Self-efficacy is confidence in our skills and capacity to achieve our goals. Without it, we can lose all internal motivation and can procrastinate endlessly.

Developing and maintaining a sense of self-efficacy is a lifelong process. Self–efficacy can involve a broad sense of our ability to manage our lives but can also attach to specific subjects, for example: someone might feel confident in their ability to achieve outcomes at work but lack self-efficacy when it comes to their dream of becoming a musician.

We can develop self-efficacy by demonstrating to ourselves that we have the ability and determination to complete difficult tasks. To do so, we can gradually and repeatedly attempt tasks that are slightly out of our comfort zone and then build on our successes. The following strategies can help:

• Start small and go slow
  • Don’t jump into a new project expecting to be great straight away. Aim for small improvements in realistic timeframes. Mastering any complex task takes time and effort, even for the most talented among us.
• Do your research.
  • Look to what others have done and follow in their footsteps.
  • Look into different ways to learn and find one that suits you.
• Encourage repetition.
  • Plan to do the task regularly.
    • Every day if possible.
    • Doing a task at the same time and place every day can help to develop a strong habit.
  • Aim to make the work fun.
    • Pleasant tasks are self-rewarding and are more likely to be repeated.
    • Tasks that feel like chores are more likely to be avoided.
  • Review your progress at set intervals, for example: weekly.
    • Write down what you have achieved.
    • Write down areas of difficulty.
    • Plan to overcome difficulties that may arise in the future.
  • Watch Peers.
    • Learning a task with peers can help show you how to learn that task.
    • Taking a group class or learning with friends can help.
  • Get encouragement.
    • Take lessons from an encouraging teacher.
    • Develop positive self-talk.
  • Get feedback
    • Take classes so that your work is graded.
    • Publish your work.
    • Show your work to friends and family.