The Motivation Machine: How to Get & Stay Motivated for Any Goal

In any goal that has to be accomplished, there is a Start. It usually gets overlooked, as it's always there.

The Start is a much bigger problem since you can’t reach The Dip if you don’t get through The Start, and many more people fantasize about doing something than actually do it and give up.

The biggest problem we face with completing our projects isn’t productivity**or time management, but motivation management**.

When you’re sufficiently motivated to accomplish something, you’ll move heaven and earth to do it.

Motivation is “the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way,” or rephrased, “the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.”

• Increase your reason to start a project, by increasing the value of starting it.
• Increase your expectancy of succeeding at that project.
• Decrease your reasons to delay, by increasing urgency, using a deadline.

It states that "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

It started from the observation that the duration of  public administration expands to fill its allotted time span, regardless of the amount of work to be done. The same has been observed in individual affairs. 

Many people use a commitment device or game their surroundings to get and stay motivated.

You can physically help your goal by things like throwing away your junk food, only showering at the gym so that you go there, and similar activities aimed at focussing on your goal. People also use public commitments in social media to stay motivated by peer pressure.

Set small, incremental goals that are sufficiently exciting to be motivating and for which you have a reasonable expectation of completing.

• Maintain your sense of Expectancy in the project using small wins and accomplishments.
• Reward yourself.
• Maintain a sense of value by finding a way to remind yourself of the bigger picture of the small, everyday bouts of effort.
• Build positive habits.
• Find flow.
• Set clear follow-on goals.
• Maintain energy.