When motivation plays hide and seek
Motivation is a catalyst, not the fuel.
I was all pumped up about the upcoming course. I geared up with a new line of stationery, read reviews about the course, and even started some ‘light’ content-related reading during evenings over the past few months. I am now officially enrolled in the course, cannot stop binge-watching my favourite sitcom, and fall asleep on average twenty minutes into my assigned reading. Sounds familiar?
The year-long gym membership was used in January only and we are now October. The forgotten plants in the pretty pots are all dried-up. The reading club — what was its name? I can finger-draw in the dust layering the guitar with the out-of-tune strings.
Why do we so often start things willingly, only to see it through, if at all, painfully?
Novelty Gets Old
Beginnings come with a thrill. Look around you and see how much we celebrate the new — new year, birthday, anniversary, new job, new house, new dress, new haircut. I am from a country which is literally a melting pot of cultures and I swear, every festival which its different communities celebrate contains the aspect of a renewed sense of purpose. We love the fact that we get a fresh start, a clean slate. On a side note, I am always amused at how little Mondays (hello, new week!) are welcomed.
All new things do get old. The excitement which accompanies the new eventually wears off because the new does not remain new. We are left with a chore — something which needs to be done; something which we are unmotivated to perform.
The more of a thrill-seeker you are, the more frequently you will start new things, and the more unfinished business you might have on your hands. Once the task becomes routine (which it does, eventually), the thrill usually disappears.
Is It Possible To Keep A Task Exciting?
Sure, but not without adding on a small dose of novelty to it. A task which you become habituated to cannot trigger excitement.
Relationships are very nice representations of that. We have all experienced relationships becoming ‘comfortable’. While the popular advice is usually to spice things up to keep the excitement, comfort in itself is not a bad thing. The problem is that we remember the rush of the new, we like the kick it gave us, and we join the never-ending race of seeking it again.
Knowing the transient nature of things, why do we remain flabbergasted whenever a previously motivating task loses its charm?
How To Keep Going When Unmotivated?
- Keeping things exciting might do the trick. Sure, it will not last forever and you might need to throw in a fresh dose of buzz after some time, but it might be necessary for it to survive. Get the new notebook if that will spice up your note-taking — that assignment will not write itself.
- Change your perception. Instead of changing anything in the thing itself (e.g., instead of changing gym), review your goal (e.g, building stamina instead of dropping weight). We are blessed with the ability of creating meaning out of experiences. Create the new up in your mind, not out in the physical world.
- Discipline trumps motivation. This is my favourite. You do not need motivation to keep going. Motivation is a nice add-on because it makes it easier to carry the task to term. What you need is discipline. Make a plan and stick to it. When you slip and binge-watch Netflix instead, pick yourself up and go back to your plan.
There is no short-cut, you keep going by keeping at it.
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