The Myth Of Motivation
I’ve started putting together more frequent free resources to help you in running a sustainable business. Now starting on what sounds like a clickbait title, but I’m not going to turn down a good name. I wasn’t sure what you - AKA - the audience would like to learn about or hear more about and while I know that I have info to offer, I don’t just want to be another person shouting into the already overwhelming noise of podcasts. So as you do in 2022 I went to my Instagram Story and asked you what you want to learn about!
If you’re interested in these conversations you can follow me over on Instagram.
The first question I had was one that I really appreciated…
How do you keep yourself motivated? Practical examples, please…
Cool, so here’s the answer you probably weren’t expecting…I don’t think I’m motivated at all. I wake up most mornings and complain to my family about having to go to work. I truly believe there is a distinct difference between feeling and doing.
Now I wasn’t sure what people actually understand ‘motivation’ as. So obviously I googled and did some research! I was really happy to find that I didn’t miss the boat with this one. So the definition I found was:
Motivation, broadly speaking, operates on the erroneous assumption that a particular mental or emotional state is necessary to complete a task.
So just being clear - I tend to associate motivation with a feeling - I don’t really associate feeling motivated with doing something - so keep that in mind as you read the rest of my answer!
As somebody who has faced multiple mental health crises over my short life something I’ve learned and come to rely on is that feelings are unreliable. They’re your bodies direct reaction to something but they aren’t inherently good or bad. So while we as a society mark motivation as a ‘good’ emotion - it’s really just a feeling.
Feelings can’t control the way you make decisions or the way you make your business.
That being said I think I understand the base of your question…how do you keep doing what you do well without it draining you as a person?
I hope I’m getting this right but I’m going to answer it for you.
I don’t.
A lot of the time I really don’t want to do what I have to do - I don’t want to make another design change or redo that part of the website or to even update some edits in a video I did 3 weeks ago.
My family are very bored of me complaining that I don’t want to go to work or go and work for hours on end. More often than not, I go to my desk or to my laptop dragging my feet, hoping that something will pop up and allow me to do anything but what I have to do.
I do it because I have to. But more than that. I do this and I choose to do what I do because it is leading me toward the future that I dream about living in. I don’t feel like doing it most of the time, but I know that in 10 years I want to work a 6hr day and have time to enjoy my time in the garden and with people. That means there are certain steps that I have to take right now in order to get me there.
So I guess that’s where I start. Where do I want to be and what is it going to take for me to get there?
Knowing the answer to that question allows me to wake up and keep going - I’m working towards something not just for a paycheck. That in its own way is a type of motivation for me - having a purpose is something that drives me.
Day to day? I’ve got a little trick I like to use - it’s my own personal reward system!
There are tasks I love doing and then there are tasks I disdain with every part of my person. I find a way to get my work done in a way that keeps me wanting to work is rewarding myself for the hard tasks.
I’ll give you an example of this…
I hate invoicing and maintaining my books. Honestly, I’d rather sit on a cactus once a month than do it. But it needs to get done, it is quite literally a KEY part of my business.
So….the way I get myself to do it is by rewarding myself…If you send that one INV (even if it takes 5mins) you get to spend the next 2hrs working on a template set! The reward doesn’t have to equal the task you have to do. It just needs to be something that you enjoy doing so much that it will drive you to do what you need to do.
It might not make sense to you if you’re tracking productivity - you’ll be spending more time on the rewards than on the tasks you don’t like AND THAT’S OKAY.
The important thing is that you’re working on the hard tasks even if you’re only getting a few done a day.
I’ve also found that having listening material I really want to listen to drives me to sit at my computer and if I have to sit there then I will work. I’m personally an Audible girl….I’ve subscribed to the pro library and while it’s not the cheapest option - getting to listen to my favourite books while doing things 10/10 does it for me. I also love the sleep timer setting! It allows you to set your audiobook to stop at the end of the chapter. So work for 1hr and then set your chapter to end - this way you’re working according to your book rather than your task.
Sometimes I actually want to keep working because I’m attached to what’s happening in the book I’m listening to. Once again I know this doesn’t work for every single career but for what I do I absolutely love this feature and use the heck out of it.
Another thing along the same lines is podcasts - man do I love a good podcast - if I can feed my brain dopamine through what I listen to then I find the work easier to do because I’m not relying on the work to deliver pleasure or enjoyment to me - I’m making a way to give that to myself and then working as an addition to that.
I personally LOVE The Daily Wire, The Blaze TV and PragerU! I probably listen to about 6 podcasts a day. And when I’m not feeling politics as a theme I love listening to Cultish or Remnant Radio. I know you didn’t come here for podcast recommendations but I’m gonna give them to you anyway seeing as I listen to so many!
Then there’s what I in my own silly way call ‘The Last Option’...which really sounds dramatic and can feel that way but is my failsafe for when my other methods just don’t work.
To me, that is leaving the house and going to work somewhere else. Working from home is free and something I am used to, however sometimes I need to be in an environment with other people, noise and life. And something I’ve learned is that it’s never too late to make a better decision. Say it’s 11 and any desire to work I have left me….11 is pretty close to 1.
And I know that 2 hrs of work is much better than 0.
So if at any point I feel my desire to work leave me - well I pack up and find somewhere to work. Now where I love there is a coffee shop where many people I know like to work, it’s definitely a place where many of us go when we need to be somewhere else. The tables are set out community style and the wifi is good.
Also, the drinks are yummy and affordable.
So let’s sum it up in a list:
Working towards a goal
Rewarding myself for doing hard tasks
Leaving the house
And one that I haven’t mentioned and may actually sound so ridiculously obvious you think it’s crazy…make your bed, get dressed and put on a pair of shoes. The shoe thing was something my mom told me in 2020 and at first, I thought it was pretty silly but it’s something I added to my morning routine and it actually works. It helps me create a transition between myself and my environment.
Something I’ve learned through working from home and having my space confined to a single, rather small room is that transitions are key. You need to have an action or a separator between your private life and your work life. If you don’t have that it’s really hard for your body to rest and to differentiate between rest and go. It’s not healthy and pretty tough on your body.
We’re human, which means we’re body, spirit and soul. It’s important to remember that taking the time to do something practical can help your mind get into the right place.
And, I guess on top of that you should be taking regular breaks, sunshine helps me focus. So taking a walk outside, walking around your office…so many different things.
And don’t get the wrong idea from this - more often than not I don’t get this right. Sometimes I just want to lay in my bed and watch a series. I want to weed the garden or do something that is in no way related to my business or my job.
It’s also okay when that happens. It can’t be okay if it’s happening every day but occasionally we’re all going to fail and that needs to be okay. If it’s something you’re finding is happening day after day…you need to reevaluate what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.
Something is clearly not working and you’re going to need to find a system that works for you. Not what works for everybody else.
Something I’m a huge believer in both in business and in my private life is that copy and paste doesn’t work for everybody and it’s important for you to know what works for you and how you work best. Structure your business around who you are and the way you work rather than trying to change yourself to fit a model.
I hope this is all making sense and I hope you’re understanding what I’m saying in the context I’m saying it. It’s okay to have bad days but every single day cannot be a bad day - if that’s the case it’s time to create a new work environment. You’re also gonna have to do hard things that you don’t want to do and it’s a key part of running a successful business. So find a way to get those things done.
You’re also going to have to work hard. Do not be fooled. Running your own business is a heck of a lot of work. Probably way more than you think it is. However, it’s also worth me noting that it is extremely fulfilling and I wouldn’t want to do anything else.
I can only hope that this encourages you and lets you know that you’re not alone. It’s hard and challenging but you’re on the path and that’s the most important step!
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