Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers in the brain. Basically they tell our brains what to do. They give instructions. They program our brains to do certain things.
Dopamine is one of these neurotransmitters. It helps us to feel rewarded, pleasure, focused, interested, driven…in other words…MOTIVATED
In order to reach the goals we set, or simply get the things we want, we usually need to work hard. In order to work hard we need to feel motivated so that we can strive to achieve the things we want to.
Dopamine is released when we do something that we are rewarded by. The reward causes us to feel motivated to do more.
The problem with this is that in order to ever get to the part of the cycle when we are motivated by dopamine we have to do something that causes dopamine to be released and to feel rewarded *first*.
Many modern day humans have evolved so that it is difficult to do anything without being motivated first. We wait to feel motivation until we take action. Thousands of years ago, it was really easy to get motivated because life was extremely physically difficult and you’d starve or freeze to death pretty fast if you did not do the things required to survive harsh conditions. Life in modern times is often difficult too. But, it is mentally difficult and typically not as motivating as a physically difficult and dangerous situation.
Unfortunately this can get us stuck in a rut where we have less and less motivation.
So, the dopamine cycle works like this….
Action ->Reward ->Motivation ->More action ->SUCCESS
And it is important to recognize in this that the less we do, the fewer chances we have to feel rewarded, and the less motivation we have to do things to begin with.
High achievers are often doing doing doing and they have lots of motivation. The more they do, the more motivation they feel, so they are able to do more.
A few other things can help with motivation as well; when we are concerned with what other people think, when we are in fear of a bad outcome otherwise, or when someone or something inspires us.
So how do we leverage the dopamine cycle to hack our brains motivational capabilities?
BEFORE DOING A TASK:
NEVER REWARD YOURSELF BEFORE COMPLETING A TASK! Often we distract ourselves and don’t do the things we need to. Instead we do fun things like watching a TV show, eating a treat or other pleasurable activity. When that happens we are triggering a reward sensation without doing tasks. This becomes a repeated behavior. We do less and less because we are getting rewarded more and more for doing increasingly less over time. Make note of these activities and use them for your reward AFTER the task is done.
Don't try to change how you feel. Change what you do instead. Sometimes we get stuck ruminating on how awful it is to feel unmotivated, etc. But we can't change our feelings by obsessing about them. Stop stressing, and start doing.
Ironically, one helpful action is to think. Think positive that is! We can use cognitive behavioral techniques. One example of this is to use mantras that we repeat over and over and reprogram our brains which leads to changed behavior. For example when we are not motivated we can repeat over and over something like, "Motivation comes after actions. To get the things I want, I will motivate myself by taking action first.”
Think about the good feelings to come (I will feel so good once my laundry is completely done!) Visualize how good it will feel. Visualize not only the positive outcomes we want, but all of the hard work it will take to get there. These thoughts program our brains to do the hard work required to meet our goals.
Eliminate negative self-talk. Negative self-talk is terribly unmotivating. Program positive thoughts instead. To do this, you must be paying attention to what your brain is thinking regularly, recognizing negative patterns. and intentionally changing them. Live mindfully! And that needs to be a blog post of its own at some point. But for now, know that you can program positive thoughts with positive self talk to stimulate dopamine which builds motivation. Easy button. Compliment yourself often. Build up your self esteem.
Set the stage for excellent performance. Make sure your work space is conducive to what you are doing, that you have no distractions, you have eaten and hydrated and have healthy snacks and fluids, that you are comfortable, you have all the right equipment and supplies, that the temperature is right, that the lighting is appropriate, play motivating music or binaural beats for motivation and focus if music does not help.
If your lack of motivation is severe, consider speaking with a psychiatric professional who prescribes medication. You may want to consider starting medication. And if you are already working with someone, let them know that you are struggling. You may need to have your medications adjusted.
Phew! So we haven’t even started tasks, yet we have created a solid motivation foundation. Keep going
DURING THE DOING:
Do things first! I know….it stinks. We can't sit back and wait for motivation to happen. We have to intentionally do things BEFORE we get motivated. Checking a task off your to do list is one of the most motivating things you can do! If you just can’t get going, start with a small easy task and make yourself do it. Afterward, let a little dopamine from the tiny task make you feel accomplished. Then do another small task, and another, and another. Before you know it your productivity will be greatly improved.
If that does not work, do anything you can, even if it is not productive, to get yourself moving physically. Inactivity is demotivating. So get up and get moving. Maybe what you need to do is clean the house. But if you can’t make yourself do it, go for a walk instead. The increased blood flow, oxygenation, and sunshine will all boost your mood and motivation to do more.
If physical activity is not enough to get you going, do 1-3 minutes of an enjoyable activity first. And then spend the same amount of time doing a small task you may not be quite as excited about. Doing something fun can boost your mood and get you motivated to do the things that you may not consider fun. The key is to limit the fun activity to about 1-3 minutes and then make yourself do the task that you have been avoiding for the same amount of time. What this does is link the rewarding feeling/dopamine release with the fun activity AND the task you have been avoiding. This will get the motivation flow going for the task that has been hard to tackle.
Build motivating habits and routines into life. Make it part of your day to day to just do and get motivation from doing. Create a daily schedule with check boxes. This also provides the structure for building in tasks you have not been able to do. Start with very simple things; wake up, make bed, shower, etc. Stuff you are often already doing is good because when you check them off you will feel accomplished-dopamine-reward feeling. You should also build activities into your routine discussed above that help with motivation; exercise, sunlight, positive thinking, etc. Don’t wait till you can’t get motivated to do these. Do them every day so that you are building in the tasks that help with motivation.
AFTER:
Use positive self-talk, congratulating yourself for a job well done. This will help you to feel the reward more strongly, causing even more motivation to help the next task.
Create a chart, list, calendars, etc. to indicate when a task is done. Seeing your accomplishments will help you to feel more rewarded. And feeling rewarded is motivating which helps us to get more accomplished!
While it is OK to reward yourself materially after completing a task (e.g. chocolate) what is more powerful is to pay attention to the rewards of your own intrinsic motivations. What do you value in life? What do you want and need out of life? Figure out what your inner passions, beliefs and values are. Develop goals. Tell yourself every day why this matters to you. Have a picture that you will see multiple times a day that remind you of your big picture life vision.
SUPPLEMENTS FOR DOPAMINE SUPPORT, FOCUS, ATTENTION, AND ENERGY*:
-L-Tyrosine
-B Complex
-B 12
-Probiotics with mood support
-Prebiotics to feed the probiotics
-Iron (if your iron levels are low)
-Vitamin D3 5000u 1 on days with sun exposure 2 on other days
-Magnesium threonate for brain function
-Daily multivitamin
-Green tea
*Ask your primary care provider if these supplements are safe and appropriate for you to take.
Mel Robbins is a motivational speaker and to learn more about how to get yourself going follow her “The 5 Second Rule” https://www.melrobbins.com/5secondrule I don’t get any payment for recommending her. I do it because her information is transformative. So check out her stuff right away and get started on a new life!
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