I am sure each one of you must have heard or experienced this term. It’s a fascinating yet frustrating phenomenon that can hold us back from achieving our goals. Here’s what I feel about it; my views are personal.
What is it?
The motivation trap is a cycle of relying on motivation to take action, rather than building habits and systems to drive progress. When we’re motivated, we feel energized and focused, but when motivation wanes, we struggle to make progress. I assume, it happens with almost all of us irrespective of hierarchy or position.
An example could be that when an employee meets Boss and hears some good words or a compliment from anyone about work, he or she is really motivated and on the cloud 9 and when they hear yelling, or criticism they feel demotivated, and hardly wish to work.
Now, the real problem:
Motivation is fleeting and unreliable. It can be influenced by anything such as emotions, circumstances, and external factors, your team’s, Boss’s, colleagues’ behaviour, health issues, personal life issues, which make it difficult to sustain. Relying solely on motivation can lead to:
1. Procrastination: Waiting for motivation to strike before taking action, this may lead to poor performance, delay of work, quality of work etc.
2. Inconsistency: Making progress only when motivation is high. Friday is good, Monday is bad.
3. Burnout: Pushing too hard when motivation is present, leading to exhaustion. Lately one could be very moody, could be making mistakes, angry etc.
Breaking free:
To escape the motivation trap, one should focus on building:
1. Habits: Create routines and systems that drive progress, regardless of motivation. Write things, make to-do lists and ensure to strike off each to-do when the job is done without pushing a task for a later date or time. Try finishing it on the same day. Face your fear.
2. Discipline: Develop self-control and accountability to stay on track. Be regular in whatever you do.
3. Resilience: Cultivate a growth mindset and learn to overcome obstacles. Standing up again after every fall, developing positive relationships etc.
4. Systems: Design environments and processes that support your goals, goals can be further broken down into short term (days or weeks), mid term (fortnight or monthly) and long term (quarterly, half yearly).
By shifting your focus from motivation to habits, discipline, resilience, and systems, we will be better equipped to make consistent progress toward your goals rather than seeking motivation everytime.
What are your thoughts on the motivation trap? Have you experienced it, and how do you overcome it?
