Motivation Issues: For Those Who Struggle Like Me

So often the completion of my to-do list is determined by the degree of motivation that I have to get it done. A long to-do list filled with things I don't want to do is incredibly paralyzing. And I'm darn good at justifying myself when I don't want to do whatever it is that I have to do. I'm a pro at justifying procrastination and thinking hopefully about tomorrow's supposed ease. This, friends, is an awful thing to be a pro at.

When faced with a homework assignment, a class, or a project that I don't want to do, here are some practical pointers to get us past the initial "Oh gosh, this is really the last thing I want to do right now." (Which it's not, but we like to think that.)

1. Spiritually resolve to do what God's called you to.
Obviously if the project you need to do, then God's calling you to it. And it's your responsibility to respond with obedience. As a child of God, this should be the most convicting motivation on the planet.

2. Mentally resolve to do what needs to be done.
Simply buckle down to reality, friends. You need to write the paper, you need to read the book, you need to do the project, you need to do the research, you need to write the program, you need to study for the test, you need to memorize those definitions, and you need to do it well.

3. Mentally resolve to not fall for any supposed reason to not do it.
Self-explanatory. Don't let yourself fool yourself.

4. Work out or do something athletic.
This sounds stupid, but it actually does help. Do some push-ups, pull-ups, stretch, superman, butterfly, round-off, back flip, running, jump rope, whatever. But only for about ten minutes because you need to get to work. If working out is something you like to do, make sure to keep pointer #3 in mind when implementing pointer #4.

5. The Promodoro Technique
This is something my mom taught me. The entire technique is more involved than this, but this is part of it. FOCUS and work HARD for 50 minutes, and then take a 10 minute break. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat. It works if you keep yourself on schedule, always keeping pointer #3 in mind.


Conclusion: Know what God's calling you to. Don't fool yourself. View your lack of motivation as being in competition with yourself, and you have to win. If you lose, you both lose. If you win, you beat yourself, and that's much more fulfilling and a whole lot more fun.