3278: [Part 2] How to Get Motivated: The "Do Something" Principle by Mark Manson on Motivation

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Living Daily episode 3278 How to Get Motivated the Do Something Principle part 2 by Mark Manson of markmanson.net And I'm Justin Malik Welcome to the old podcast the OLD podcast Optimal Living Daily where I read to you like a big ongoing audiobook from many different authors

[00:00:22] Today being a continuation from yesterday, so I'd recommend listening to yesterday's episode first But if you're all caught up, let's get right to part 2 and continue optimizing your life How to Get Motivated the Do Something Principle part 2 by Mark Manson of markmanson.net

[00:00:45] A few tips on staying motivated Willpower is finite motivation comes and goes Inspiration can strike when you least expect it and leave you high and dry when you need it the most So whatever you call it motivation willpower

[00:01:03] Inspiration your muse you need to regularly nourish and replenish your supply The Do Something Principle is one such way to do this since it helps you get the ball rolling over and over again You focus on starting and that's it

[00:01:20] Here are a few more tips on staying motivated in the long run number one Develop a ritual You might think that doing the same thing over and over again day in and day out sounds not only incredibly boring but Incredibly limiting, but you'd be dead wrong

[00:01:39] Rituals put the Do Something Principle in overdrive You designate a behavior or set of behaviors to perform at a predetermined place or time or ideally both In order to get you moving toward your desired behavior

[00:01:54] It won't take long until all you have to do is simply set the ritual in motion using the Do Something Principle, of course and Let inertia do the rest Then something magical happens. The ritual soon takes on a life of its own

[00:02:11] It becomes a sacred space and time and often just as important as your target behavior itself Performing the desired action starts to feel empty without performing the ritual and vice versa now be careful not to get too caught up in exactly what your ritual is a

[00:02:30] lot of people see someone who's successful doing something like eating or wearing the same thing every day or Working out at exactly 5 27 a.m Every morning because some study said it's the best time to do it and blah blah blah

[00:02:45] And they think they need to do exactly the same thing as them But you don't the important thing is simply having a ritual any ritual that gets you started in the right direction And rest will follow number two ruthlessly cut distractions out of your life

[00:03:05] Instagram memes email from the boss unread group texts from last night nine notifications on Facebook Snap your oatmeal side breakfast bowl, but forget that burger and fries you had for lunch yesterday

[00:03:18] Odd DM from that weird girl in high school. You friended six years ago pyramid scheme leave on read Lol group text is heating up again. Stacy and Jared need to break up. What is that kid doing on tik-tok? Also, what is tik-tok? Shocker politician says something stupid again

[00:03:37] What's the weather today and tomorrow and next Thursday? Who a match on tinder Oh pick Brexit, am I right? I apologize if you find it creepy that I just described the first 30 minutes of every day of your life for the past four

[00:03:54] Years or more. I wrote an article called the attention diet that struck a chord with a lot of people And that's because we're all collectively coming around to the reality that all this wonderful technology We use has a dark side with very real consequences

[00:04:10] part of that dark side is Distraction now this might seem like a little harmless fun, but distractions like these are rarely harmless the distractions of the digital age Hack the vulnerabilities of our psychology They give us little micro bursts of dopamine that feel good in the moment

[00:04:30] But amount to very little in the grand scheme of things Meanwhile, they're stopping our motivation to do other things that don't always feel good in the moment But add up to something much grander and more meaningful in the long run Calling your friend who's having a bad day

[00:04:47] It's more uncomfortable than texting them a winky smiley kissy face with a thinking of you tacked on for a good measure But it's much more helpful for them and your relationship

[00:04:59] going for a silent walk through the park is much more demanding than scrolling through feeds with your thumb on one hand and Mainlining a mocha latte quad shot swirly frappa caramel whipped cream with the other but Well, do I really have to explain that one? and number three

[00:05:17] uncover the real reasons for your lack of motivation If you're still having trouble staying motivated after all of that It's time to take a good hard look at your life and figure out what might be the proverbial

[00:05:30] In your cornflakes all the time if you consistently have no motivation to be productive at work Maybe you hate your job and it's time to get serious about a new career If you're having a hard time fitting regular exercise into your day

[00:05:44] It might be time to examine your beliefs around your body And what you think a healthy lifestyle is and whether or not you're doing exercise that you find enjoyable and worthwhile If you find it difficult to want to work on your relationship with your partner

[00:05:59] Maybe it's time to get brutally honest with each other and figure out a way forward which could mean breaking up if it's for the best Notice all of these situations require you to address some uncomfortable emotions but I've argued for years now that facing uncomfortable emotions is

[00:06:19] Precisely what makes us grow as individuals that traumatic events as horrible as they are Can spur positive change in our lives that being happy all the time isn't just impossible

[00:06:31] It wouldn't even be good for us and that the demons we all try to hide are actually just the other side of our better angels So these are the moments you have to not only face but embrace

[00:06:45] Rather than turning away from discomfort you turn towards it as a source of motivation itself And that's when gets real my friend You just listen to part two of the post titled how to get motivated

[00:07:03] The do-something principle by Mark Manson of mark Manson net and I'll be right back with my commentary Thank you again to mark. Hopefully this one was inspirational for you to get the ball moving and do something even if it's tiny

[00:07:19] I think the tips he shared do work at least from my own experience When I have a little ritual around an activity, it's much easier and maybe even more pleasurable to do that thing

[00:07:30] It almost feels uncomfortable to not do it. So that's a nice little hack to build a habit And I agree about distractions too lately when I'm on my computer working I don't look at my phone because I know that the second I do

[00:07:45] Not only am I distracted but it's gonna take time to get back into the groove into that flow state where I'm most productive It feels way more rewarding to simply wait to look at my phone So that's something I also recommend But that should do it for today

[00:08:02] Thank you for being here listening every day and thank you if you've ever shared this show with someone that goes a really long Way to keep all of this going Have a great rest of your day and night and I'll see you tomorrow as usual

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