In my imagination – pre-pandemic – I'm like a cute little bug, happily flying around with all my buddies. Then, out of nowhere, we get swatted down and land in quarantine. Gone are the hive shenanigans, events, appointments, and trips to keep my wings in shape.
Ouch! That swat hurt, and all I want to do is lie there and eat A LOT of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And, Google just recommended the top quarantine comfort TV- binge-watch. It seems 146 episodes of the show New Girl is the perfect distraction to take my mind off this *%#&#! New Reality.
Yet, by some twist of fate, motivation is our Tori Belle theme for April, and it's my job to write a blog about it when I'm feeling anything but motivated. Oh, the irony.
I found myself looking at the solitary word - motivation - for days. It sat on my computer screen, each syllable radiating waves of guilt and anxiety. I calmed myself with the realization that I have the perfect knowledge to recover. That's when I decided to share with you how I recharged my motivation to write this blog.
My first step was to stop beating myself up about my lack of motivation by reminding myself that there are hundreds of studies showing willpower declines over time, naturally. And that’s without a pandemic and quarantine going on! Just because I felt unmotivated didn't mean it was a permanent state. There was nothing wrong with me for hitting the 'willpower wall'.
It's not me, willpower… IT'S YOU!
My next step was to uncover the root of the problem by addressing why willpower subsides over time. The problem - boredom! That's right, doing the same old, same old gets boring. Being pushed to do something that has lost its interest is never going to get us there. Especially when the road is uphill, we must feel virtually pulled by our desire.
We prefer to engage in "want to" goals as opposed to "have to" goals. That's because doing things out of obligation is much less motivating than because it's fun, enjoyable, and meaningful; otherwise, SQUIRREL, that shiny thing over there is going to get our attention. When our SOS light goes on, which stands for ‘shiny object syndrome’, it's time for a boost of willpower and motivation!
One of the beautiful things about being human is our need to feel alive, to have fun, and enjoy life. Let us not judge ourselves for our humanity. Let us celebrate it, leverage it, and find a way to give ourselves the fun we need!
Turns out, getting stuff done and having some fun are two sides of the same coin!
This breakthrough paved the way for my third and final step, recharging my motivation with these three strategies:
ReFrame 1. Change "have to" to "want to" by looking at things differently
AdjUst 2. Take a break by doing something else more interesting
InceNtivize 3. Give yourself an incentive
The first strategy is to seek a change of perspective - to re-frame your thinking. A simple trick to shift from "have to" to "want to" is by asking yourself, "What is the very best thing I will gain out of doing this task?"
When I wasn’t feeling like writing this blog, I thought about how it would help me connect with all of you by sharing my struggle. And I become buoyed by the fact that we're in this together. Also,I will feel victorious knowing even a global pandemic won’t stop me. With this fresh perspective, suddenly, writing this blog became quite appealing and important to me versus something I 'have to' do.
The second strategy is to adjust your activities and do something more appealing long enough to recharge your willpower.
Briefly meditating and the act of praying have been scientifically found to counteract the effects of motivation depletion. For me, making my daily check-in calls with friends and family feeds my soul and afterwards I'm recharged and ready to tackle the task I was avoiding.
The third strategy is to give yourself an incentive bonus for focusing on your top priority.
Nearly 40 studies show that incentives can undo depleted willpower. For example, watching a favorite TV show and receiving a gift are great incentives. I
In pre-pandemic times, if your original task was to clean your house, your incentive could be to have friends over for a party to enjoy your clean house together!
After I finish this blog I'm going to the river to collect wish rocks and build a rock cairn!
What great news! Now instead of feeling bad about a short bout of pleasure and gratification, I'm going to see it as a strategy to push past my willpower wall so I can get back in the sky, wings spread, once again!
Re-frame your 'have to' into a 'want to' by sharing (in the comments below) the very best thing you will gain from accomplishing your task!
Also, what are your favorite pandemic appropriate breaks and incentives to recharge your motivation?
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