Some days I just don’t feel like doing anything. It’s not that I’m depressed; I just have too many things swirling in my head but no real motivation to do any of them. I used to beat myself up over this and just push through. Force something. But over the last year or two, I started allowing for “no pressure” days. Whatever gets done, gets done.
I assumed that meant I would be curled up in the fetal position in a near catatonic state by the afternoon.
But do you know what happened – every time? I got more done than I would have if I had my bullet list of to-dos in hand and dutifully checked them off.
I finally learned how this works. And what my brilliant brain is doing.
I’ve been bingeing on brain science classes, and a recent short course on habits turned my idea of motivation upside down. I always thought you needed motivation to accomplish goals. You had to want to do it before you could do it. And it’s more like the opposite. You need to take action...which builds momentum...and creates the motivation to keep going. You don’t “think” your way into doing. You do, and then you keep doing.
It makes perfect sense. On my low-pressure days, I tend to do a little cleaning. This seems to be my go-to procrastination activity. The way I understand the brain science, my little action of cleaning the kitchen is the spark that ignites the rest of the chain of actions. My brain gets a little hit of dopamine for completing that task. It feels good to have a cleaner kitchen. And then my brain looks for more ways to keep getting its feel-good fix. It’s like Pac-Man, gobbling up the pellets and searching for more dots to eat.
But how did I get started in the first place? The key is the no-pressure attitude, which signals to my brain, "Let’s take it easy." The brain is an energy scrooge, so it loves the easy route. And the other fascinating thing about our brain is that when it gets going, it likes to continue.
So, whether I decide to do some extra scrubbing, go for a run, or do something outside—something that feels easy to me—it’s amazing what happens afterward. Inevitably, I end up at my desk, writing a new piece or listening to a class or webinar, which leads to more ideas and more writing. And if I have client calls, I am always more focused and present.
Who knew that my procrasti-cleaning is really a motivational tool?
My house would be a lot cleaner if I had more of these days, but thankfully I do not wake up every morning wanting to crawl back under the covers.
