Keeping up motivation is half the battle of finishing a project. You see where you want to go and you know that this Path will help you reach your There. The task aligns with your values, and you know why it’s important to finish. But still, there is hard work involved in getting done.
How can we keep up motivation despite the fatigue and distractions that get in our way?
Acknowledge That There Will be Ups and Downs
Every endeavor follows the trajectory of the Project Mood Curve. Understanding the dips of the curve can help you anticipate the highs and lows so that you can be better equipped to deal with them when they come.
Inevitably along the mood curve, you will reach The Pit. This is a normal part of any project that should be expected to some extent.
Knowing that we should expect ups and downs along the Path of a project, we shouldn’t be dismayed when we experience a dip in motivation. Rather, we can see it as evidence that we are making progress and an opportunity to assess if we are still on the right Path.
Remember Your Why
When in the Pit, it is helpful to remember your why. We got to the core of our values in the last post by asking the five whys. Your values should be your north star that direct everything you do. Reflect on your why when you’re in the Pit to assess whether you are still on the Path to your There.
If you are still on the right Path and this project aligns with your values and will help you reach your There, that knowledge will help motivate you towards completing the task at hand!
One Step at a Time
The only way to complete a project is one step at a time. Oftentimes, when we lose motivation for a project it’s because we get overwhelmed at all of the things that need to be done. The only way to complete a project is one step at a time.
We use the mental model of Nesting Theres to picture the difference between vision casting and vision implementation.
We cast a vision from the top-down, working from our Transcendent There to figure out what Path needs to be taken. But when we’re actually on the Path, we can only take it one step at a time. We keep the vision in mind as a guidepost, but follow the small steps it takes to get there.
When keeping up motivation to complete a project, remember that ups and downs are a normal part of the process, remember the why behind your tasks, and complete them one step at a time.
