8 Steps to Creating a Motivation-Based Mental Inventory

A motivation-based mental inventory is a way to sort your life goals into areas of motivation. It can also be used as an organized brain dump.

MAXIMIZING LIMITED ENERGY

In a previous post, I walked you through the process of creating a list of core values. This post will walk you through the process of creating a mental inventory.

A mental inventory allows you to align your actions with your values and needs so that you can put your limited energy into the areas of your life that are most important to you.

A MENTAL INVENTORY AKA ORGANIZED BRAIN DUMP

Step One: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

I started by defining each of Maslow’s needs and used a thesaurus to find alternative words. From that, I created a list of life areas that directly relate to my thought process.

Step Two: Define each word and add supporting words to clarify each need.

Step Three: Reorder each area in order of importance based on your priorities.

Step Four: Create a grading scale.

Step Five: Grade each area and supporting area.

Step Six: Add a date or year for progress tracking.

Step Seven: Create a brain dump or mental inventory based on your areas.

Step Eight: Think about where you want to be next year at this time, then set goals to increase your level of satisfaction in the areas you want to focus on.

It takes persistence to stay motivated through the highs and lows.

The responsibility of constantly reevaluating your circumstances, creating a sense of stability, and not getting lost in the frustrations of the moment can be overwhelming.

You may even find that you have a clearer idea of what needs to be done in low times when you are forced to slow down and have fewer distractions.

How will you increase your life satisfaction score?