Spring-Cleaning Your Motivation: Eight Evidence-Based Strategies

Spring is nearly here. The daffodils are blooming, the days stretch a little longer, the air feels lighter, and the promise of renewal (or at least warmer weather) is around us.

As the sunlight increases, so does the brain’s production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter linked to mood regulation. Research highlights the impact of the weather on our psychological state, with exposure to natural light improving both mood and productivity.

Consequently, just as the seasons change, so can our mindset and motivation. Yet, renewal doesn’t simply ‘happen’.

Motivation, like growth in nature, requires cultivation and nurturing. It’s a discipline as much as it is a feeling. The best way to sustain motivation isn’t to chase inspiration but to design conditions that make progress more possible and even, inevitable.

With spring on our doorstep, it’s the perfect time to spring-clean your motivation, so you and your team can finish the year with clarity, energy, and impact.

Here are eight evidence-based, and sometimes surprising, strategies to elevate motivation.

1. Understand What Really Motivates (It’s Not What You Think)

We often assume motivation is an internal spark that arrives fully formed. It isn’t.

Motivation is not a precondition for action; it is often the result of it. Psychologists call this the ‘activation energy’ principle, which means the hardest part of any task is starting.

This is why productivity strategies such as time blocking, the Pomodoro technique, or the 20-minute rule work so well. Commit to starting for just a short period, and momentum often carries you through.

But motivation isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Professor Edward Deci and Professor Richard Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory highlights the need for autonomy, competence and relatedness. Some people are driven, for example, by recognition, others by mastery, others by connection.

As a leader, resist the temptation to assume your team is motivated by the same factors as you. Ask, observe, and adapt.

2. Make Progress Visible (and Celebrate the Small Wins)

When Harvard researchers Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer asked employees what most boosted motivation, the answer wasn’t recognition or incentives. It was the sense of making progress.

Even small wins triggered positive emotions and higher engagement.

This is why progress rituals matter. It could be ticking off tasks on a Kanban board, updating a shared tracker, or celebrating milestones in team meetings. What matters is that you and your team’s progress is visible.

Related: How to Sustain Team Motivation in the Final Quarter?

3. Audit Your Personal Brand (and Close the Gaps)

Marketing expert, Seth Godin, once wrote that a brand is the collection of expectations, stories and relationships that explain why people choose one product or service over another. Your personal brand works the same way.

The challenge, of course, is that the way you see yourself may not match the way others see you. You may want to be perceived as a visionary leader, but be recognised as a technical expert. This brand mismatch can stall your career.

The only way to understand the gap is to ask. Seek feedback from colleagues, mentors and even peers outside your organisation and ask: What three words come to mind when you think of me as a leader?

Once you have those details, look at the responses and reflect, considering:

• Where is the commonality?
• Where are the gaps?
• What most surprised you?
• How can you best close any identified gaps?

Remember, reshaping how people see you takes effort and focus. It won’t happen overnight. Having brand alignment helps to elevate your energy and progress.

4. Say Goodbye Before You Say Hello

We often underestimate the motivational drag of unfinished emotional business. We can hold grudges, cling to outdated self-narratives, or persist with unrealistic expectations (on ourselves and others). All of which can negatively impact your cognitive load.

The act of psychological decluttering can be a powerful tool. Write down what you’re holding onto, whether it’s fears, limiting beliefs, or resentments, and consciously decide what you’ll leave behind.

Ask yourself:

• What are you holding on to that is preventing you from changing and moving forward in some way?
• Are you holding on to expectations or grudges about people that are damaging your relationship with them?
• Are your expectations of yourself (and others) too hard or too easy?
• What are you telling yourself about what you can and can’t do that needs to shift?
• What daily practices and habits do you have that are holding you back from being the best version of yourself?

As author Paulo Coelho reminds us: “If you are brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.”

5. Set Daily Intentions (But Don’t Rely on Willpower)

At the start of each day, intentions anchor attention. Writing down what you will achieve makes your goals more salient and less likely to be ignored.

Multiple studies demonstrate that public commitment boosts goal follow-through by increasing accountability and social pressure, which encourages persistence and reduces the likelihood of giving up. 

However, relying on willpower alone is a flawed strategy. Research reveals that willpower is finite and easily depleted. The smarter move is to design structural nudges that reduce friction. This could be scheduling high-focus work in the morning, using apps that block distractions, or physically preparing your workspace the night before.

6. Clean Up Your Workspace (But Avoid Sterility)

The physical spaces we occupy affect cognition and emotion.

A cluttered space can elevate stress and reduce focus, and paradoxically, an overly tidy, sterile environment can stifle creativity. So the answer isn’t minimalism at all costs. It’s about balance: clean enough for clarity, but not so pristine that it suppresses experimentation.

The Japanese Kaizen 5S method offers a structured approach to workplace organisation. You can:

• Sort – scan the workplace and remove all unused materials, equipment, and other items that are lying around.
• Straighten – take all the remaining items, consider how frequently you use the item and who uses it. Categorise and organise where things are stored and placed, so they are easily accessible based on the frequency of use.
• Shine – clean your work area and establish a maintenance routine, so everything remains in an order that suits your working style.
• Standardise – identify the practices to ensure the work environment remains vibrant. This may include standards and habits around clearing your workspace at the end of each working day.
• Sustain – don’t let your improvements slide. Humans are creatures of habit, so it can be easy to fall back into old behavioural patterns. It helps to focus on why this matters to you.

The end goal is not perfection, but finding and setting the aesthetics that work for you.

7. Elevate with Senses (Source Colour, Light, Scent and Sound)

Motivation is not purely cognitive; it’s sensory.

The environment we inhabit sends constant cues to our brain. These cues often operate below our conscious awareness, and yet they shape how energised, focused or creative we feel. 

Colour, for instance, does more than brighten a space; it interacts with our neurophysiology. Blue tones enhance focus and accuracy, while green tones are linked to greater creativity and expansive thinking. Warm colours like red can heighten attention to detail but may also increase stress if overused.

Scent is another powerful influence. Because the olfactory system connects directly to the limbic system (i.e. the brain’s emotional centre), smells can instantly trigger memories and alter mood states. Lavender has been shown to promote calmness and reduce anxiety, while peppermint can stimulate alertness and improve working memory. Citrus scents, such as lemon, are often associated with increased energy.

Sound and texture also matter. Background noise at a moderate level has been linked to increased creativity, whereas excessive noise can drain focus. The feel of your workspace, whether it’s the smoothness of your desk surface, the softness of a chair, or the warmth of natural materials, can create comfort or discomfort that shapes your willingness to stay engaged.

8. Think Long Term (and Redefine ‘Down Days’)

The narrative that high performers are endlessly motivated, upbeat and productive every single day is misleading and unhelpful. Human energy naturally fluctuates.

Circadian rhythms, sleep quality, nutrition, workload, and even seasonal changes all influence how engaged and energised you feel at any given time.

Consequently, allow yourself to pause without guilt, use reflection to extract insight from setbacks, and accept that progress is measured over months and years, not hours and days.

Renewal as a Leadership Practice

Spring is more than a season. It’s a mindset: the willingness to let go of what no longer serves, to create space for what is next, and to design conditions for growth deliberately.

So as the season shifts, ask yourself:

• What will you let go of this spring to make space for growth?
• How will you design conditions for progress, rather than just chasing inspiration?
• What small rituals will sustain you and your team’s motivation in the months ahead?

Because, remember, motivation starts with intention.

Republished with courtesy from michellegibbings.com.

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