Writing – Motivation

This post is written in the context of writing, but motivation is important in any aspect of life.

What pushes a person to do something? I obviously can’t speak for everyone, but I can share what I know about why I do the things I do.

Deadlines and schedules are surprisingly important. As a teacher of mine said, “Give a student a week to write a paper, and it will take them a week to write it. Give them three weeks and it will take all three.”

So if you’re searching for a way to get something done, set yourself a schedule. Be realistic though, don’t expect to go from slacking off to 3 hours a day, every day. It’s important to note that with schedules, a stop time is as important as a start time. Possibly more important. Tell yourself, I’m going to start writing at 8am, and I’m not going to stop until 8:30. Then I will take a break until 9 before I write until 9:30. Or smaller/larger time increments or breaks. Whatever works for you. Experiment.

I read Niel Fiore’s The Now Habit and one of his main points is the importance of ‘Guilt Free Play’. When you procrastinate, you aren’t getting this. So you spend hours or even days not being productive and feeling terrible about it… and then when there’s no other option available you burn through the project at the last minute. The solution?

Set up that schedule. Promise yourself 30 minutes of quality work on whatever needs to be done. Then you can play, relax, or do whatever. Be sure, be absolutely certain you stop after 30 minutes. You can add another 30 minutes if you feel inspired to do so, but don’t do it immediately after the first set. Give yourself a break. They’re important.

When working, it’s important to maintain your flow. Music helps, and if you’re only working for 30 minutes you can set up a playlist yourself or just pick a variety of songs to shuffle. If you have anything… unusual in your library I would recommend avoiding shuffle, because going from your favorite band to say, a cover of Silent Night composed entirely of farts will probably break your rhythm. If you have others in your house, go to a private room, close your door, and get cracking. It’s only for 30 minutes.

You should also try to figure out when you’re most productive or creative, depending on what needs to be done. I find I’m most creative in the mornings and late at night, so I try to keep my schedule free around those times.

That’s what works for me. Some people are more social and can work in front of others, but it just really gets to me. I can’t even handle having an open door.

Everyone has strange habits, figure out what yours are and how to exploit them for maximum productivity.