Somedays are super cyclonic. I start my work and back to back, I finish them up. somedays I don’t feel enthusiastic even to start. It becomes hard for me to get the work done.
Do you feel the same? I bet you must have felt that way.
Here motivation makes its entry. You motivate yourself to work consistently. Motivation triggers your nerves to stay in the game and to maintain the flow without fail. When you fall out of track you need motivation to move forward.
Understanding Motivation:
In day-to-day life we need motivation. We read, watch videos, listen to podcasts, and consume content to stay motivated. So you feel super active for some days till the date it fuels you up. then you slowly start missing that energy. Because every day is the same but you don’t feel the same every single day. Somedays you feel excited, and in a better mood, and other days you feel exhausted and dumb.
So I believe motivation plays a temporary game. It is good for a short run. It keeps you up for a small goal, a small achievement. But what it treasures in the long run. In the long run, where every day you need action, your utmost presence is required. In the long run, the path asks for more attention, hard work, dedication, and grinding. So do you feel motivation is enough to continue on the path? How long do you need to motivate yourself daily? It will be exhausting for you.
How to Get Motivated:
If you spend time figuring out where and when to start the work, you are wasting your energy and valuable time to start the actual work. You are waiting for motivation to get you on the task. But it cannot have your back all the time. Here are 3 strategies to get motivated:
1. Scheduling Motivation:
So get a schedule for a specific task whether it’s your workout, writing, or any task, and take a plunge. It automates your behavior towards that task and you no longer wait for motivation to happen.
2. Making Motivation A Habit:
Do you ever need motivation to brush? Since childhood our parents make us understand that it’s good for our hygiene and health. so you never stop doing it. You may do it for 2 mins or 30 secs, but you do it regularly (most of us). Sometimes you get bored too but whatever the case may be you do brushing. Because subconsciously it gets programmed in our mind. It became a habit. You don’t need motivation to keep it up. You do it as a part of your daily routine.
So the best way to keep up your motivation is to, make it a habit. Undoubtedly you won’t fall in the demotivated zone. You will rise above that bar.
3. Building Rituals:
You cannot work, always depending on motivation or inspiration. You can make a consistent ritual and routine to fall into the pattern. For Example, do the same warm-up routine in the gym. Get a cup of espresso before starting your writing routine. Do meditation or a Yognidra routine before bed. These are power rituals that make you prepared to do the work or start a habit.
A good ritual removes all the hurdles in the first place like when to do, how to do where to do it. This pre-game routine provides a mindless way to initiate your behavior. Your pre-game routine needs to be so easy that you can’t say no to it.
Your pre-game routine is the trigger that kickstarts your habit, even if you’re not motivated to do it. You mindlessly follow the pattern, doesn’t matter whether you are motivated or not.
Staying Motivated for the Longrun:
Human beings love challenges, but only if that is within the optimal zone of difficulty. Tasks that are too easy are boring. Tasks that are too hard are discouraging. But tasks that are right on the border of success and failure are incredibly motivating to our human brains.
We can call this phenomenon The Goldilocks Rule. The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right.
To maintain long-term motivation If you are unmotivated to work on a task, it is often because it has drifted into an area of boredom or an area of great difficulty. You need to find a way to pull your tasks back to the border of your abilities where you feel challenged, but capable.
When Motivation Dips: Reframing Your Thoughts and Embracing Discomfort :
Motivation to do a task will inevitably wane at times. So when motivation fades you can try these options:
Thoughts are suggestions: When you feel like giving up, your mind will suggest negative thoughts but if you pause for a moment, your mind will also give new suggestions like you love to accomplish a task, and you can complete a task even when you don’t feel like it.
View your negative thoughts about giving up as mere suggestions, not commands. You have the power to choose which option you want to follow.
Discomfort is temporary: Most tasks are relatively short-lived. A workout session might last an hour, and a report can be finished by the next day. Compared to the grand scheme of life, these discomforts are fleeting and let it strengthen you.
The satisfaction of accomplishment: We want everything in life to be big, easily achievable, and must be respectful. But we don’t want the struggle. We don’t want the pain and we resist it.
But if you observe we rarely regret completing a task, even if it is challenging. The sense of accomplishment and the strengthened identity are built through perseverance and consistency.
Every moment is an opportunity to shape who you are. Choose to spend this moment, even if you don't feel like it, in a way that makes you proud. If only you look for motivation to do the work, then it is never enough to become a pro. If you build small routines, and rituals to overcome your daily battles, regardless of motivation you will slowly march toward your end goal.
Source: How to Get and Stay Motivated