Motivation comes in waves. Some days we hop out of bed, ready to take on the world. We start big projects, dream big dreams, and know that FINALLY we’re going to accomplish something.
But then, tomorrow comes.
We sit down in the same place we sat yesterday — where we were on fire and ready to go and… nothing. We look at our Netflix queue or go and buy a cup of coffee. We can’t seem to get that spark back.
That is how motivation works. So, if we rely on motivation alone, we are setting ourselves up for failure.
What can we do instead?
One of my mentors, BJ Fogg, who runs the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford, says we should assume that our “future self” is going to be lazy with no motivation. We need to set up systems to make achieving our goals as easy as possible — even when our motivation is low.
#Step 1: Plan for failure: Being Consistent Is Not the Same as Being Perfect
You probably realize that consistency is important for making progress, doing better work, getting in shape, and achieving some level of success in most areas of life.
I write about the power of consistency often: why repetition is more important than perfection (here), how small gains add up to big results (here), and why falling in love with boredom is essential for mastery (here).
But once you realize the power of consistency, there is a danger that comes with this knowledge. And that danger is falling into an all-or-nothing mindset.
As usual, I don’t have this all figured out, but let’s talk about how to be consistent and how we can use science and research to avoid common mistakes and pitfalls.
#Step 2: Put it on your calendar
Imagine playing in a basketball game against LeBron James. We have the best shoes, the most expensive pair of athletics shorts, a fancy headband, and the greatest jersey in the world. And he has no shoes, ripped shorts, and a dress shirt. Who would win?
It sounds ridiculous but we play this same game against motivation every day.
The tools don’t matter as much as we think.