How to Hack Your Motivation: Part 1 – Why You Are Not Motivated

I’m republishing this post from 2011 as a way of reminding myself to be more motivated… hopefully it helps you as well!

Motivation is a tricky thing. I’ve heard it described as a “muscle,” meaning that like muscles, we need to exercise our “motivation” in order to increase its usefulness. Most of us suffer from instances of prolonged apathy or even disdain for our projects, our goals, and our lives. Some of us even have an issue with self-discipline. Why is it that motivation is so often an elusive emotion? Why is it that it seems more like a vegetable–something we know is good for us, but it tastes too bad to force down?
Usually, you “lack of motivation” really means you’re suffering from “3M” syndrome: Motivation and Momentum Monotony (clever, right?). This cute little phrase, to me, means that you’re not really unmotivated, you’re just stuck in another habit that needs to be “redirected.”

The “monotony” part comes in when we begin to go about our daily ingrained habitual tasks in a thoughtless, uninspiring way. You wake up, shower, brush your teeth, grab a coffee, and sit down at your desk, all in that order, all the time. When a new project comes across your desk, you intend to let the project’s work (the deliverables, presentations, final product, etc.) keep you motivated and focused on the end goal–but the real problem lies in the process you have leading up to the project, not the project itself.

For me, this means most often that I need to slightly alter my usual routine to incorporate this new project, if only to prevent monotony. Here’s an example:

I get a new consulting client. In order to give the new client the attention they deserve, I’ll need to block off a set amount of time each day or week to work on whatever it is they need. In previous years, I’ve had the “I’ll work on it when there’s something that needs to be done” mentality, but that’s never proved to be an effective use of my time–and my clients’ money!

The better way of handling this opportunity–and staying motivated and encouraged while doing so–is to prevent monotony, yet incorporate a new habit into your daily workflow. For a step-by-step guide on how to do this:

1. Grab a calendar or planner and split up your day into 15-minute chunks. Each 15 minute chunk, starting with your usual daily routine when you wake up until you go to bed, needs to be included. For me, that’s 6 am to about midnight.
2. Spend an hour and write your daily routine inside each chunk. Spend 15 minutes taking a shower? Fine, just estimate when you usually start/end your shower and bathroom routine.
3. Notice any holes? These are chunks that are not filled in with daily or repetitive tasks. Maybe you’ve “opened” a chunk or two for lunch, or like to have an open-ended dinner with your family. That’s good–just try to get everything you do on a day-to-day basis on paper.
4. Look for chunks that are “floating” in the middle of your day–these are usually tasks that can be pushed up or down in your day, and will help free up some extra time.
5. Finally, fill in the gaps with your new task(s), and spend a week seeing how the new project “fits” with your other chunks.