9 Lists for when you need motivation
Currently listening: “The Way We Get By” by Spoon
“Motivation is the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. ... Motivation involves the biological, emotional, social, and cognitive forces that activate behavior. In everyday usage, the term “motivation” is frequently used to describe why a person does something.”
Motivation is a tricky beast. We all want it, we all know what it feels like, but when you don’t have it it usually feels absolutely impossible to grasp. Why did I sign myself up for this 6 AM spin class? Why did I promise I would have all of these proposals done by EOD? What universe was I in when I thought going to three brunches in one morning was reasonable?
During the pandemic, in this forever loop of being stuck at home, finding motivation feels particularly… challenging. If not downright impossible. Even if you’re not aware of it, our brains are exhausted from over a year of processing so many unknowns and ambiguities. Because I have a fitness background, the assumption is often that I also have some sort of… secret stash of motivation. Like I’ve cracked the code of how to just make yourself do things. Ha! I’m right there with you. As I’m writing this I’m looking at a list of projects I have for the week that I have absolutely no motivation to touch.
Here’s the thing: you’re not always going to be motivated. That’s an unrealistic expectation. And honestly, being hyper motivated all the time sounds positively exhausting. Motivation is like that sweet burst of energy after a really good cup of coffee; you feel powerful, you feel capable, and it’s going to violently crash at 2 PM, leaving you a shell of the human you once were. Or something like that. We’ve all figured out ways to motivate ourselves (I’m looking at you, every song by Beyoncé!) or to latch onto discipline when we’re running on fumes.
When my usual motivation vices won’t do the trick (early 2000’s pop music, shots of espresso, a quick wlk outside, screaming into a pillow), I turn to lists. I start writing down lists of things that motivate me, or put me into a motivated mindset, and keep going until I feel ready to tackle what’s ahead. The act of physically writing things down sparks our brains in a different way than typing them into the notes section of your phone. You’re more likely to remember what you physically write out which, when you need motivation, might be just the ticket to pushing you across the finish line.
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I don’t know about you, but lack of motivation for me is often allll wrapped up in imposter syndrome. The moment I start to feel like an imposter my motivation flies out the window, and I’m stuck in a black hole of anxiety, doubt, and exhaustion. Sound familiar?
These are my favorite lists to make when I need a little extra boost. I hope that they bring you the extra boost you need, too! Let me know if you try them out, or if you have other journal tools that help you find that juice!
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