Motivation missing? 5 tips to kickstart yourself!

You might think I am always happy because I wrote “A Scrum Master’s Guide to Happiness”. Or that my plans and actions always go as planned, thanks to my Scrum Master skills. Maybe you assume I’m relentlessly cheerful and always full of energy.

Well, I wish that were true.

I am an optimist by nature, looking at the bright side of life. But I also experience less-than-happy moments when I procrastinate like a pro, suffer from imposter syndrome, or struggle to get into action. Sometimes, I lack the motivation to do what I planned, even just to get started. I also know from experience that waiting for motivation is futile.

I don’t need a special reason to get into such an apathetic state. Beds, sofas, and comfy chairs can be pretty comfortable. And once you’re there, it’s easy to find all the good reasons to stay there.

The first thing to do is to start, and the second is to continue (Chinese proverb)

I know from experience that it can quickly become a reinforcing condition. The longer I stay put and refrain from starting, the harder it is to get into action. It is like standing on the side of a swimming pool, anxious to dive in the water, envisioning it’s getting colder by the minute.

Unfortunately, plenty of distractions are available to sustain this situation: social media, gaming, television, movies, podcasts, napping, food, drinks, etc. The longer I hide in distractions, the more difficult it becomes to break this vicious circle of inertia. Recently, I have started Sudoku puzzles again, which can keep me entertained for a looooong time.

Although I feel my disappointment and frustration growing from not getting into action, these feelings can be comfortably numbed by just continuing my distracting activities.

Do you recognize this counterproductive mechanism?

In my personal retrospectives, I try to figure out how and why it happened and experiment with different approaches to escape this inactivity trap next time. Here are a few techniques I discovered over time that helped me break away and get into action…

Start with why

The planned action itself might not be so inspiring (going to the gym), but the value it brings to you might be more appealing.

So ask yourself: why is this action important to me? And when you have an answer, repeat: Why is <answer> important to me? And on that following answer, repeat: Why is <answer> important to me? By repeating this question a few more times, you are digging deeper into the underlying reasons. After a few iterations, you rediscover the core value of your action, confirmed by a deep sense of knowing and appreciation. Congrats, you can now tap into the original source of your motivation.

Feel forward

Imagine how you will feel after completing this action that you are postponing. Probably something like: good, great, proud, satisfied, pleased, relieved, strong, fit, happy, … or all of the above. Wouldn’t that be awesome? Let’s go!

Reward

We can all use some encouragement. So, how about rewarding yourself with a nice treat after you have finished your action? It could be a fresh smoothie, a funny cat video, a chocolate chip cookie, or cuddling with your pet. Anything enjoyable that helps you get started is fine. One more Sudoku puzzle in my case.

Add some fun

Plenty of actions on our to-do lists are less inspiring by nature. I don’t think many people enjoy cleaning the house or filing tax papers. If you do, count your blessings! For everyone else, why not add a bit more fun to make it more enjoyable? Play your favorite music, turn it into a game, or listen to a podcast or ebook while hovering the house. Be creative and add some fun!

Joined effort

I can be quite a loner, but joining forces and working on something together can be enjoyable, too. Going to the gym or running with a buddy, for instance. Or divide the work and clean the house as a family effort. A problem shared is a problem halved.