Why motivation is not the answer to long-term results
Motivation is, and always will be, overrated.
When was the last time you felt guilty for not doing something you promised yourself to do because you don’t feel like it?
Most people think they need motivation to do any sort of activities which can be true, sometimes. Here’s a simple diagram to depict what we think the relationship is like:
However, the problem with relying on motivation to take action is that it’s a feeling, and feelings are unreliable. You can feel super pumped on one day and feel like a couch potato the next.
In order to do something meaningful, you need to consistently engage in some sort of activity whether you feel like it or not.
Good news is — you don’t have to depend on motivation to take action.
In fact, it’s actually the other way around — taking action can generate motivation.
Here’s another diagram that accurately explains the relationship between motivation and action:
Motivation and action are interdependent.
You can do something because you feel motivated but more importantly, you can motivate yourself by taking action first.
I know for some people, that sounds counter-intuitive but let me explain.
When you engage in something, you brain releases the neurotransmitter dopamine which governs motivation.
This biological phenomenon motivates you to do more of what you were doing and hence, the dopamine cycle continues until you stop to do something else.
This is our innate momentum system that we can take advantage of to complete difficult tasks.
With that in mind, the only question now is:
How do we kick start the dopamine cycle?
One action away
When I was in Taiwan, I had this “12-hour-outside” itinerary that were jammed packed with activities for the 6 days that we’re there.
7.30am — arrive at XXX station
9.00am — Sightsee at YYY
11.00am — Take bus to ZZZ ……
Since this was a self-planned trip, we were expecting to miss some of the places given there weren’t any tour guide giving us a meet-up time or deadline to stick to.
And surprise, surprise, we stuck to all of them.
Upon reflection, it all came down to that one thing we commit ourselves to do during the trip:
Wake up earlier than usual. The rest just followed through.
I’d attribute this small win to the minimum viable action we took which was simply waking up earlier.
Everything we planned to do was literally one action away.
Introducing — Minimum Viable Action (MVA)
Here’s a simple definition for MVA:
Any action that requires minimal commitment to engage in that could snowball into something better.
Most of the things we wanna do or achieve are just one action away. These seemingly “simple” actions act as the trigger that would kickstart your dopamine cycle.
Some examples are:
- To workout, commit to changing into your workout clothes.
- To start dieting, commit to tracking your first meal macros;
- To build an app, commit to write the first line of code;
Ideally it’s something so simple that you can’t find an excuse to not do it. And because it’s so simply, you need virtually no willpower to take the action.
For the most part, the only resistance to what you wanna do is to take the first action. We just need the initial push to get the ball rolling, the rest will take care of itself.
Using the Foot-in-the-door technique, on yourself
Apart from the dopamine phenomenon, the psychological reason why this is effective is due to the “foot-in-the-door” technique commonly used by sales people.
This starts with asking their clients to complete a modest request (filling in an online inquiry form), followed by a larger request (booking a meeting), and this continues with a series of larger requests until the deal is sealed.
You could see how similar this is to convincing yourself to doing anything.
The only difference is, you are your own client. You “lead” yourself into completing whatever task you should be doing by starting with a “small” request.
You start with committing only to a MVA, then you’d tell yourself:
“Oh well, I’ve already changed into my workout clothes, might as well drop by the gym”, and then continue with your own versions of mini foot-in-the-door monologues until you get stuff done.
Again, the key is to start with a MVA that‘s hard to refuse for yourself.
Now, to start…
That being said, starting something is always the hardest part, even for something that requires minimal commitment like a MVA.
You do need some… you know… *cough* discipline *cough* to get the ball rolling.
The good news is, that’s kind of the only time you’d need discipline to start the engine. As mentioned earlier, everything else just falls into place once you take the first action.
Some little tricks that might help with this are:
- 5 sec rule — If you have the urge to do something, start it within 5 sec to avoid any excuses.
- Remove distractions from your environment — we tend to avoid doing what we’re hesitant by leaning into distractions such as our phones, TV, etc.
- Have a buddy / partner — feed on each others’ commitment, remind each other to take the first action. Everything seems easier to do when you have good company.
Discipline gets you started, habit keeps you going
You never get enough of this quote and that’s because it’s true.
Once you start incorporating the tools mentioned above, it’s much easier to ride on the momentum and show up every day.
Considering the use of MVA, here are some examples of how your habitual MVA can look:
- Change into workout clothes at 6.30pm every day
- Write a sentence every morning before starting work
- Read one paragraph of a book when you commute to work
When a task turns into a habit, it’ll start feeling weird if you don’t do it instead because you’re used to showing up every day.
When that happens, it’ll be easier to stick to it because it’s already part of your life.
It’s worth noting habit can be a double edge sword.
- If you built a habit of hitting the gym after work, it’ll be easier for you to stick with working out.
- On the contrary, if you built a habit of lying at the couch after work, you’ll be met with a tad more resistance when you’re trying to work out.
Being aware of this can help you identify and make plans better.
As a recap:
- You don’t have to rely on motivation to take action, it can be the other way around
- Minimum Viable Action is an action that requires minimal commitment
- Building a habit with MVAs can ensure you make consistent progress
- Remember that you are just one MVA away from doing what you’re meant to do
