motivation is not something you have, it is something you create
Sounds reasonable. But I expect that also creating motivation (e.g. by visualization) takes some time, so it is still possible to run out of the resources. But for people who don’t do that at all, it is worth exploring.
so it is still possible to run out of the resources
Yes, but I would rather see this as a sign that you hit a wall with your motivation-creating skill, than a limitation on how much motivation you can have or how quickly you can achieve it. There seems to be plenty of evidence for people having success spirals that are very quick and powerful.
Also, the correct meta-strategy when you have little motivation seems to be to direct as much of it as you can towards exploring ways to get more motivation. I expect most people are not strategic about their motivation, so I point it out whenever I can.
I think I get it now. Seems like you are saying “motivation-creation tools and time-management tools are two different kinds of tools made for solving two different kinds of problems; if you try to use time-management tools for handling lack of motivation, they will break”. Correct?
If I haven’t been saying that, it’s only because it never crossed my mind I need to say it. Both my examples from the article are designed around this idea :)
Productivity/time-management tools (for me, at least) serve a function I’d roughly describe as “funneling motivation into high quality work”.
So obviously there’s a connection (motivation is necessary as “fuel” for productivity, and having productivity and successes makes it easier to get motivation), but those are two different things.
Edit: thank you phrasing it in this way—it was also useful for me to make this point clear.
Now this is a big topic, and I don’t see myself as any kind of expert at it… but my suggestion at the beginning is to recognize that at the point you want to create “motivation”, it helps to stop using the umbrella term “motivation”, and replace it with things like:
if left unchecked, what is my default action
if I ask myself what option I prefer, what answer seems “right”
if I imagine an outcome, how much do I “want” it
if I imagine an outcome, what emotions are associated with it
if I imagine looking back at my decision, what feelings are associated with it
are there any feelings associated with the action of imagining itself
what are my predictions about all of the above
what historical data do I have about all of the above
“Motivation” is such a broad topic I wouldn’t know what to write even if I knew everything about it.
After forming a plan, ask yourself, “Will I actually do this?” and adjust your plans based on what your gut says.
Is your plan friendly to both your elephant and your rider (i.e. your unconscious and conscious selves)? If unfriendly to your elephant, can you craft a narrative surrounding the plan that appeals to you emotionally?
On what level are you experiencing the intention or blockage?
The problem with all of these suggestions and all thinking along these lines in general is that they require you to already be some sort of advanced Bene Gesserit to actually habitually employ them in real time.
Like, I know these are good ideas, but what I actually do in real life is just follow my Spirit of Wandering Attention and let it choose whatever project seems most entertaining in the moment.
Sounds reasonable. But I expect that also creating motivation (e.g. by visualization) takes some time, so it is still possible to run out of the resources. But for people who don’t do that at all, it is worth exploring.
Yes, but I would rather see this as a sign that you hit a wall with your motivation-creating skill, than a limitation on how much motivation you can have or how quickly you can achieve it. There seems to be plenty of evidence for people having success spirals that are very quick and powerful.
Also, the correct meta-strategy when you have little motivation seems to be to direct as much of it as you can towards exploring ways to get more motivation. I expect most people are not strategic about their motivation, so I point it out whenever I can.
I think I get it now. Seems like you are saying “motivation-creation tools and time-management tools are two different kinds of tools made for solving two different kinds of problems; if you try to use time-management tools for handling lack of motivation, they will break”. Correct?
If I haven’t been saying that, it’s only because it never crossed my mind I need to say it. Both my examples from the article are designed around this idea :)
Productivity/time-management tools (for me, at least) serve a function I’d roughly describe as “funneling motivation into high quality work”.
So obviously there’s a connection (motivation is necessary as “fuel” for productivity, and having productivity and successes makes it easier to get motivation), but those are two different things.
Edit: thank you phrasing it in this way—it was also useful for me to make this point clear.
I would love to know more about how to create motivation!
Now this is a big topic, and I don’t see myself as any kind of expert at it… but my suggestion at the beginning is to recognize that at the point you want to create “motivation”, it helps to stop using the umbrella term “motivation”, and replace it with things like:
if left unchecked, what is my default action
if I ask myself what option I prefer, what answer seems “right”
if I imagine an outcome, how much do I “want” it
if I imagine an outcome, what emotions are associated with it
if I imagine looking back at my decision, what feelings are associated with it
are there any feelings associated with the action of imagining itself
what are my predictions about all of the above
what historical data do I have about all of the above
“Motivation” is such a broad topic I wouldn’t know what to write even if I knew everything about it.
Just to add to your list:
After forming a plan, ask yourself, “Will I actually do this?” and adjust your plans based on what your gut says.
Is your plan friendly to both your elephant and your rider (i.e. your unconscious and conscious selves)? If unfriendly to your elephant, can you craft a narrative surrounding the plan that appeals to you emotionally?
On what level are you experiencing the intention or blockage?
The problem with all of these suggestions and all thinking along these lines in general is that they require you to already be some sort of advanced Bene Gesserit to actually habitually employ them in real time.
Like, I know these are good ideas, but what I actually do in real life is just follow my Spirit of Wandering Attention and let it choose whatever project seems most entertaining in the moment.