Motivation vs. Habit
Have you met or seen someone and wondered how they manage to study for 8 hours straight every day or work out consistently for five days a week?
Many of us rely on motivation as a reason to do less of our favourite things, such as reading a book instead of watching Netflix, or studying on Saturday nights instead of going out with friends. However, we all know that it is difficult to maintain the same level of motivation you had at first for a long period of time.
For example, with New Year’s resolution, how many of you still keep up with the one you had made at the start of the year? Why is it so hard to keep our motivation level consistent? Why do many of us slack off in the middle of the process that we were so eager to achieve at the start?
Motivation is an internal state that acts as fuel to direct us to our goals.
There are two main types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. You can find intrinsic motivation when you enjoy the process of doing things, such as learning about your favourite film or playing video games. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation relies on the prizes and awards you get from doing things that can be boring to you. While each person’s motivation is different, motivation helps us to stay focused on our intentions and goals.
However, motivation may not be of great use if you are unsure about the goal or vision that you are working towards, and this can decrease your motivation to complete certain tasks.
Goal setting is crucial when you want to achieve something. One study from Dominican University found that students who had their goals written down had better success rates than those who set goals but did not write them down (Beyond the rut, n.d.). Another study found that students who set goals and examined their progress throughout performed better academically (Bluestone, 2023).
While success can be defined differently depending on the individual, having a clear, long-term goal in a month, year, and five years with smaller goals in between to achieve that long-term goal allows you to realize the purpose of the time you dedicate to the process to be who you want to become.
The motivation driven by only wanting an A+ in the next midterm is not as effective as wanting an A+ so that you can get into the graduate school you want and work in the profession you envision. Thus, strengthening the fundamental reason for the motivation allows us to stay focused on the task longer.
Another way to complete the tasks consistently is through habit, such as hitting the gym or studying for 3 hours every night. While it is still related to motivation, ultimately, your body will adapt to this new habit and will be able to finish the tasks without relying heavily on motivation. It is still a challenge to build a habit of doing something that you may not enjoy doing.
However, it is known to take around 3 weeks to form the new habit. The repetitive action of challenging tasks can condition our brain to recognize it as less of a challenge as time goes by. By doing so, it will allow you to check off the to-do list much more easily, just like brushing your teeth in the morning.
As a takeaway, if you feel like you are losing an interest or motivation towards what you aim to accomplish, ask yourself what its purpose is. Set yourself a clear long-term goal with small goals in between to achieve the bigger goal (and make sure to write it down!). Lastly, put an effort to consistently work on little tasks that build up to achieve your goal in the future.
You got this!
Reference:
Bluestone, M. (August, 2023). New Research Shows That, Setting Goals Helps Students Do Better in Their Class. Macmillan Learning.
Beyond the Rut. (n.d.). The Suprising Truth about Famous Goals Research Study. Beyond the Rut.
