I guess I should say self-motivation is finite. It is a limited resource that we can and very often do use up on any given day. Any time we have to do something that isn't automated, we have to figure out a motivation to do the task. Things that are important to us (meaning we're highly motivated to do them) usually get automated. For instance breathing: we are highly motivated to breathe because without it we die. So thousands of year ago some pre-historic person figured this out and worked really hard to automate his/her breathing. Then the energy that used to go to (thinking about) breathing could go chasing food or not becoming something else's food. Not exactly a scientific representation but you get the point.
So fast forward back to today and we have a lot more chances to use up our motivation than our pre-historic ancestors. You didn't log into Facebook when you got to work. Congrats. You walked past the fast food joint to the healthy salad place. Good job. You didn't lose it at Bob for asking about those TPS reports again. You're winning. You responded to Susie from accounting's email. It was a one word response but you still responded.
You've taken all those actions and hundreds more that don't even register (did you walk to the fax machine; do people still fax?). Each action takes away from the amount of motivation available for the next thing. So on those particularly busy/hectic days it can be herculean effort to order take out, let alone go to the gym.
So what can/should you do?
- Automate As Much As Possible- it'll take you a few generations of offspring to automate to the level of breathing but there are some things you can do in the mean time. Things you do daily, weekly, or monthly do them at the same time. Make it non-negociable.
- Avalanche Method- in the personal finance world there's a school of thought for dealing with getting out of debt. The thought is you should pay off your credit card with the highest balance first without worrying about interest rates. This way you gain motivation from seeing the biggest balance disappear.
This thought can be applied to your daily tasks. Figure out what your biggest tasks for the day are and do those first. This way you gain motivation and momentum to get the smaller tasks done.
These are just a couple of suggestions for how to avoid lack of motivation as a roadblock to success. Try these out and maybe you'll save yourself from telling Bob off and you'll send Susie a thoughtful response to her email.
Let me know if you have any other motivation hacks.
