You don’t need motivation; you need discipline.

The word “motivation” is often thrown about in the corporate world, whether this in a positive or negative way. Salespeople, or employees with targets have probably heard (or used) motivation as a solution for success, when in reality motivation is a state of mind, rather than something you can rely on when all else fails.

Being motivated is as fleeting as any other emotion, and unfortunately is an unreliable way to keep yourself on track. A great example of this is New Year's resolutions; everybody is motivated from the 1st of January to the 31st, but the moment that “rush” depletes, it’s easy to fall off the bandwagon and quit whatever it is you’re doing, whether that’s going to the gym or improving your lifestyle.

When looking at success and achieving goals, the #1 thing that you need to cultivate is discipline. If you look at some of the most successful people in the world, they always talk about having strong routines and practices keeping them on track - so on the days when they have no motivation, they can still work towards their goals. 

We’re going to highlight some ways in which you can start to cultivate discipline, so you can become more consistent and still achieve your goals (even on the days when you have no drive!).

Create a morning routine (and stick to it)

There have been countless studies conducted and books written on the importance of creating a strong morning routine. This doesn’t necessarily mean waking up at 5am, doing a workout, drinking a smoothie, and reading a book all before 8am, however, you should try and cultivate an easy-to-follow routine that sets you up for the day.

This could be as simple as waking up, going on a walk, making a coffee and eating some breakfast. You may want to listen to a podcast, or you may want to simply lie in bed and do nothing for half an hour. 

The trick is to create consistency as well as making time for yourself every morning before you start working, or beginning your day if it’s a weekend. 

This way, even if you have an unproductive day, you can at least say that you set yourself up to have the best day possible. 

Set a non-negotiable (or two) for your day

Similarly to a morning routine, give yourself a non-negotiable that you have to achieve each day (no matter what). This could be entirely work-related, or it could be to ensure that you have answered all of your emails (also known as “inbox zero”) before you sign off for the day. Once again, this enables you to still accomplish something, and will soon become a daily habit the more you practice.

It takes around 21 days of doing something repeatedly for it to become a daily habit, so starting with one non-negotiable a day is a great way to discipline yourself.

Track your mood

Now, before you think we’re crazy for suggesting this - tracking your mood can help you to become more self-aware of when your motivation dips, as well as why. For example, if you are someone who menstruates, you may notice a change in motivation in alignment with your cycle. 

Equally, if you find that certain days of the week your mood is lower, you can become self-aware to combatting this. Let’s say you struggle with Thursday’s because you have a lot of internal meetings that day, which tires you out by 4pm - you can adjust your non-negotiable on that day to make it easier. 

A big part of staying disciplined is being self-aware, and there’s nothing wrong with tracking your personal data to see where and when you struggle. Along with a mood tracker, you can invest in a 5-minute journal or a bullet journal to do this too.

Rest physically and mentally

Hustle culture is glamourised, and although we applaud and support people who have an unlimited work and social battery, it’s not a sustainable way to operate long-term. 

Simple things such as ensuring you get enough sleep, learning when to say no, and reducing your screen times are all great ways of cultivating discipline “in the background” so you can become more in tune with yourself and achieve your goals. 

In summary, we need to change the way we look at motivation, and instead focus on creating healthy habits that will lead us to become disciplined in our personal and professional lives. So, even on the days when we feel unproductive and unmotivated, we can still stay on track to achieve what we want in life!