In Pursuit of Motivation
We all need motivation to keep going and reaching new heights, but what happens when it's running low? This is my personal reflection on a not-so-easy topic.
Let’s start by stating what this is and what is not.
This is a collection of tactics I’ve used to find motivation when it's lacking, to push myself forward, and to reignite a spark inside of me to come up with new ideas and enjoy the process of creating something. I believe the best motivation should come from within, without depending on others. That being said, everyone is different, so use the ones that feel right for you.
On the other hand, this is not a story of overcoming burnout, nor a race to do so. While I have gone through difficult periods of exhaustion during my career, I can’t speak from experience when it comes to burnout, nor do I want to pretend I’m the most qualified person to do so. There are overlaps between both topics, but I want to focus solely on motivation.
People like Charli Marie and Dan Mall have been brave in sharing their personal experiences on the subject and understand the signs and actions they have taken to navigate those situations. There can also be several medical reasons why it is happening, so don’t feel pressured into overcoming this challenge ASAP. Seeking appropriate help and support is vital in such situations.
Now, without further ado, let’s dive in.
Why motivation?
It all started with a question I got during a 1:1: What can I do to find motivation?
I did my best to answer with something valuable, but the question got me thinking. I talked with others about it and wrote a draft that never got published, but I decided to come back to it at a moment when finding motivation doesn’t come easy, like going through layoffs for the first time.
It’s relatively easy to talk about motivation when you’re indeed motivated, but genuine pursuit happens when you’re going through a difficult time. Since I prefer to speak from personal experience, I figured this moment of reflection could help others when they need it the most.
Without getting into too many details, at the time of writing, I'm currently facing the challenge of job hunting because of layoffs. You think you understand what it feels like until it happens to you, and you have to pick yourself back up after a knockout. The learnings and strategy I’m using will be shared in a separate story, but for now, I wanted to mention it briefly to help you, dear reader, understand the context from where I’m speaking.
I consider the following as phases, depending on how empty or not your tank is, with your health being the most essential aspect and progressing until the last tactic when you’re ready to try something more significant. Take it at your own pace; nobody should judge how or when this progress happens. We’re only humans, after all.
1. Let’s cover the basics: Your health
I consider this a prerequisite to finding motivation, which includes mental, physical, and emotional health. It doesn’t mean that you need to be in perfect shape all the time to be motivated, but having stability makes it easier for motivation to spark.
Using my experience as a reference, I’ve allowed myself to feel, rest, and process what happened. I took a couple of days off and talked about it all with some of my closest friends, which allowed me to grieve and welcome the support that I knew would be much needed.
Taking care of your health involves many things, from having enough sleep, eating appropriately, and letting your emotions show rather than bottling it all up and pretending it’s all right. I like to watch heartwarming movies and TV shows, play video games, and go out with friends to talk about anything else that will make me smile.
It also means knowing your limits. When motivation is running low, I prefer being cautious about overworking to avoid feeling obligated.
Andy Johns shared how his experience with burnout helped him to develop a framework to avoid it in the future, which you can use as well based on your range of tolerance:
Learn to identify the things that naturally put you in a better mood, but also pay attention to recognize when your tank is almost empty.
2. Paying a visit to your past-self
Generally speaking, I like to do things for my future self. However, it might take some extra work or imply a conscious effort, like resisting the temptation of eating a chocolate cake full of sugar or keeping a record of highlights of my career.
Enter the Hype Doc.
I initially picked up this concept from David Hoang years ago, capturing screenshots, milestones, or messages I earned through hard work and making me proud without knowing how or when they would be necessary. It turns out they were indeed powerful.
Walking down memory lane can help you put in perspective how far you’ve come, the decisions you made, and how these decisions impacted who you’ve become. It reminds you that you’re not here by chance; it wasn’t handed out on a silver plate. Others might only see your highlights, but you know better than anyone how much effort it required to get you to this point in life.
If you don’t have a hype doc, I would encourage you to start one, but for this exercise, you can also ask a friend or a mentor to help you remember these pivotal moments, or you can also take a look back at your work when you were just getting started. Mine sure does put me in perspective of how much I’ve grown. Just don’t get too excited; I’m not sharing those mockups in public any time soon.
When you’re going through these memories, think about:
When was the last time you did something that others thought was impossible, but you did it anyway?
What work do you feel most proud of?
Which skill did you take a long time to develop and now you’re comfortable with it?
3. Taking action over the things you can control
Now that you have reminisced about your progress let’s focus on what you can do to move forward.
Julie Zhuo once shared that motivation comes in two flavors:
Eliminating a negative feeling.
Loving something beyond ourselves.
I want to share how the latter can ignite a spark if you're going to try.
When taking action, I like to start with something simple. I’m talking about the humble to-do list. The first sign that made me notice a burst of motivation was when I started making a list of things I wanted to do. Like completing a mission in a videogame, reaching out to a friend I haven’t talked with in a while, or trying out a new app just for fun, like Duolingo.
It doesn’t have to be something grandiose, but setting actions and marking them as done releases dopamine, the "goal-achieving” hormone, creating a ripple effect to do more things and have enough motivation for work-related tasks.
Here are some prompts to find things you can do:
Create something for the sake of happiness.
What kind of activity naturally inspires you?
Is there an app you’ve been meaning to try but haven’t yet? Maybe it’s a place to go to?
When I asked others about motivation, most people mentioned inspiration and the satisfaction of creating things, hence why a to-do list with simple tasks of things that make you happy or feel inspired can push you in the right direction. Science doesn’t lie!
4. Helping your future-self
If your tank is no longer empty, you’re ready to challenge yourself with more demanding hiking trails. Just make sure you’re not going from running around the block to aiming for a marathon; it’s all progressive for it to feel natural and rewarding instead of a punishment.
I’ve shared how I like to perceive challenges as opportunities for growth because exposing yourself to situations outside your comfort zone can help you develop new skills and perspectives. I’m also mindful that when motivation is running low, this might not be the most effortless approach right away, but bear with me.
Looking back at my career, I always have two common thoughts when I think about moments of exponential growth:
“What did I get myself into?!” before the challenge.
“I’m proud of myself” after completing the challenge.
A lot happens in between, like not knowing how to initially proceed or going through trial and error until things work out. It’s chaotic. But my favorite part is developing new skills or improving existing ones due to the nature of the context, even if I’m not excited at all at the very beginning.
That’s why, even though my motivation is not at its peak, I like to challenge myself to envision the future with questions like these:
What skill have I been meaning to practice but haven’t tried yet?
Which artifacts are currently outdated and could use some improvement?
What type of opportunities can this challenge open up?
If ideas are not flowing, call for a backup and talk with someone you know will always have your back while being objective about what you can achieve. Building a brand new website wasn’t on my to-do list, but after talking with my friend Risa, I realized that I could start small with the assets I already had. That’s how I picked up Framer and created the MVP during a weekend.
Check it out: laurie.fyi
It might initially seem wild, but you’ll never know until you try. Who knows, you might create precisely what you need to unlock the next level in your career.
Parting thoughts
Your career will be filled with ups and downs. Mine has been, that's for sure; there have been plenty of times when I wished someone else came in to somehow take care of it and make it all better.
But I believe that things happen for a reason. You may not see it right away, and it can be frustrating to deal with unexpected situations, but if you’re willing to bet in yourself and try despite not knowing what comes next, you’ll come out stronger than the person who first stepped into the challenge.
Don't expect a drastic change when the lack of motivation hits you next. Accept that you’re human and ask for support. Taking small steps and living one day at a time can help to get you back on track without measuring yourself by someone else’s expectations.
As time passes and you advance in your career, looking back, you'll thank yourself for being resilient and having a growth mindset to overcome each challenge that comes your way. I know I will.
Learning shortcuts
How to know when to stop by Andy Johns
Guest post on Lenny's Newsletter, a thoughtful story and guide to avoid burnout.The Hype Doc by David Hoang
Podcast interview on Supermanagers, with David sharing about the Hype Doc to celebrate and remember wins.Feeling Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable by yours truly
A co-authored post I wrote with a friend, diving into the “whys" and “hows" of embracing challenges to grow.
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It's always more fun to learn with others than doing it alone, so don't hesitate to reach out on Threads @laurieesc if you want to continue the conversation. If this article has been helpful, share it with a friend!
Over and out,
Laura ✌️
Love the article! Motivation is such an important topic nowadays! Thank you Laura for sharing such a personal and kind approach to self-care, mindset and resilience.