motivation

i’ve had trouble with motivation for most of my life, and i’m not going to lie and say that i’m not still struggling with finding the drive to do anything. but i like to think i’ve gotten better in identifying what i can do and what seems like too much effort.

here’s some tips i wanted to share that i think are applicable to a lot of situations.

1. figure out what’s too much for you to do and find accommodations. no motivation to work out? make it more accessible, make it less strenuous, whatever you need to get where you want. can’t get out of bed? give yourself agency, set a goal to look at something outside of your room, whatever feels right for you and your situation. overall, as i said, it’s generally a good idea to keep your goals realistic, attainable, and initially small.

2. (heavy emphasis) don’t fall for the “all or nothing” mindset. it doesn’t work. “all or nothing” will just become nothing. instead, it’s better to strive to do something. it doesn’t have to be big, as long as it’s something. trouble brushing your teeth everyday? try to brush them for at least 20 seconds and see where that gets you. something is always better than nothing. putting off an essay? try to write a sentence.

3. find a community of other people with similar goals. it helps way more than you think, and it’s good to have other people to remind you of how you’re doing, but make sure being part of that community doesn’t make you feel guilty whenever you don’t stick by your goal. online communities are great, but i actively avoid twitter because there’s a lot of shame passed around in the groups i was part of.

4. remind yourself that you’re doing okay. whatever you’re doing, it’s okay. it could be better, it could be worse. strive to make it better, but be okay with it getting worse. life isn’t linear, struggles aren’t linear, nothing is predictable and that’s okay. it’s okay to have cheat days, to be too busy, to forget.