Staying Motivated

Productivity and efficiency

Do you struggle to accomplish things you start? Are you fond of leaving things half done and starting another. I think this is a problem most of us struggle with. We start things with so much enthusiasm and halfway through, we lose all motivation to complete the task. This could be as a result of either laziness or procrastination or because we are overwhelmed by the task. Personally, I am a victim of the latter and sometimes procrastination. I find myself wishing to finish my task as opposed to actually working to finish them. Staying motivated becomes more difficult. Over time i have found a small antidote. Although it’s still a work in progress, it’s worth sharing.

I have come to understand that it is not always easy to accomplish things you set your mind to do. In as much as it may sometimes be difficult, this is what you desired and want to achieve so quitting halfway is not an option. It is therefore imperative to put measures in place to aid in completing set goals. To ensure the accomplishment of a task, it is essential to define the beginning and end of a task with possible timelines. I know this statement is not new and someone might even say it’s one of the usual motivational quotes. A very popular one also states that “To be able to accomplish a task, break them into smaller parts”. Probably you might have tried all these and you still ended up abandoning your task and finding yourselves at the mercy of unsuccessfully completing the various tasks.

In as much as some people abandon tasks because they lack discipline and commitment others have different struggles. Usually, it’s because the task becomes taunting and drains them both of energy and joy. The easiest option then is to abandon it. Well, I perfectly understand the second group of people as I have been a victim before. I tried implementing some of these efficiency and productivity quotes and have had my share of failures as well. This was not because the quotes were impractical but because of how I applied them.

Truthfully, most people set targets based on desires and not capacities. Almost everyone desires to be at the top; be it at school or work. However, the requirements to be and stay at the top may sometimes be exhausting. Some people have very large capacities that they can work their way up there within weeks or months. But some might need several years. The journey to becoming productive and efficient start first with honesty. Are you honest about your mental, physical and emotional capacity. I will expatiate more on this as we go on in the write-up.

Let’s now address the little twist I added to the productivity quotes. I seek to break my tasks into meaningful, implementable, and doable parts. I have realized that leaving tasks halfway makes me feel like a failure. In my research to improve my productivity and efficiency, I chanced on some interesting information. Allow me to tickle your scientific sense a bit.

Your ability to be productive or unproductive is dependent on which brain system wins the competition in your brain. I know this sounds cliché but let me explain. The limbic system is the unconscious zone of the brain associated with emotions and behavior especially pleasure. It shy away from tasks that seem taunting hence leading to procrastination. The prefrontal cortex is a recently evolved part of the brain associated with cognitive control and planning. It is also the reward center of the brain and produces a chemical called dopamine.

Away from science, let me present these in plain language. There is a part of the human brain (origin of motivation) that rewards itself once you accomplish a task. It is a kind of neuronal stimulation. Anytime you fulfill a task, the prefrontal cortex is stimulated and releases dopamine. Dopamine the activates a sense of fulfillment and happiness. However, there are some conflicts in the brain restricting these activity.

The limbic system that shuns tasks that are not exciting and rewarding is in constant competition with the reward center (prefrontal cortex). It then becomes the battle of the fittest determining being productive or unproductive. This then explains why once you start perceiving a task as taunting, you lose the motivation to work on it. In as much as this is a biological process and cannot be reversed, it can be managed. We cannot always allow this to interfere with our goals and ambitions.

I know by now the big question on your mind is how to work around this weakness and stay motivated when your mind is fighting it. Well, I have a proposal. How about tricking your mind to stop seeing tasks as exhausting? I think it’s possible and the reason for my little twist. The goal is to always have the motivation to complete all my targets.

Instead of following the well-known idea of breaking tasks into smaller parts, break them instead into meaningful, implementable, and doable parts. The word small is relative and dependent on individuality and specific contexts. Based on your capacity, that task you see as small may be beyond you. Dividing things into meaningful, implementable, and doable parts means you have evaluated your capacity and capabilities. You then divide and execute your tasks based on them. Remember that after executing one doable part, your brain rewards itself. This will give you the motivation and boost you need for the next doable part.

I hope you enjoyed this write-up. Watch out for part II and check out our previous posts

<strong>I forgive me</strong> , I am growing , My greatest enemy

Feel free to leave your thoughts, comments, and feedback regarding this post. Also, feel free to suggest topics that have helped you or can help you in your growth journey. #Letsgrowtogether #JoG #stepseveryday #maturity #imotivate #motivation #growth #growthjourney #selfdevelopment #productivity #efficiency