Running Low On Motivation? Try These 4 Tips to Get Things Done Again
“Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, “It might have been.”
— Kurt Vonnegut
The hardest thing to do before or after a long day at work is to spend even more time working on a side project. Even if you love it, eventually the strain of those extra hours can wear down even the most disciplined hustler.
But what if those projects drag on for months or even years? The pain and regret of letting them fade away can be a wake-up call for some, but for others, it only causes anxiety and fear and further decreases motivation. So, what can you do to increase your motivation and get those side projects back on track?
In this article, you’ll learn four simple tips to keep your motivation up, get more done, and enjoy the satisfaction of completing those side projects that matter to you.
Find the root of your motivation
Whatever you want to work on, it has to matter. If it doesn’t matter, it’ll suck. It won’t get you out of bed at 5 am. It won’t make you close the Netflix tab on your browser after just one episode.
Your energy and time are limited. So make sure that whatever you’re spending it on is the most important thing you do that day. Other than, you know, taking care of your kids or paying your internet bills.
But can you determine what matters?
In his book Wanting — The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life, author Luke Burgis describes two types of desires. Thin desires are those moulded by external factors and models society compels us to imitate. Money and prestige are examples of thin desires. They are shallow and focused on extrinsic perceptions.
In contrast, thick desires respond to our deeper, most important needs. They exist before thin desires and are attuned to our authentic selves. Expressing ourselves, contributing to a greater cause, connecting with others, and taking care of our loved ones are examples of thick desires.
How can we tell them apart? Burgis argues that more often than not, the more intense the feelings around that desire are, the thinner it is.
Determining the nature of our desires is time-consuming work, but figuring out where they come from help decide whether the goal is worth the effort.
Use habit streaks for motivation
They say the start is often the hardest part of any task. Likewise, the first few days of building a new habit are the most difficult, and when you’re at the biggest risk of dropping it.
Using habit streaks is a fun way to keep your motivation up and give you more insights on when or why you break them.
Paying attention to what you do is a crucial first step, but it takes practice to get into the habit of tracking your work and mood.
There are several ways to go about it. You can journal, mark streaks on a calendar, or use fun, colourful apps like everyday to record your streaks.
Give yourself time constraints
You’re probably familiar with Parkinson’s Law, or the idea that a task expands to occupy all the time you have for it.
The best cure for this is to set strong deadlines and limitations that keep you from taking too long on simple tasks.
Keep in mind that external deadlines work much better than internal ones. Just telling yourself to get something done by Friday is unlikely to work.
According to Timothy Pychyl of Carleton University, self-imposed deadlines lack the authority and high stakes that make external deadlines effective.
The issue here is that with a side project, you have no one else to answer to when tasks stay unfinished. To counteract Parkinson’s Law and keep your motivation up, set up external constraints.
Something I like to do is to use the Frozen Turkey block on Cold Turkey. With this function, I can log out any user or even turn off my computer at a given time each day. For instance, I’ve configured the block to log out my work session at 9 pm. While I can still use my computer to watch Netflix, I can’t access the files I need to work. So, I have a time constraint that keeps me motivated and focused.
You can also rely on friends, family, coworkers or accountability groups to keep you on your toes.
How does this influence motivation? By giving yourself a defined timeframe to complete a task, you get the satisfaction of seeing sustained progress instead of dragging on the same job for days, weeks, or even months.
Also, it keeps you from working on the same task for far too long.
Eliminate your negative self-talk
In the bestselling book Atomic Habits, author James Clear distinguishes between outcome-based habits (based on what you want to achieve) and identity-based habits (inspired by who you think you are or who you want to become.)
Habits shape your identity. With every decision you make, you take a step closer to your ideal self.
Think of a habit you’ve been struggling to build. Let’s say you want to work out in the mornings, but always hit ‘snooze’ when the alarm goes off. Who is the type of person who wakes up in the morning? Maybe that image doesn’t match your self-image.
So consider what people who hit the gym regularly do. For instance, they go to bed early, leave their gym clothes and gear ready the night before, or sign up for classes they genuinely enjoy.
When you take steps to match your actions with the identity of the person you want to become, you make it easier for these new habits to stick, increasing your motivation.
Also, pay attention to your self-talk. If you talk to yourself in a negative, judgemental way every time you miss a day at the gym, you’re creating a negative association with it and becoming the type of person who misses the gym every day.
To reduce negative self-talk, give it the new task of forgiving yourself every time you make a mistake. It may take a while, but getting used to using self-compassion and kindness takes away a lot of the pressure that’s crushing your motivation and energy.
Takeaways
Motivation ebbs and flows based on your mood, energy levels, and the toll that daily responsibilities take on you.
While you can’t stay fully motivated every single moment of the day, there are steps you can take to power through those moments when your motivation falters.
Start by questioning why you’re doing what you’re doing. Is this goal or task responding to a deeper need? If it isn’t, chances are your motivation will be frailer, and consider using your energy on tasks that are more aligned with who you want to be.
Streaks are a simple way to break through those difficult first days and build sustained habits, which keep your motivation up.
Combat lack of motivation with external constraints and accountability, and challenge your negative self-talk to counteract its detrimental effects on your motivation.
While these tips can help keep your motivation up, it’s important to remember that it’s okay to take a day off now and then. If your lack of motivation has been going on for several days or weeks, it may be a symptom of a deeper issue, such as burnout.
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