Motivation is something that can’t be bought, can’t be measured and can’t be passed on if you have a surplus. Yet, it is such an important part of getting our tasks done and if we are particularly motivated, we can truly excel. But motivation is often hiding. It is sitting under the bed refusing to come out. I have been exploring ways to get motivated and stay motivated for years, and this article shares some of the ways that work for me. First published on gooroo.io.
Last month my good friend Stephen Haunts released his new book on beating procrastination and getting focused. My first thought was “I definitely need to read this”, because I often struggle with getting enough done in the day. Part of it is the constant distractions from messages, people, other things to do, snacks to eat and many other things. Part of it is just finding the motivation to finish the next Pluralsight course, chase the lead for that new client, read that article on technical subject X and get through the day’s to-do list.
My second thought was that this is probably how a lot of people feel and react. Finding that motivation to take our lives one step further and create something new and useful is difficult at the best of times. As humans, we naturally gravitate towards the low hanging fruit. We do the tasks that provide a quick result and fast gratification. There is nothing wrong with that, but we need to fill our time and find room to do the long term, complex and difficult tasks too. It is the only way we can rise above the rest.
