The secrets to failure AND success are both doing nothing.

From paralisis by analysis, to tiredness, to the need to eat sleep and exercise, to relationships, family, friends, depression, ADHD, work – there’s just so much I can pick from to explain why I don’t get started on something, or finish something. A veritable buffet of barriers to block achieving my dreams. I am actively figuring out ways to make this stuff simply not matter.

Motivation – according to psychology, it may not actually exist – at least in the way we often think. Just Google it. It’s not so much something we “get” or hold on to, but a by-product of other aspects of our life and psychology: health, discipline, routine, friendships – and oddly enough – boredom.

Boredom? Yes. Too much stimulation = too much dopamine = crash out. You need to have down-time. Time where you’re sitting there, not on your phone, not doom-scrolling, not with constant stimulation, but even 5 minutes outside looking at the trees, or cars in the street, or whatever. Reset that dopamine. When dopamine is low, and you’re bored, and you feel like you’ve got no motivation…

This is a tough bit – you have a choice. When you’re bored, and dopamine is low enough for you to move again what are you going to do… Get your phone to read motivation blogs? Or work on your dreams?

When I put it like that, at least to me, it seems obvious. But we ARE energy-saving lazy sacks of semi-autonomous meat. It takes conscious effort – not that much – but a LITTLE effort to get up, sit in our “work place” (see below), and take another step towards our dreams and goals. This effort can be overcome habits, repitition and practice – in other words, doing this over time.

Open for “OMG I’VE HEARD ALL THIS IT DOESN’T WORK”

Ok. Sure. Maybe. And you’ll love to hear this too: they used to be my words. Nothing more infuriating than hearing that right? Look I GET it. When you’re in a place of frustration from being stuck in a rut, WISHING you JUST HAD SOME MOTIVATION, it feels pretty hopeless. Please remember – I’ve got nothing to sell you. I’m not selling motivation courses, therapy, collecting social media subscribers. It’s just me, my journey, and my words to you.

So real-time check in: I’m feeling really good right now! If my motivation was a 3 before writing this, right as I write this writing my motivation is right around a 7 or 8. Isn’t that peculiar… Well it is to me, in this moment now!

I don’t feel motivated to act.

That’s right! You’re getting it!

Motivation is a signal that comes from actions moving things forwards. Motivation doesn’t come before action – it comes after action. Don’t feel motivated? It’s because you haven’t acted.

The process to “getting” motivated

If you want to feel motivated, you need to do something – but only after doing nothing. Don’t believe me? It’s what I’m doing right now. I didn’t really WANT to write this. Over the last couple of years I’ve created some methods and routines in my life to help me do something I don’t want to do – something I’m not really motivated about. Like:

• I jot down ideas I want to work on or write about as they come up, and keep them readily accessible. Pro tip: Don’t worry about organisation – just put the latest at the top.
• I have a comfortable “space” I can sit in comfortably for 10 minutes. Not slouched on the couch – but at the dining table, on a dining chair, with good posture.
• Make a cup of tea. It takes me about 10-30 minutes to drink a cup of tea, depending on how motivated I get…
• Pick something from near the top of my list and start.

I thought this was going to take me 5 or 10 minutes. It’s like 45 minutes later. And I feel great. I can now post this (lord knows it ain’t perfekt) close my tablet, go upstairs and… Well I don’t care. Because I’ve done something. And it feels great. And I remember that now, and the next time, and the next time…