The Carrot and the Stick? Motivation 101

What motivates you? You need to get uncomfortable, what would make you do it? Like you, I’ve listened to my share of feel good, you can do it, let’s be positive talks and videos – but that’s rarely what does it. The biggest motivator is fear. It’s getting your blood and finding you are prediabetic to make you finally stop eating sugar. It’s getting cancer to finally go organic and stop drinking. It’s seeing a picture of yourself and realizing you have gained way more weight than you thought or an upcoming trip where a bathing suit is involved,

I guess that means that most days we get to work on time not for the thrill of getting to work on time, but the fear of being late. Week 5 of social isolation and motivation seems to be at an all time low, despite all the quotes social media can throw our way.

Research shows us that ‘go getters’ have higher levels of dopamine in the brain. If fact, mice with low levels of dopamine wouldn’t even climb a small fence to get food. That means step one for motivation: ensure we have the building blocks to make and use dopamine. This would mean ensure you have adequate amounts of tyrosine, phenylalanine, hormone precursors, antioxidants such as resveratrol and healthy fats, check.

But, whey are we so unmotivated now, when we should be ‘grabbing the bull by the horns’ and focusing on self-care and all things shiny and new? We have to time to do it right?

Dopamine alone won’t do it. Willpower is a secondary consideration, and interesting, this is a finite resource. Each day, we have a certain amount of willpower. The more you use it up, the more decisions you make, the lower your willpower and motivation are. And let’s face it, we have more decisions now than ever before. What time should we actually get out our bed, should I sit at the kitchen table, or in front of the computer to read my emails? Do I try to teach the kids math, or just yell at them later to read a book and walk the dog? We have no routine, no goals or plans, we’re lost. What this means is timing is everything. When are you the most productive? Make this time sacred and use it to get what matters most done. For most of us its in the morning and evening. I know 2 – 4 pm, my motivation is at its lowest. Create a schedule, focus on only 1 or 2 small tasks to , and schedule them when you are in the will power zone.

I’m not a routine girl, I like to have each day fresh and new, or so I thought. But, now with no routine, I realize how even having a set time to get the kids to school forces me to have a schedule. Having patients’ book in, classes to teach, these all guided my week and made me productive.

Dopamine is our reward neurotransmitter, so how do you get that reward? Something as simple as making a goal and accomplishing it can feed that dopamine. So to summarize, create goals, big hairy goals and then break them down into small achievable goals. Reward yourself in whatever way works for you, or, reversely, punish yourself for not achieving. I had a patient who made herself do burpees if she didn’t complete her daily goals. And remember, you make the goals, so make them achievable and targeted. Create a schedule and make the time you are most productive sacred, an appointment for you and no one else. And feed your brain, brain material matters.