Feeling motivated to get things done anytime, anywhere is a struggle very real to most of us. Be it sticking to a strict new diet and exercise regime, staying up to date in the current semester's courses or working towards long-term goals, staying productive and on track is impossible to keep up 365 days of the year.

... be reminded of the desired result (and) what your next move needs to be

Without a coach, tutor, lecturer, manager or your smart device telling you to do 'X', distractions, biological pangs and a Netflix subscription will be there to tempt you into making your next hasty and regrettable decision.

To successfully fight temptation, keeping a montage and list of long-term goals, priorities and related inspiration with you wherever you go will be like having a life coach at your disposal when no one or nothing is around to stop you from eating that donut or going on a TV series marathon. When you repeatedly see the images and text over the day, everyday, it'll be harder to forget which choice to make when temptation abounds.

The montage or list (best combined) should include short words about what you're currently working on (e.g. psychology paper #2, spend wisely) and what you're striving for (e.g. photo of a graduation ceremony, holiday destination). Including these two things - how and what - covers the journey in action as well as the end goal. That means you won't only be reminded of the desired result, but what your next move needs to be. Simple, really.

To create your inspiration and motivation montage with ease, put it together in PowerPoint or Keynote, then Save As or Export To JPG.

• Print a copy to keep in current notebooks and journals.


• Email or upload the image to a cloud drive to access it from anywhere.


• Make it your phone, tablet and computer wallpaper. If you're shy about someone seeing it, store copies in accessible places, such as the desktop or photos folder.

See also...How to Create a Reminder Board