So I’m sure many if not all of you reading this, like me, struggle immensely with self motivation. Having no one but you to push you and drive yourself to get out the house or even just get out of bed and do something, anything, to make your day productive. And if you also struggle with depression, the task is that much harder. Lately I’ve been thinking about something. Motivation, is not real. I just don’t get it.
When I think back to a time when I was extremely productive, I wasn’t motivated by anything. There was no driving force that pushed me to continue and maintain my productivity levels. I remember being inspired to begin whatever the task was, studying or sports, by looking at the lives and work ethics of those around me. And I knew if did this thing(study) I’d get a good grade or if I did this club I’d have a more fleshed out college application. Whenever I’ve been extremely productive in my life it’s been a combination of incentive and me just moving.
The definition of motivation is the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way. More specifically and more accurately to how I and those around me use it, is the general desire or willingness of someone to do something. I feel like all people understand that definition. Everyone wants to change for the better. Work out, eat healthier, study or work harder, perform better in your field, be more productive in your creative works. We all have the general desire and willingness to make our lives better however that looks for each individual. But when it comes to actually putting into practice that desire, we fall short.
I think it’s fair to say that everyone is motivated. But very few people are inspired, or incentivized or hard enough on themselves to get anything done. I feel like a combination of all three of those is how things really get done, and stay getting done over and over again. At least for me. Even writing this blog post right now. It should have been done ages ago. But only recently did I start following certain YouTubers and watching their channels and their content output inspired me to get off my ass and do something. It didn’t motivate me, I’ve already been motivated, but it inspired me. Ignited that spark of restlessness where your body just wants to get up and move and create. That inspiration, is what made me get out of bed.
Then I made breakfast and started watching Amazing World of Gumball. I was still motivated, still inspired to do something, but I had no solid incentive for doing it. Lately my creative output has been quite decent on my YouTube platform. In order to keep that growth steady and strong, I have to continue my output. I know that if I consistently upload blogs, I’ll gain more readers and make them happy which will in turn make me happy. My incentive for writing this blog is feeling fulfilled, productive, and content with my day. My own happiness has become my incentive. Now that I’ve pinpointed my inspiration, and my incentive, the only thing left to do, is just do it.
At the end of the day, there’s no real trick, there’s no magical feeling of limitless productivity and passion. You have to put in the work. When you want nothing more than to go to sleep and wait for a “tomorrow” you know will never come. When you want “just one more episode” before you start. When you “need to have a clean environment before you can begin” and clean your room for two hours. When you “need to wait for it to be exactly 3:00pm oops its 3:01 guess I cant start have to wait for 4:00pm to begin” and you continue to scroll on Twitter. Stop bullshitting. Stop fucking around. You’re waiting for nothing. And you’re only harming yourself. You have everything you need already. So just do it. If you were going to do something, you would’ve already begun. So that’s it. That’s the simple answer. Just begin.
However I know sometimes it can seem like a herculean task and you don’t even know where to begin(depending on how much work you’ve let pile up while you procrastinate), there is one actual kind of method you can try. The Pomodoro method. The Pomodoro Technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. So basically work for 25 minutes, take a five minute break, then work for 25 minutes, five minute break, and wah-la! You’ve worked for an hour. Most times once you’ve worked for 25 minutes, you get into a groove and don’t even need to stop for a break. The hardest part is just beginning.
So stop waiting for motivation to come. You’re already motivated. Just, begin. Nike should hella sponsor me because here we go, just do it.