6 Tips to Reignite Motivation
For the last several days, I’ve been in a motivation rut. I have plenty of things to get done and no drive to complete them. I’ve only completed what has been absolutely required and no more. As a recovering over-achiever, this is not a comfortable place for me, and it often comes with a huge dose of guilt and shame. As I’ve been recovering from burnout, I’ve had to learn to value taking breaks, but I know that in this circumstance, I’m not taking a real break. This is me using break behavior as an avoidant coping strategy… and it does not recharge my batteries like a break will.
Getting hit with low motivation from time to time is not uncommon as motivation isn’t a static state. It ebbs and flows and is respondent to different stimuli. So, what can we do about it? For me, I can’t just continue to ignore my responsibilities and hope my motivation magically appears. I need to feed myself with behaviors that can reignite my motivation. I need to add in just enough eustress (think of this as effort or healthy stress) to reengage my brain, heart, and body and get myself back into flow. (See Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi for more science around flow and eustress). Here are the things I’m actively doing (based on the science I’m learning) to reignite my motivation:
6 Tips for Reigniting Motivation
Identify a behavior that lets you know you’re in a less-than-optimal operating space
Realizing you’re in a rut is the first step because sometimes we get here without realizing it. What are your markers that let you know you’re not in a great headspace for productivity? Mine is when I start skimping on my self-care routine. Usually, it means I’m doing too much and that I’ve overscheduled myself. This time, however, it was an indicator that I was losing my drive. Either way, the behavior alerted me to pay attention.
What are your behaviors? Do you become a pantry troll when you’re overly stressed? How about hitting the snooze several times in the morning? Maybe you find yourself with an overall grumpy attitude? Find a behavior that you know you do when you’re trying to skim a little extra out of your day in a stressful or “blah” situation. Identify it and let it be the good set of data that it actually is. It can be a powerful indicator that it’s time for a change.
Eat that Frog
My therapist first told me about this based on the book by the same name (Tracy, 2001). The basic concept is to do the hard things first. Based on ego depletion theory, our energy wains throughout the day (much like a muscle does when you use it frequently). Eventually, your ability to deal with things fatigues and you need to rest. Tackle the things that require the most effort (or executive function) while you’re fresh and full of dopamine. Then layer in the fun things with a good time out or reward cycle after “eating your frog.”
Tend to your physiological foundation
If your body doesn’t feel good, it’s hard to find the effort to be productive. (I know that the Halloween candy I binged is definitely adding to my “blah”). Tending to your physiological needs is even more important during times when you feel less than optimal. Look for whole, fiber rich foods to fuel you, make sure you’re getting enough sleep, spend some time in healthy movement, and consider making time for mindfulness.
Make it visible
Trying to store your to-dos in your head can be a drain on your energy and problem-solving powers. This is a core component of Getting Things Done by David Allen (2003). Take some time to dump your tasks into a list that you can easily see. (I like to use a dry erase board). Break things down small enough that you can give yourself that dopamine rush by checking of as many items as you can when you complete the small steps (see the next tip).
Work in chunks
When we have a lot to do, overwhelm can become the only thing we can see. This is why breaking things out into smaller chunks is crucial. Especially as someone with ADHD, getting started can be the hardest part of any task. To help myself out, I have an hourglass timer that runs for 15 mins. I use my novelty seeking skills with this object to create a deadline that can spike my adrenaline to kick in on a “boring” task for at least 15 mins. If I get into the task, I can keep going (and use the power of my hyperfocus). These are tips I got from Dr. Ned Hallowell, psychologist and world-renowned ADHD expert. The tips work great for non-neurodivergent folks too. If you can’t activate a hyperfocus state, that’s ok too. You can always fall back on the belief that 15 mins is not that long. Consistency over intensity is the powerful rule here (Clear, 2018).
Recruit an accountability partner
We are social beings by nature and making a commitment to someone can be a strong motivator (Grenny et al., 2013). I have a sister that I can text and ask her to check on me later in the day for a progress report on what I wanted to get done. She’s my favorite accountability partner because she loves to cheer you on when you complete what you were working on. Find someone that you can share a goal with and who will lovingly help you get up and going. When we feel committed to someone else, we can increase our chance of success significantly.
Considering I didn’t wait until the last minute to write this up, I’m thinking I’m on a good trajectory for waking my motivation back up. Time, however, will only tell if I’m going to be consistent enough to complete what I need to get done. Either way, I’m arming myself with a good deal of self-compassion and a mindset that wants to learn and grow from this experience.
Thanks for reading with me today. I hope you find a healthy balance between rest and productivity today.
References:
Allen, D. (2003). Getting things done: the art of stress-free productivity. New York, Penguin
Clear, James. (2018). Atomic Habits: an easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones (PDF ed.). New York: Avery.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York, Harper & Row
Ego depletion: Theory and evidence: Muraven, M., Buczny, J., & Law, K. F. (2019). In The Oxford handbook of human motivation (2nd ed., pp. 113–134). Oxford University Press
Grenny J, Patterson K, Maxfield D, McMillan R, Switzler A. (2013). Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change, 2e, McGraw-Hill Education
Hallowell, E. M., & Ratey, J. J. (1995). Driven to distraction: recognizing and coping with attention deficit disorder from childhood through adulthood. New York, Simon & Schuster
Tracy, B. (2007). Eat that frog!: 21 great ways to stop procrastinating and get more done in less time. 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA, Berrett-Koehler Publisher