{"id":92378,"date":"2019-11-04T16:00:21","date_gmt":"2019-11-04T16:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/?p=92378"},"modified":"2025-02-08T07:27:04","modified_gmt":"2025-02-08T07:27:04","slug":"getting-motivated-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/blog\/getting-motivated-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Motivated – it\u2019s all in the details. Part II – Motivation Madness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi everyone,<\/p>\n

A while ago, we discussed motivation<\/a>, and what distinguishes \u2018fake motivation\u2019 from \u2018real motivation\u2019, the first kind being a temporary, external boost that doesn\u2019t last very long, and the latter one being a real, innate drive and desire to perform a task and get stuff done.<\/p>\n

The first strategy you ought to implement is to set clear goals and figure out a way to achieve them. In the meanwhile, I hope you\u2019ve been able to think about your goal, and maybe you\u2019ve even taken a few first steps to get there.<\/p>\n

Today, I\u2019ll be at your side once more to give you ideas on how to become a real motivation machine.<\/p>\n

Here goes.<\/p>\n

Build a process and make it automatic<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You\u2019ve got a goal. Great. You\u2019re already way<\/em> ahead in the race.<\/p>\n

Still, even if you do have a goal, it will still be very hard to get to the finish if you don\u2019t have a process mapped out to get there.<\/p>\n

Take any business, for example. If it wants to succeed, it needs systems, operating procedures and all kinds of routines in place. Any business that wants to be even remotely successful has a detailed plan of everything it needs to do to achieve its objectives.<\/p>\n

If the business owner and its employees had to rethink every single task every time again, they\u2019d be destined for failure. Businesses thrive on routine and habit because those provide guidance. Without them, the business will come crashing down.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about money<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Last time, we came up with an example of investing. Let\u2019s go back there for a second. Imagine we have two people, both of whom want to make money by investing. We\u2019ll call them Tom and Harry.<\/p>\n

Tom and Harry both have the same income and the same basic monthly expenses. But there is a difference. Tom has no system in place for his investments and just invests in the daily hype with whatever money he has leftover every month. One month he might invest 600 dollars in cryptocurrency, the other month he might invest 200 dollars in marijuana stocks. Yet another month he might not have anything left, so he invests nothing<\/p>\n

Harry, on the other hand, invests the same 400 dollars each month, and distributes his money over the same type of investments, for example, he puts 60 % in a highly diversified index fund, with an average return of 7 % per year, and 40 % in bonds with a return of 3 %.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

There are few things as motivating as an upwards graph, be it for investing or anything else<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, it might happen that Tom gets lucky once in a while and is able to triple his money in a month. But over time, he\u2019s exposing himself to a significantly higher amount of risk and also stands to have a much higher chance of losing all his money. Moreover, at one point, he might not invest anything and thus see no return at all. Since there\u2019s no consistent reward, there\u2019s also no consistent motivation being built up.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Harry sees slow, but consistent gains. His investments will go up and down, but over the long run, he will always win out. He is constantly rewarded because he sees his investments move up towards his goal every month, slowly but surely. This monthly positive feedback creates solid and steady motivational gains.<\/p>\n

This is what we\u2019re after.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about college, weightlifting (and fat)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s try another situation. Imagine you\u2019re in college. If you don\u2019t have a process for studying, and if you have to think about your studying methods, what time of day you\u2019ll hit the books, as well as how much breaks you\u2019re going to take and what kind of breaks, how on earth are you ever going to graduate with highest honors?<\/p>\n

The same goes for your career, your exercise routine, and even your dating life. Do you think Arnold Schwarzenegger became a bodybuilding champ without using an exercise routine? Of course not. Every athlete has a strict regimen and a schedule that he or she adheres to. Even if you\u2019re some kind of genetic freak, without consistent routines, you will never reach the top.<\/p>\n

How about weight loss? Whatever your target weight is, you\u2019ll still need some kind of dieting plan. Whether you\u2019re counting calories, doing intermittent fasting or going keto, without at least some kind of dieting plan, those pounds are staying right where they are.<\/p>\n

And just as is the case for the above situations, the same goes for anything else you hope to achieve.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about the system<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The benefits of creating a system are manifold: it\u2019s automatic, it\u2019s easy, and creates a consistent flow of positive feedback, thereby slowly building up real motivation.<\/p>\n

Now, the word \u2018system\u2019 might sound a little scary. When we think of systems, at first we think of complex blueprints, computer systems, intricate and detailed plans, that sort of thing.<\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be the case. A system can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it.<\/p>\n

For example, a workout routine can be as simple as doing a few sets of squats, deadlifts and bench presses every week, or it can be a split routine with lots of isolation exercises, specifically tailored to hit every muscle in the body, even the ones in your little pinky finger.<\/p>\n

A system doesn\u2019t have to be complicated to be effective. A good system just needs to be able to give you all the steps you need to do to achieve your goal. When you\u2019re just starting out lifting weights, simply performing a basic routine will already give you great results. When you\u2019re going for a world championship belt, that\u2019s when you might need to make things a tiny bit more complicated.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If all the gears are in the right place, the wheels will keep on turning<\/em><\/p>\n

Creating complicated systems that are hard to follow is one of the most surefire ways you can kill your motivation, so stick to simple and easy as much as you can, at least in the beginning.<\/p>\n

To recap, here are the five steps you need to take to create a good starting routine.<\/p>\n