One way to motivate yourself to work hard at anything is to risk wasting your money if you fail to put in the necessary effort.

When Charles Simeon, the great preacher and theologian, was at Cambridge, he promised himself that if he failed to get up at 6 a.m. he would throw one golden guinea into the River Cam.

One morning he had to make his way to a bridge over the river and throw in one very valuable golden guinea. He only had to do this once before he established the habit of getting up at 6.

The thought of throwing away your money is a powerful motivator! Pay for lessons in whatever skill you want to learn. You won't want to waste your money.

Personal trainers can teach you something about how to improve your physical condition but their main value lies in the fact that, if you don't do what they tell you to do, you will be wasting your money.

I regularly have lessons with a local computer maintenance expert and local web designer. They both visit my house so that I don't have to motivate myself to get in the car and travel to some distant learning center! We can also work directly on my computer.

For one hour I focus my whole attention on working with my computer expert. I have the motivation of working with another human being. It would be rude to doze off or watch a TV program.

I also have the motivation of making good use of the money I am paying him to teach me some very useful skills.

I work with my web designer for two hours at a time and, whether I feel like doing web design or not, I am motivated by his presence to get on with it. I also want to avoid wasting the money I am paying him.

These regular sessions usually inspire me to do more work on computer and web design skills in the rest of the week. They also allow me to make far better use of my computer and websites. All this encourages me to learn more.

When you are working on your own, you can vary the length of your work sessions to suit yourself. One hour is too long for some. Psychologists tell us that 20 minutes is the optimum length of time for taking in new facts and ideas.

So try working on one project for twenty minutes and then taking a small break before working on the same project for another twenty minutes or working on a different project for twenty minutes.

The advantage of working on the same project for consecutive twenty minute sessions is that you have all the materials for that project easily available and the project is fresh in your mind.

The advantage of working on another project is that the mind is invigorated by focusing on a new topic. Also the fact that you have only 20 minutes in which to make progress gives you a motivating deadline and challenge.

You start thinking "I have only 20 minutes available. I had better get a move on."

After a couple of hours work it is worth doing something physical like taking a short walk or doing some exercises. When you return to work you will feel ready to concentrate and make progress.

It also helps to map out your study schedule the night before and write it down so that your subconscious mind is tuned in to your plans and will help you achieve them.

So don't be afraid of spending your money on training by a local expert and don't hesitate to experiment with the length of your skill learning sessions. Try single 20 minutes sessions on different skills or try several 20 minute sessions on just one skill. Write out your plans the night before and let your subconscious mind do some of the work.

Finally, visualize yourself having mastered the skill you are working at. See yourself confidently creating websites and turning them into awesome cash machines or communication centers. See yourself explaining to your friends how to do what you have already done.

Or visualize yourself performing those dance steps, which you have been learning, in front of a circle of admiring fans. See yourself singing with feeling and power and touching the hearts of those who are listening to you in rapt admiration even if, to begin with, your family is your only audience.