rolling, and that means consistent action on your part. So it’s crucial to keep going every single day, taking action even if it’s in small ways. Remember that you don’t need to make huge moves because you have momentum. That’s what’s so great about it!
12. Push through Pain
The process of working towards goals isn’t always easy. There will be points when things get hard. You may have a life circumstance that trips you up, or maybe your end goal keeps tiptoeing further away. But you have to ask yourself: Will you let this stop you, or will you push through? Your momentum will help you. But you have to say yes first.
13. Refine Your Process
Building momentum is not a science; it’s a strategy. There is no exact formula that works for everyone. With that said, you need to find what works best for you. Then, keep refining it until you’re moving at the fastest pace possible towards success. This may mean switching up your routine or forming new habits. It could include trying out different mentors. Maybe you try different organizational methods. Find what works best for you, and keep refining it as you learn more.
14. Focus on One Problem at a Time
If you focus on too many things at once, you’re going to feel overwhelmed. Instead, focus on one problem at a time. Start with the one you can make the greatest impact on.Then, take immediate action, focusing all your energy on that problem until you solve it. Only then do you move onto the next problem.
15. Create More Than You Consume
As a creator, you’re using your brain in a positive, action-taking way. You’re the influencer. As a consumer, you’re allowing others to influence you. Being influenced can be inspirational, but it often sparks jealousy and other negative emotions, which can hinder your momentum. So balance your creating and consuming time. Make sure you create more and consume less, especially when it comes to social media.
16. Execute No Matter How You Feel
Sometimes, you’re just not feeling it. We all have days like that, but a true professional still shows up. A true professional does the work anyway because they understand that’s how to build momentum. You have to decide what kind of person you want to be. How important is this goal to you? Are you going to let your momentum fall away because you’re not feeling it today? It’s a key decision that will make or break your momentum.
17. Move on From What’s Not Serving You
There’s a difference between being a quitter and being smart enough to recognize what’s not serving you and consciously deciding to move on. If something—in life or work—is hindering your momentum or success, seriously think about whether it’s worth continuing. A common roadblock is social media. Should you cut back or cut it out? Another might be Netflix. Is it taking up too much of your free time? Ask yourself these hard questions. Even things you really enjoy might be worth cutting back on if they are slowing your momentum.
18. Delegate Tasks
There are things you’re good at and things that you’re not. To continue building momentum, consider delegation. You can delegate out the tasks that you’re not great at or just don’t like. Are there certain duties that just feel like time-wasters? Do you wish you could be doing something that builds momentum instead of completing those tasks? Do you have the resources to delegate those tasks? If so, consider it.
18. Celebrate Your Wins
As you build momentum, you will experience wins. Don’t take them lightly. Celebrate each and every one! Every achievement is an accomplishment, no matter how small. You did it! Congratulations! Maybe have some ice cream or enjoy some time with your loved ones to mark the occasion—whatever feels right for you.
19. Journal about Your Journey
When momentum gets going, the time can feel like it’s flying by. That’s why it’s great to write your journey down in a journal. Take the time to write down milestones and your thoughts along the way. It’s great to have a record of your path to success, and it can be fun to look back on it after you’ve achieved your end goals!
20. Do Important Work
Don’t just pick arbitrary goals. Pick long-term goals that mean something to you so that you will have the drive to see them through. Make sure to choose important work that matters to you. Do you have to solve world peace? No. But it has to matter to you a lot. It has to hold your interest so you can be excited to keep building momentum towards it.
Momentum Tips For Working from Home
When the global pandemic COVID-19 hit, it changed the way we worked. For those of us lucky enough, we were able to work from home to stay safe. And while this may feel like it’s only our reality during the pandemic, experts say that working from home may stick around long after COVID is gone. When working from home, it can be tough to build momentum. Here are our top five tips on how to make your work-from-home environment a bit more momentum-friendly.
1. Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Start the day by giving your body some healthy fuel. Eat some protein and some fruits or veggies to get your body ready for a full day. There’s a reason they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Now that you’re working from home, you can really take time on this meal, and let it help you build momentum for the day ahead.
2. Take a Shower
Do not be the person on the Zoom call who clearly didn’t shower. But don’t do it for your coworkers or clients—do it for yourself. A shower will refresh you and hit your reset button every single day. You’ll feel more awake and alert, and you’ll naturally feel more ready for the day.
3. Tidy Your Workspace
When you clear off your desk and tidy your work area, you’re setting yourself up for a successful day. As Gretchen Rubin says, “Outer order contributes to inner calm.” So clear your work area and give your brain some thinking space. You’ll feel more focused, guaranteed.
4. Go for an Afternoon Walk
Your workday still allows for a lunch break and possibly an afternoon break. Use this time to go outside for a walk in nature. When working from home, we spend so much time in the house. It’s more important than ever to simply go outside for a short walk and be in the fresh air.
5. Clean Up Before Bed
With the same philosophy in play as tidy your workspace, it’s good to take 15 minutes before bed to clean the rooms you work in. That way, you can get started in the morning quickly and easily, without having to worry about a mess. It’s less hassle to do it at night when you’re awake than in the morning when you’re still trying to get moving. Doing this simple task can help you build momentum towards your goals.
Building Momentum Is the Key to Reaching Your End Goals
Growth and success are products of momentum. That forward motion you experience with momentum is how you get to where you want to go in life. You can achieve growth and hit your goals faster and more efficiently by building momentum. And you build momentum in small ways, by staying consistent and completing tasks every single day.
Momentum is a component of mastery. What will you master next?
