Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of discipline over motivation for achieving consistent productivity.

Abstract

The article "Not Feeling It? Here’s Why You Need To Stop Relying On Motivation" discusses the pitfalls of relying solely on motivation to accomplish tasks. It argues that motivation is fleeting and can leave one inactive when it wanes. Instead, the author suggests cultivating discipline, which provides a reliable framework for action regardless of one's feelings. The author shares a personal strategy, the "5 Second Rule," where a countdown from five leads to immediate action, bypassing the need for motivation. This method is paired with the mindset of "do first, then think," which helps maintain momentum once work has begun. The article concludes that discipline fosters self-respect, earns the respect of others, and offers a deeper sense of satisfaction than motivation alone.

Opinions

Motivation is described as an unreliable source of inspiration because it is transient and often dependent on external factors.
The author believes that discipline is superior to motivation because it enables one to act consistently and independently of emotional states.
The "5 Second Rule" is presented as an effective technique to overcome procrastination and initiate tasks without delay.
The article suggests that the biggest challenge in productivity is starting the work, and discipline is key to overcoming this hurdle.
Self-respect and satisfaction from completing tasks are seen as natural outcomes of disciplined behavior, which are not guaranteed by motivation.
The author implies that reliance on motivation can lead to a cycle of inactivity and self-doubt, whereas discipline leads to a more fulfilling sense of accomplishment.

Not Feeling It? Here’s Why You Need To Stop Relying On Motivation

When motivation fails you, discipline will not.

Motivation is good… right?

You haven’t exercised for a year, and you come across a video about a successful person exercising every day. You want to be successful like him. You feel motivated and you finally went for a run AFTER A YEAR. Wow!

That’s the power of motivation!

It is magical. It lights the fire inside you. It makes you want to do something great.

But… is it reliable?

The Problem with Relying on Motivation

Motivation makes you believe that you have to feel a certain way to achieve great things.

So, what if that feeling doesn’t come to you?

No matter how many motivational videos you watch, that spark that you are looking for just doesn’t come to you. You end up laying on your bed, not doing anything beyond wishing for yourself to feel motivated again. Pathetic.

And that’s the problem with motivation.

If you constantly wait for motivation, it may never come.

So, what should you do instead?

If you remember the subtitle of this article, you probably already know what I’m going to say next.

Don’t wait for motivation to come to you, choose discipline instead.

If you choose discipline, you give yourself the power to create your own results.

Not sure how to exercise discipline? I’ll show you how I do it:

5 Second Rule

5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Time for me to start writing an article for Medium.

Do you get it?

Each time I need to get something done, I would do a countdown starting from 5. Once I finish counting down, I get up and do my work. No questions asked, and no extending beyond 5 seconds. It’s 5 seconds and 5 seconds ONLY.

It’s like a rocket. Before blastoff, there’s a countdown. And I imagine myself to be that rocket where I will “blast off” and start working after the countdown.

In addition to this 5-second rule, I always tell myself to do first, then think. This mindset works hand in hand with the 5-second rule. Sometimes people don’t start work because they feel lazy. Just thinking about the work needed to be done makes them feel tired.

I prevent that kind of scenario from happening to me by doing first and thinking later. After the 5 second countdown and I start work, I create momentum for myself.

I’m not sure how many of you faced this situation before. Mathematics is complicated, and I always dread doing mathematical questions. But once I start, I feel the need to complete those questions. If the question is difficult, I will sit there and keep trying because I do not want to leave a half-done question hanging.

It’s the same for all my other work. When I’m doing something halfway, I have the desire to complete it then and there so I do not have to worry about it afterward.

The biggest hurdle is always to start work. But once you get past it, you will create momentum for you to keep working.

If I don’t think too much, and I just force myself to get started after 5 seconds, I would have overcome that hurdle.

And this hurdle… it would have been tough to overcome if you just rely on motivation. Trust me.

Closing Remark

Discipline beats motivation… EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Make sure you strengthen your discipline by doing what you need to do, even when you don’t feel like doing it. This way, people respect you, and most importantly, you respect yourself.

When you accomplish a task that you never felt like doing in the first place, that kind of satisfaction is something you will never get with motivation.

So stop relying on motivation. EVER.

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