Is Motivation Over-Rated?

When to 'Just Do It!'
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Those of us with Attention Deficit Disorder know that our
ADD brain-wiring doesn't respond to what we 'should' do.

Unless we're really interested in a task, we have a pretty nhard time staying focused on it for any great length of time.
Sometimes, we require the stimulus of a looming deadline, nor last-minute panic, to goad us into action. What do we do nwhen there is no deadline?

Lacking a real crisis or consequence, I've encouraged my ncoaching clients to create strategies to motivate their nminds into beginning a task that seems dull.

THE FALLACY OF WAITING FOR MOTIVATION

A new client, Bruce, stated that he had been waiting for nmotivation to strike so that he could begin a project that nwas important to him, in order to reach his business goals.
His standard rationalization for not beginning the project nwas that he was 'just not motivated.' One day, he decided nthat motivation was beside the point. He hired a coach - nnot to get him motivated - but to work with him on developing nstrategies that would help him DO IT.

I was again reminded of motivation after two different nconversations with entrepreneurial clients who reported the nstrong influence of their mood on their decisions to complete nstages in their plans. It's quite understandable to feel un-nmotivated after your sales presentation falls on deaf ears, nor your manuscript is returned with a 'no thank you.' If you nhave a boss to report to - and you want to keep your job -- nthe structure of your organization replaces the need for nmotivation as a driving force.

A downside of entrepreneurship is there is no one to fire nyou for not following through, no one who will ask whether nyou've entered your contact list in Outlook. So it's all too neasy to let your mood dictate what you get done.

SOME TIME FOR SELF-COMMITMENT

To succeed at your goals, you require a stratgegy that ndoesn't depend on motivation or your mood of the moment.

So your actions for the day will be based on your long-term nvision and strategies, not only on what you feel like doing.
This doesn't mean the entire day has to be rigidly schedulednwith no flexibility - but it probably does mean you have somenfirm commitments to a few steps that you will accomplish NOnMATTER WHAT!

Committing to do a step or two towards your larger goal might nmean spending an hour of time on something you're NOT reallynmotivated to do.

How can you get yourself to do this? nn- Your best strategy might be to split that hour up between nmo
ing and afte
oon.
- Or find a way to make it more pleasant, perhaps withnstimulating music or in a different environment.
- You may also need to practice a different habit in nthat hour, in order to cut out your distractions or roadblocks.

For an hour, it might make a huge difference to: nn- Stay off email
- Turn off the phone
- Plan ahead to make sure everything you need is in place
- Remove the clutter from your desk
- Enter that task in your calendar for a specific time of day, n and make yourself NOT AVAILABLE!

After you've accomplished your task, you can 'reward' yourself nby returning to your "unmotivated" mood. But you may find it'snnot so easy - the feeling of accomplishment itself has beennknown to create motivation! n