041MINDS writer Nomndeni Motha explores the March motivation slump—why it happens and how to pull yourself out of it. If your New Year drive has faded, this one’s for you!
A Relatable Story
January was great! You were on top of your goals, the action plan was clear. You could see yourself becoming the best version of yourself. February slowed things down a bit, but you were still in control, at least on most days. But as the month drew to an end and March inched closer, it all just faded. You’re tired, you’re unmotivated.
Let’s talk about it.
The New Year Effect Has Faded
The brain craves novelty, it is drawn by the excitement of the new year and the imagined gratification of new goals. This makes motivation easy in the beginning of the year, you don’t have to convince yourself to put in the work.
However, this motivation fades fast. By March, your routines and habits feel repetitive. Remember, the brain wants novelty.
Putting in work without seeing results can also reduce motivation. It is difficult to stay committed to a goal that seems far off, delayed gratification often comes from work done in the absence of motivation and enthusiasm.
Your 4-Step Motivation Reset Plan
1: Reconnect with Your “Why”
We always hear the phrase “Remember why you started” when watching motivational content. It helps. Reconnecting to the reason why you set your goals in the first place and how they will better your life will remind you just how important they are.
Combine this with visualization. Imagine your life when you have achieved this big goal that you are working towards. Visualize how your day-to-day life will look, feel the feelings you will feel, say the words you’d like to say to yourself at that time, really bring it to existence with all the five senses. The more time you spend visualizing, the deeper you will connect with your greater purpose.
2: One Small Win
This is about creating momentum. It can be daunting to think of all the work you have to put in all at once, or how long you have to put it in. If you switch your focus to one step a day, you can lighten the load.
Techniques like habit stacking are a great way to build momentum from one small win. Habit stacking is when you pair an action associated with your goal/s, with an action that is part of your everyday routine. An example is doing stretches while watching your TV show in the evening.
3: Change Your Environment. Create a workspace that allows you to focus without distractions, spend more time with people that inspire who you want to be, consume content that ignites your motivation, and hang out in places that are worth your time. All these are ways in which you can optimize your environment to pull you out of a slump.
4: Build Accountability
If you are someone who thrives off of validation, it might be beneficial for you to share your
Your environment can be the difference between you achieving and not achieving your goals, it’s always optimized for one or the journey with your friends or your social media community for accountability.
Tracking your journey through daily journal entries or photo updates can also be a great way to build accountability.
Conclusion
The key to consistency is building discipline, not looking for motivation. Discipline leads to action, and action taken consistently yields results.
Slumps happen to all of us, they’re part of the journey. But if you let yourself stay in the slump for too long, it becomes your reality.
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