How I Stay Motivated With Zero Motivation
I have never been overly motivated in instances where I do not want to complete a task. I am, however, extremely goal oriented and probably a little too competitive.
I’m taken back to my freshman year of high school when I decided to join the track team. I hated running, not sure why, it could be because everyone told me I was short and not good at it, but that sounds like a post for another time. The point is, I did not like running, and I somehow felt it in my heart to dedicate my time to a sport solely dedicated to running.
I literally wanted to quit for most of the season, and every warm up mile felt like a cruel joke. It also didn’t help that I was really bad at it. I just wasn’t very fast, and that’s okay, but I HATE losing, and I lost every race that year. But, the point of the story is I didn’t quit.
Track was one of those activities where anyone who wanted to be on the team could be, and the first few practices had TONS of kids, but throughout the season most people quit. It wasn’t an easy sport, and a lot of people just didn’t want to put the effort into it.
I wanted to quit so badly. I wanted to quit every single day, but I didn’t. It’s the competitive nature in me, and the 3 wing of my Enneagram self. I just couldn’t quit. I didn’t quit, but I had to figure out how to make the season bearable, and in doing so I learned how to push through uncomfortable moments. So, I take a lot of things I learned during those months, and I use them in my daily grind, mainly in my job.
Without further ado, here are some ways I stay motivated when I have ZERO motivation:
Timers: I use a timer when I know I need to focus. I have one of those block timers from Amazon that has increments from like 5 - 45 minutes on it, and you flip it to whatever time you want the timer set for. It seems simple, because it is. I grind for whatever amount of time I throw on there, usually 30-45 minutes, and I’m always surprised at how fast it goes. Actually, I usually end up working over because I’m finishing something up. During this time I stay focused, I don’t touch my phone, get up to get something from the kitchen, talk to Lee, or basically anything but work. I used this type of concept with running track as well. I chunked my run into reps because Apple Watches weren’t a thing back then, but I would just keep myself focused by saying, “Okay, you’ve got this 100m sprint 8x. Just do this 8 times and you’re done.” It kept me focused because I was constantly counting down and reminding myself this was not going to be forever. This is the number 1 way I stay productive, and it works for me.
Daily Task List: I am not a huge list person, but I force myself to write my list of tasks each morning after I check email and Slack. I use a time format for this, meaning I make my list with the tasks next to the appropriate time of day I want to do them. This helps me visualize my time blocks, and helps me stay focused. Again, before each track practice I needed to know exactly what we were going to do so I could cross it off of my mental list as I finished each thing. For example, I know from 8-8:30am I am going to check messages, because a huge chunk of my company works on the West Coast and there are always plenty of things for me to catch up on first thing. Once I’m done with that I go through and jot down my meetings. I need to know what time slots are blocked out so I can figure out where to put in my other tasks. I want to mention I know that I am most focused and excited in the morning, so I always put my most difficult or time consuming tasks as early as possible. If I can knock it out before 1pm I definitely try. Again, a list that is in a specific order and assigned time slots is perfect for me. It’s a clear goal I set for myself, and it’s a goal I try to achieve each day. Once I have my day mapped out I can use my hand dandy timer to keep me super focused for chunks of time!
Daily Walks: I very intentionally schedule a walk or two during the day. A 20 minute walk isn’t just there to help me hit my step goal (read about that here), but it’s literally time for me to walk away from my computer and decompress. I think it’s necessary, and by scheduling it, I’m more likely to actually do it. These walks are usually sprinkled in after a chunk of focus time with my fun timer, and I’m much more likely to push through and stay focused when I know my brain gets to take a break at the end. Breaks are extremely important, and when working a job that requires 8 hours of seat time, some of those breaks should involve your butt leaving the seat. Again, back to track, we always had a break. Whether it was after an extremely grueling portion of sprint work, or just a chance to rest between sets of work, time to chill is so important. Research literally proves this.
Rewards: I am a huge proponent of positive reinforcement. It works in the classroom, works on dogs, and it works for me. Just like I schedule in walks, I also schedule chill time for a job well done. Because I work from home there are no casual conversations that happen organically in the office, and those leisurely 10-15min brain breaks don’t happen as frequently, so I’m intentional with giving myself time to check out. Just like I use my timer to stay focused on a task, I use that same timer to give me time away from those tasks. Maybe it’s 5 minutes of mindless social media scroll, or maybe it’s 15 minutes to read. Either way, it’s something. It’s like the applause after crossing the finish line, even if I was always last. Actually, I do think I beat like 1 person that year. Regardless, every time I crossed the finish line someone was there applauding a job well done.
Background Noise: Another thing I like to do when I’m working on a less tedious task is play a show or movie in the background. I usually pick something I’ve watched 10000x, like Friends or New Girl, that way I don’t need to actually look at the screen to know what’s going on. It’s just there to make me feel like I’m not alone, but also gives me a chance to do something without being laser focused. I know a lot of people do this with music, and sometimes I do as well, but I like hearing people talk. Feels more realistic to me, but it doesn’t pull me away from what I’m doing. Understanding when a task requires complete focus and when it just requires time are two important parts of productivity.
From that list you can basically conclude I’m much like your basic toddler: I need specific time parameters, imbedded movement, and frequent rewards, but I get the job done.
I don’t think any of these ideas are ground breaking or even new, but if you find something that works for you, great! It took me some time to get it figured out for myself, so don’t be afraid to take a few tries yourself!
Always remember work should not consume your life. You are not chained to your desks for 8 hours each day, and absolutely no one can grind for that many hours a day, 5 days a week. It’s unhealthy and unsustainable. Find a way to make the daily work not so bad.
Love,
Lilly
