How to Keep Working When You’re Just Not Feeling It

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Summary. Motivating yourself is one of the main things that sets high achievers apart, and it’s hard. How do you keep pushing onward (向前推进) when your heart isn’t in it? In her research, Fishbach has identified some simple tactics: Set goals that are intrinsically rewarding, and make them very specific. If a task isn’t satisfying, focus on aspects of it that are or combine it with pleasant activities. Reward yourself in the right way for getting things done. To avoid slumps (暴跌，骤降), break objectives into subgoals; look at how much you’ve accomplished until you’re halfway there; and then count down what you have left to do. And use social influence: Let high performers inspire you, boost your get-up-and-go (进取的；积极的) by giving advice, and keep the people you want to succeed for front of mind.

Motivating yourself is hard. In fact, I often compare it to one of the exploits (功绩，利用) of the fictional (虚构的) German hero Baron Munchausen: Trying to sustain your drive (动力) through a task, a project, or even a career can sometimes feel like pulling yourself out of a swamp by your own hair. (想要在一项任务，一项项目，甚至是一项事业中保持你的动力，有时会感觉就像拽着自己的头发把自己从沼泽中拉出来。) We seem to have a natural aversion to persistent effort that no amount of caffeine or inspirational posters can fix (弥补，修补).

But effective self-motivation is one of the main things that distinguishes high-achieving professionals from everyone else. So how can you keep pushing onward, even when you don’t feel like it?

To a certain extent, motivation is personal. What gets you going might not do anything for me. And some individuals do seem to have more stick-to-itiveness (坚持不懈) than others. However, after 20 years of research into human motivation, my team and I have identified several strategies that seem to work for most people—whether they’re trying to lose weight, save for retirement, or implement a long, difficult initiative at work. If you’ve ever failed to reach an attainable (可得到的；可达到的) goal because of procrastination (拖延；拖延症) or lack of commitment (承诺，保证)—and who of us hasn’t?—I encourage you to read on (继续读下去). These four sets of tactics (策略) can help propel (推进；驱使；激励) you forward.

拖延：procrastination

激励，推进：propel

See you tomorrow