I believe I have a problem with internal motivation, in the sense that I have none, or very little at best. This doesn't lead me to, what one might call, "procrastination". Rather, it just makes me idle; content in doing nothing. I say "content", but obviously I wouldn'...
However, I don't just sit around doing nothing, a lot of the time. I attribute this to external motivators. This applies, as far as I can see, to almost every aspect of my life. To give an example: I know how to cook, but if I'm cooking for myself, I'll probably be lazy -- I might just eat something straight out of the packet! -- but if I'm cooking for myself and others, I'll go to the trouble of making something good.
I've recognised this in me for some time; the reason I bring it up now is because it's related to procrastination -- which was a hot topic on HN a couple of days ago -- and because I'm interested in doing a PhD. That requires enormous amounts of internal motivation, for several years straight, when there's little-to-no external motivation. I see that this could therefore be my downfall.
How does one develop and maintain internal motivation? What can one do, for example, to renew their enthusiasm if/when it starts to dwindle? Besides "passion" and "enthusiasm", what are other people's internal motivators?
Comments
By calebkaiser 2020-06-1713:451 reply I've felt similar to you for a long time, but have recently (over the last year) had a fundamental shift. I'm loathe to ever recommend self-help books (I used to work in publishing, and I know how most of those books get written. Hint: Not by the author, and not based on real research.), but I'd really recommend picking up Atomic Habits.
The big aha moment for me was in the separation of systems and goals. I always struggled with the same kind of procrastination as you--if there was a pressing need, I'd rise to the occasion, but otherwise was content with the minimum--despite having large ambitions (am also strongly considering a PhD, weirdly enough). The book does a nice job of explaining goals as things that are distant, and so can really never be "pressing" or rewarding short term, whereas systems can have a pulling effect i.e. I don't have one singular side project with a schedule that I'm constantly failing to hit, I have a system in which I write code for fun for at least an hour each morning, during which time I let myself listen to new music and try random ideas while I have coffee.
I might not hit peak productivity, but I do it everyday because I enjoy it. I look forward to it when I wake up. The system pulls me in, and as a result, I'm actually way more productive overall.
By alok-g 2020-06-1911:11 >> Hint: Not by the author, and not based on real research.
I would like to hear more on this. :-)
I find that internal motivation is mostly a myth, that is, the part where people expect to just have infinite drive out of nowhere.
The cooking analogy is good but here's an IMO better one - would you make a movie if you knew for certain nobody would ever watch it? I wouldn't.
You want to get a PhD - why? Is the PhD a mountain to climb or is it a pair of boots that will let you scale a mountain? Both answers are legit, but I think you do need to agree with yourself on one.
Motivation ex nihilo doesn't exist. Humans are goal-driven and averse to spending time on teleologically neutral things (enjoyment of the activity itself is, of course, a legit end on its own).
Internal motivation feels a little like fascination.
I do a lot of things that nobody will notice, that give me nothing, because there's an element of experimentation to it. To use the cooking analogy, it's like trying to replace butter in a recipe with margarine, making a french omelet as soft as possible, or pulling a perfect espresso.
I wouldn't say these things are enjoyable in themselves, but they scratch a curiosity.
One trick is to have different steps to try to follow. For example, I was very motivated to do a startup, because there were step by step instructions on what to do, and doing these steps consistently would result in becoming a billionaire.
It's an absurd idea and it didn't work, but it went much, much further than I expected, and it was fascinating to see how far it could go. Same with blackjack/poker - it's grindy and repetitive, but it's motivating to see whether the theory checks out.
By maps7 2020-06-1813:39 Having an defined approach or steps to follow is a thing that actually demotivates me. I think it's why I don't cook a lot even though I can. I could follow defined steps and get an expected outcome but I'm just not motivated to do that.
I got disinterested in chess when knowing that all the best players have most moves memorized.
By idoby 2020-06-186:16 Then you were motivated by curiosity, which is great, but what if you weren't curious about the perfect espresso and knew that nobody would drink it. In this case, why make an espresso? You'd probably prefer to spend your time doing something else, right?
I think that many artists serve as a counterexample to this sentiment. Many of them, even ones who eventually become famous, pursue activities without a care of who pays attention and without an end goal. They simply explore and seek out expression, where it almost seems to coming pouring out of them by necessity, obsession, or some combination thereof.
Some artists are so prolific, it can be mind boggling. Artists are not given enough credit for their work ethic.
There are plenty of artists who would make something, e.g., a movie , even knowing someone wouldn't see it.
By idoby 2020-06-1818:18 There are some artists like that, sure, but plenty? I doubt it...
By ankothari 2020-06-1716:40 Absolutely correct
Make sure you get enough sleep. I don't know of a single bigger correlate to lack of motivation than lack of sleep.
When you do feel motivation and work on something for some time, leave something undone at the end to pick up on. Something small to get the ball rolling.
Look after the big issues in your life. If there's something looming or lurking, you may procrastinate (which might look like enthusiasm for a diversion) but only at a surface level, like your brain is fidgeting trying to keep your mind off the big bad thing(s).
For something like a PhD, I think it's unusual for internal motivation to last. Most people I know who've completed did it to get it done, rather than relying on internal motivation. They were so sick of the material by the end that enthusiasm had worn away, like a mouthful of food chewed for too long.
By raztogt21 2020-06-1716:08 Agree 100% with the lack of sleep. One night of bad sleep (4-5 hours) wrecks all my next day.
Maximize your health first, before setting goals. Sleep > Nutrition > Exercise, thou they're deeply correlated; try to fix them in that order.
By johnmarcus 2020-06-1716:25 This, 1000%. Bad sleep hygiene is behind almost every bad mood or behavior I have ever experienced.
