Staying motivated without urgency

How do I stay motivated when there’s no sense of urgency? I’ve moved from a stressful ‘everything due yesterday’ full time job to part time teaching and working on my portfolio, and am slipping into some bad habits.

Motivation — when we want it most, it just isn’t there. For example; motivation to close Slack and focus on an important task. Motivation to stop procrastinating and go to the gym. Motivation to say no to a chocolate bar and yes to a healthy snack.

When it comes to meaningful work and productivity, motivation is an essential driver. It keeps the coals burning and the engine running.

What does your motivation depend on?

Does it depend on passion, goals, scarcity or urgency? You may feel motivated to work hard because the number in your bank account is getting lower (scarcity), or you have a large bill to pay soon (urgency).

Whatever the driver behind your motivation, it’s easy to fall into a trap of feeling like we should feel motivated 24/7. With the glorification of workaholics and hustlers, you may feel like a failure or are slipping behind if you’re not showing up every day.