Do you find yourself lacking the energy to get things done? Do you want to stop procrastination and make some real progress? Are you looking for how to increase motivation?
The first step is the most crucial.
The Struggle Is Real
If you’re anything like me (and judging by the fact you’re reading this, you are), you find yourself fighting between what you want to get done and what you don’t want to do. I find myself fighting between the me that wants to sit around and avoid the tasks on my plate and the real me who wants to get things done.
How do you trick your brain into doing what you don’t want to do? Better yet, how do you trick your brain to do what you want, but struggle to find the motivation to make happen?
There are all kinds of tricks to use, like simply taking the time to do one thing every day, or using the same tricks a successful person does. (After all, who is a successful person? Someone who has easy, streaking fun.)
But before you look at all that, the first step in how to increase motivation is the most important. If you want to find more motivation, think like a car.
How to Increase Motivation
Have you ever tried to put diesel in a car that runs on regular gas or tried to put gas into a diesel car? If you did, you know what a two ton brick looks like, because that car was no longer operational.
A rocket needs rocket fuel. A tractor-trailer needs diesel. A typical car needs gas. A weed eater needs two-stroke oil infused gas, and none of them will do a blessed thing with any of the other’s fuel.
It doesn’t matter how powerful that rocket is, without rocket fuel, it’s a dud. Likewise, putting rocket fuel in a car won’t make it faster, but it may make for the front page news.
If you find yourself struggling to move forward, it may not be you; it may be the fuel. The most crucial step in how to increase motivation is to simply find the fuel that starts your creative engine. If you want to make it past the dread stage of work, find your fuel.
Finding the Right Fuel
Are you driven by human interaction or solitude? Are you motivated by having clear instructions or wide open requirements? Do you prefer to have music playing or for everything to be silent?
Everyone has their own fuel needs. Never judge someone for being motivated differently, and that includes yourself.
If you find yourself stuck on a task, do some soul searching. Think of things that motivate, inspire, encourage, and drive you, then incorporate them into your work. That’s how to increase motivation in the way that makes the most sense: the way that drives you. Find your fuel and get your engine running.
