Motivation is a tricky thing. Whether you're an entrepreneur, a student, a stay-at-home parent, or a worker bee at a big corporation, you know that motivation comes in a timeline of fleeting, unforeseen waves. At some point, caffeine just isn't enough.
When it comes to motivation, we generally understand that it stems from us or from an external source, like a boss, intrinsic and extrinsic. But, it is important to think deeper than these two main categories. After all, just realizing that verifying your email as an entrepreneur has to come from within doesn't actually make you want to verify your email more.
Related: The science behind why you don't feel motivated
Motivational subcategories vary by author, study, and study genre. But generally, you can create a custom list of subcategories for your own life. For example, if you work in a traditional business environment, you will have a supervisor, peers, a human resources department, etc. Each of these groups will ask you for certain things each day, week, month and calendar year. Your supervisor expects you to complete the tasks listed in your job description, and your peers may add a few things that aren't in your regular schedule. These types of extrinsic motivation can be categorized as fear-based:If I don't perform my usual duties, I might lose my job, or incentive-based:If I do well in these tasks, my supervisor and peers will recognize me as an exemplary employee.
Intrinsic motivation is sometimes a little harder to define at first. For example, humans are naturally drawn to mastery. We want to achieve goals, learn new things, and generally keep growing. But knowing that information doesn't force you to stick with that personal budgeting lesson that isn't as exciting as it was in week one. Here we need to dig a little deeper. Perhaps the learning process is a natural source of energy for you. Or maybe you need more control over your life, and managing your finances is the first step to getting there.
The simple act of identifying the type of motivation present during a certain task can help you stay on schedule. Keep reading these tips and case studies to better understand your lack of motivation to complete certain tasks, along with some ideas for coaxing some gum on those days you need more coffee.
1. Tie the reason to the task.
Let's be very clear:Being task-motivated doesn't mean you have to be happy or excited. Sometimes you have to ask yourself:Why is this task important? What will it bring into my life? The answer could be as simple as I won't get fired. The key thing to remember here is that motivation is nebulous. The motivation to respond to your inbox full of customer complaints will be drastically different from your motivation to get up at 5 a.m. so you can spend time with your daughter before her first day of school.
2. Rate your reluctance to get started.
Have you ever had a deadline looming on a big project only to spend excessive time cleaning your refrigerator or detailing your car? You may be afraid of failing at the task ahead. It may be an ongoing trait that you need to address on a deeper level. If you find it difficult to start a project until the moment is critical, you may have an unhealthy relationship with stress.
A 20-year stress study conducted by the University of London found that stress can release dopamine – the comforting chemical – which encourages repeated behaviors. Simply put, people can be as addicted to stress as they are on their social media posts. More importantly, the study found that those with unmanaged stress levels were at greater risk of cancer and heart disease than smokers or those with poor diets.
3. Use the 15 minute rule.
You might not have a problem keeping track of your work tasks, as these pay the bills and come with a pretty clear level of responsibility. But what about mundane daily chores around the house? After a long day at the office, the last thing we want to do is put away clean dishes or organize last month's receipts in anticipation of tax season.
Use the 15-minute rule, advises Gretchen Rubin in his book, Happier at Home:Kissing More, Jumping More, Abandoning a Project, Reading Samuel Johnson and My Other Everyday Life Experiences . You can accomplish a lot in just 15 minutes, yet most of us waste that time on our phones between meetings or while commuting. Commit to working on a deferral task for 15 minutes without a break. Stop at 15 minutes. Do not allow yourself to work anymore. Do this every day for a week and mark your progress.
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Amber Garrett
Founder of Amber Garrett Photography, Las Vegas
Being an entrepreneur is much more than your art. When I first opened my business in 2016, I had no idea what it was all about as a business owner. There are fun things, like photography and editing; and there are less fun things, like advertising or making sure my business stays legal and protected. I learned that I hate having photoshoots on Mondays because I don't feel like I can enjoy my Sundays. I choose to spend Monday doing my office work because I know it's a full day where I won't be interrupted by any photo shoots.
Always give yourself twice as much time as you think you'll need. it will take you to complete something. There have been so many years that I spent predicting that a task would take me an hour, then two hours. I would feel disappointed for not being so productive, when in reality, I was not giving myself enough time to properly complete this task. If the system you're currently using isn't working, change something. Maybe it's your location, the tools you use, or the people you work with. You are allowed to make changes to make things better. Have a plan for your days and stick to it, but don't be judgmental if things need to change.
Tyler Hodgson
Founder and Chairman of NXT Mortgage, Dallas
I definitely have a suck and go mindset most of the time. Everyone fails; entrepreneurs definitely fail more than the average person. Ambitious goals like waking up at 4:30 a.m. every day and hitting the gym can be difficult to achieve consistently. There are definitely days when I get too tired or just don't feel it and fail. If I don't feel it, I usually go through one of two scenarios:First, do it anyway. Do your best, and even if you only do a little bit, you are better – you have at least done a little more than nothing. Second, I admit I need a little rest, I take the rest in the moment, but find a plan to make it up.
Many entrepreneurs think they have to work 80 or 100 hour weeks to succeed. Or when they are busy, they may think they have to put in 12 or 14 hour days to get everything done. I am a firm believer in balance and prioritization. Sometimes it takes long days and long weeks as long as you don't burn out. Once you start to tire or burn out, your productivity will suffer so much that you're better off taking the rest and working fewer hours fresh. When you have 12 hours of work to do in a day, sometimes you just have to select the most important 8 or 9 hours of work and forget about the rest.
Brea Roper
Gallup Certified Force Coach, Kansas City, Missouri
There are so many good things you can do every day, but the good keeps us from being great. Setting goals is essential to staying focused. Identify your goal for the day and the three to five tasks that will get you there. Write it. Anything else that appears throughout the day must pass through this filter. If the distraction isn't serving your purpose, choose to postpone, delegate, or dismiss.
Start your day with things that fill you up (workout, meditation, reading, brainstorming, coffee with a friend, meeting a new connection, etc.), and you'll be happy to get started. For me, being verbal and making real connections with people really fills my emotional reservoir and gets my creative juices flowing. I usually plan to start my day with an early morning networking event, coaching session, or coffee with a friend. Then I'm more energized and motivated to finish the boring admin work.
The struggle is real, so I make time. I will set an alarm for 45 minutes and delete as many emails as I can, then get up and move my body for 15 minutes. Doing something fun to break up the monotony and get my blood flowing is key. Learn what works for you and make it work for you.
