A good starting place to self-motivation is knowing what you want. But that’s not enough. You need to set objectives to get what you want and then develop plans to accomplish the objectives. Here is a four-step model to follow to motivate yourself, followed by some other advice if you are not motivated and feel bored or trapped on the job.

Set Objectives. What do you want? To be motivated, develop objectives with high expectations for yourself. Intelligence is overrated; the drive to win and persistence are better predictors of success.

Develop Plans—Willpower Alone Fails. Why do so many people make New Year’s resolutions and fail to keep them? It’s because willpower, or self-discipline, alone without a plan doesn’t work. Be specific. What exactly are you going to do step-by-step to accomplish your objective? You may need to develop new habits, as happiness is about behavior change.

Measure Results. Get feedback to know how you are progressing toward your objective. Compare your actual performance to your objective. For longer-term objectives, check regularly, not only at the end. Reinforce Results. Be sure to use reinforcement theory on yourself. If you are missing the objective, consider punishing yourself. If you are on track, reward yourself in some way. Recall that developing new habits includes rewards.

Remember, what you think about is how you feel and what you feel is how you behave. So develop a self-motivation objective and then plan, measure, and reinforce and think about it, and visualize yourself accomplishing the objective.