Are there any secrets to being motivated?

I seem to be able to lift my motivation for a month or so, then it all crashes down again and it is a few months before I lift myself for another short burst. This is basically for all aspects of my life, sports, health and work.

In a cycling context… having a goal/target.

I’ve got events planned i need to be stronger, faster, fitter and lighter for ideally… So they’re my motivation.

Goal setting – something around 6 months away, ideally with a couple of intermediate goals.
If you try and set goals too long term they have a habit of either being put off or burning yourself out on them.

Cycling – no issue. Work – well I’m posting here right now…..

Dream fulfillment.

I have a book. Its main idea is that motivation is not what is required. What one really needs is discipline. I’ve yet to read it!

Stay out of the dark playground –

Why procrastinators procrastinate

I know motivation is not quite the same as procrastination, but they’re obv closely linked [now more than ever in the digital age] and the idea of one brick at a time to build something big is relevant.

I was once told I procrastinate because I’m a perfectionist.

That’ll do for me.

First you need a desire to do whatever it is you want to do. You’ve got to want to do it rather than thinking you should do it.
Next you need a goal. That can be anything you want but has to be measurably. A specific weight/time/achievement. Something you can clearly say yes I have hit that.
Then make it easy. Want to eat well? Make your lunches in advance and only have healthy stuff in the house. Want to ride you bike at 6am? Have the kit laid it and the bike ready the night before. Basically, remove be excuses.
Finally, you need to build habit. Something like “I will exercise every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday”. And do it for a month, that should be long enough to build the habit.

This is what has worked for me over he last 6 months.

My opinion is that the biggest secret to motivation despite all of the tips and advice you could received is that you need to acknowledge that ultimately the motivation comes from you. There is no golden bullet, or no other person thats going to do it for you on a continuous basis.

For me, there are a number of factors.

I fear dying without having done what I could in this world. After all, we only get one life.

I also fear getting fat, so that keeps me physically active. My grandfather died of congestive heart failure, in that he almost ate himself to death, and while I know I have a propensity to eat way, way, way too much, I don’t want to end up like that.

Failing my kids. Even though I already do on some levels, I don’t want to fail them any more than I naturally will.

I am actually trying to get my head around whether I am just lacking motivation and need to MTFU or suffering from depression.

Set your targets and ambitions low and you’ll always meet them. Find your motivation just to remain as you are and be happy with that.

Onzadog – Member
I was once told I procrastinate because I’m a perfectionist.

Was it you that told you that?

One thing I have found works for me is to take note of when I feel motivated and what caused me to be motivated.

Whenever I want to be motivated/get something done, I try to recreate those factors. For me headphones on/phone off can help. Sitting down with someone and nutting out plans/work also helps.

Work out what works for you and repeat as needed.

Great link Garry, got me thinking and is 100% relevant to me!

I was thinking about this a while back, lacking motivation to finish some stuff I was working on, all the tedious lose ends etc Just kept putting it off. The solution came to me when browsing through some antiques, seeing some partners desks, it became obvious. Having a partner in an endeavor I reckon always help keep you motivated (In the case of the desk one directly in front of you to keep you on the straight an narrow and off the Mitchell and Web sketch 😉 ) Now all I need is to find a suitable partner !

That monkey/ dark playground piece is awesome!
It’s like he’s delved deep into my brain and written that specifically for me. Thanks.

I read it at lunchtime and it motivated me to get my ass in gear and finish the icky job I needed done. Now I’m finished early and monkey and me are off out on the bike.

I fear dying without having done what I could in this world.

Procrastinators fear that too – at least I do.

However what makes me a procrastinator is that I don’t respond to that fear by doing what I’m supposed to do – I just either sit there being fearful, or I forget about it and amuse myself some other way.

When trying to keep my mind to a task of which I’m bored, I imagine it like when you try to push two simiar magnetic poles together. They twist and squirm away from each in every possible way, and if you do manage to force them together you have to keep applying significant force until after a few seconds they sproing away from each other and go and do something else crazy.

Sometimes I feel like my brain is a young child full of life, curiousity and love for the world, and my job is a Victorian school with a master forcing to keep my eyes forward, ready to smack my hands if I wander…

Now all I need is to find a suitable partner !

In software development it’s called buddy or pair programming, and it really really works. It’s just that managers can’t get their heads around having two people doing the same job. They don’t seem to believe it possible that two people can get through more than twice the work…