The document discusses motivation and how it is defined as the willingness to do something based on psychological forces. It explains that motivation often comes after starting a new behavior rather than before, and outlines three parts to motivation - willingness, clarity, and persistence. Maintaining motivation long-term requires calibrating tasks to the optimal level of difficulty known as the Goldilocks rule.

1. MOTIVATION CLINIC
“The secret of getting ahead
is getting started.” – Mark
Twain

3. We all get stuck and overwhelmed from time to time
which can reduce motivation.

4. But what is motivation?
■ Scientists define motivation as your general
willingness to do something. It is the set of
psychological forces that compel you to take
action.
■ Motivation can have many sources (extrinsic or
intrinsic)

5. Common
Misconceptions
About Motivation
One of the most surprising things
about motivation is that it often
comes after starting a new
behavior, not before.
We have this common
misconception that motivation
arrives as a result of passively
consuming a motivational video
or reading an inspirational book.

6. Three
Parts of
Motivation
1. Willingness
2. Clarity
3. Persistence

7. 1.
Willingness
Willingness is
created when
people clearly
comprehend what
to do and why.
There is a simple
three-step process
to articulating
what to do and
why.
Identification Measurable
Calibration
(Goldilocks
rule)

8. 2. Clarity
If you waste resources trying to
decide when or where to work,
you’ll impede your capacity to
do the work.
Setting a schedule for yourself

9. 3.
Persistence
How to
Make
Motivation a
Habit?
1. Good pre-game routines
For example, my writing routine
starts by getting a glass of water. My
weightlifting routine starts by putting
on my lifting gloves. These tasks are
so easy, I can’t say no to them.

10. 2. Your routine should get
you moving toward the end
goal.
A lack of mental
motivation is often linked
to a lack of physical
movement.

11. 3. You need to follow the
same pattern every single
time.
The primary purpose of your
pre–game routine is to tells
your mind, “This is what
happens before I do ___.”

13. Problem phase Solution phase
1. Cue 2. Craving 3. Response 4. Reward
Your phone buzzes
with a new text
message.
You want to learn the
contents of the
message.
You grab your phone
and read the text.
You satisfy your
craving to read the
message. Grabbing
your phone becomes
associated with your
phone buzzing.
You are answering
emails.
You begin to feel
stressed and
overwhelmed by
work. You want to
feel in control.
You bite your nails.
You satisfy your
craving to reduce
stress. Biting your
nails becomes
associated with
answering email.

14. How to Stay
Motivated by
Using the
Goldilocks
Rule
(calibration)
■ Imagine you are playing tennis. If you try to play a
serious match against a four-year-old, you will
quickly become bored. The match is too easy.
■ On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you try to
play a serious match against a professional tennis
player like Serena Williams, you will find yourself
demotivated for a different reason. The match is
too difficult.

15. Imagine yourself playing
tennis against someone
who is your equal.
As the game progresses,
you win a few points and
you lose a few points.
You have a chance of
winning the match, but only
if you really try.

16. But tasks that are
right on the
border of success
and failure are
incredibly
motivating to our
human brains.
Tasks that are
significantly
beyond your
current abilities
are discouraging.
Tasks that are
significantly
below your
current abilities
are boring.
Human beings
love challenges,
but only if they
are within the
optimal zone of
difficulty.
We can call this phenomenon The Goldilocks Rule.
The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks
that are right on the edge of their current abilities.
Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right.

17. Working on tasks that adhere to the
Goldilocks Rule is one of the keys
to maintaining long-term motivation.
If you find yourself feeling
unmotivated to work on a task, it is
often because it has drifted into an
area of boredom or been shoved into
an area of great difficulty.
You need to find a way to pull your
tasks back to the border of your
abilities where you feel challenged,
but capable.

18. What to Do
When
Motivation
Fades?
Inevitably, your motivation to
perform a task will dip at some
point.
What happens when motivation
fades?
I don’t claim to have all the
answers, but here’s what I try to
remind myself of when I feel like
giving up.

19. 1. Discomfort is temporary- Maintain perspective. Your life is good and your
discomfort is temporary. Step into this moment
of discomfort and let it strengthen you.

20. ■ 2. You Will Never Regret Good Work Once It is Done
■ We want our stomachs to be flat and our arms to be strong, but we do not want to
grind through another workout.
■ We want the final result, but not the failed attempts that precede it. We want the
gold, but not the grind.

21. 3. This is life
•What is life, if not the sum of a
hundred thousand daily battles and
tiny decisions to either gut it out or
give it up?

22. HOW TO GET PAST
THE "BLAH DAYS"

24. Questions to Ask Myself:
Am I willing to move
forward, even a
little bit?
1
Do I understand
clearly what
direction to take
from here?
2
Can I live through
potentially failing
before I succeed?
3

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