What's your secret for staying motivated and not feeling discouraged?
Cansu Aydede
64 replies
Thinking about what's missing and what you can work on is so important but it can't be everything you are doing.
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Fares @fares_aktouf
This is an excellent question! to stay motivated, I'm forcing myself, I try to use self-persuasion to think only of the positive, etc. But it is very difficult and not 100% reliable.
The most complicated thing is to ignore the discouraging factors, whether they are personal, professional, relational or situational.
I am curious to read the answers of others.
Thank you for bringing this topic to the table
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@fares_aktouf Appreciate your take. Being able to stay positive is definitely a big part of the solution!
They are two different things, I think.
Motivation should be a given, I don't see how I can lose it, unless major things happen.
Discouraged - that will happen all the time, typically when you're approaching a corner, and can't see much ahead.
If it keeps on for long, try to pivot, try to find new ways, just like the water does, downstream 😊
Positive people
Results (even small ones)
@oksana_ch so true! how do you keep track of which results matter to you?
@cansu_aydede it depends on your day/project/mood etc. if your are in a bad mood, every single result matters. the atomic results matter, in a "normal" time you would gather them together, and say I did 1thing because you do GTD ( Getting Things Done ).
But in a bad Mood, every little step counts !
I usually look back at how far I've come instead of constantly focusing on where I need to go whenever I feel unmotivated. Celebrate small wins!
@jason_andries1 that's helpful! that might be one of the few times "living in the past" might be actually helpful.
If I can breath oxygen , that's all the motivation I need 😎🤘
I always think about how far I have come when I last felt demotivated or discouraged. Always helps me 💪🏼
I try to focus on small goals. Making progress on a regular basis adds up to something great. That's my remedy.
@georgy_nemtsov Do you write them down somewhere?
@cansu_aydede Yes, I track them in task management app or sometimes it's just a sheet of paper on my refrigerator. My previous goal was to set up Paddle for my SaaS. My current goal is 5 paying customers and it's just a sheet of paper.
ignore negativity!
That is a great question. For me, it's about acknowledging micro wins while keeping macro goals in my mind. Small wins are underrated and they help a lot to move the needle daily!
I always think of my goals!
@gizemnurkeskin You are absolutely right - it's all about remembering the big picture and what you are trying to achieve.
Focus on small problems. “There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.”
Just internalizing a very simple message all the time - everything is fine.
I like the afore-mentioned progress reviews (it's easy to forget or discount the progress you've made!) and would add that using a few minutes for listing what's going well/what you're grateful for can help shift your mental mode.
@missginsu any tips on how to do that?
@cansu_aydede I use a notebook for recording what's happening at work and a journal to reflect on my life. But I'm sure there are online tools for the same.
Motivation goes and comes, it depends on your mood the progress you do in any field and the results.
I wise man told me once, motivation is not the real shit, it's consistents. That means regardless of motivating yourself, is it possible that you wake up early, do the hard work, do your health routines. and focusing yourself on a goal ?
Because if you can than its not important what your goal is, which project you are working or who you are working with.
My big thing is trying to ensure I match my energy level to what I'm trying to do.
When I'm exhausted, it's discouraging to try and make progress on something big and complicated. So go knock out a bunch of small tasks, which is more achievable. That little motivation from finishing the small tasks can then itself give you the energy you need for the big tasks.
Or, when that fails, Red Bull :)
A walk in the woods is always invigorating...also, watching some of the great little films on Field Notes Brand website...funny, the little things we do that inspire us when we're in a rut.
@giles_crouch any specific ones you'd recommend?
Prior to Switching career to the IT, I stayed motivated for two reasons (specific to periods of my life):
1. Early career - money
2. Once I got enough money and material compensation didn't motivate me, it became important to switch my career to do something more challenging for my brains. And it that period, breaking into IT was my goal, and I was motivated to do my old job quickly and efficiently enough, so that I could save time and energy for learning programming.
3. After switching to the IT, I am motivated by great things that senior developers can do and how they approach difficult tasks. I seek expertise and knowledge, and it's the best motivator - Curiosity.
What I found during my early 5 years of career in different fields, is that if you are even questioning about motivation - probably something is wrong and you need to adjust. Curiosity + generous compensation + interesting (challenging) problems to solve = the best motivation. If you have these three, you don't even have to 'motivate' yourself.
@cansu_aydede being stoical when face adversity is a trait that I've developed due to some misfortunate events / losses in my family when I was a teenager. Compared to that, anything thrown at me doesn't seem too much to bear with. Of course I do feel down sometimes, sometimes quite often, and I think like 'oh my God, that's too much to handle', but it's never longer than a few days or weeks.
I don't know how I would act if something happened to my physical health that would prevent me from doing what I love, but as long as I can think and express myself, not many things seem impossible to go through.
It's very individual, but I never felt down about career / work related problems - it happens.
When I felt depressed due to feeling stuck in a wrong career path and with no hope to quit it quickly, I've converted my anger and disappointment into action - in my case, learning programming, finding mentors and building networking that helped me land my first software development job.
P.S. I really love cooking and eating, I really enjoy it and I'm really glad that my brain / neuro systems can generate enough endorphins / dopamine whatever make me feel good. But when I really enjoy the food - not eating much, but eating something delicious - I feel like that itself is enough to keep living / fighting :) And stargazing is another thing that helps me recharge and get to work the next day.
Good habits so I can still be somewhat productive even without much motivation
Doing things differently, in a way where you are comfortable and love to do.