Motivation needed

[#1]

For people who are close to me they already know how much I enjoy working in a team that applies in my personal life as well, I am into group activities.

The problem is not everything can be done in a group. There are times I need to learn a new skill by myself. I will be very grateful if you can share with me ways to motivate myself work on something.

I will appreciated any helpful tips.

Best,

Fadoua

[Suvradip Paul]

Hi @Fadoua ,

Thanks for writing and sharing your honest feelings.

In order to start learning your preferred skill, please block a preferred available window in your calendar and follow the schedule for next couple of weeks and I think after that you don't need to book anything and you would love to spend the time spontaneously. 

I think it's always to difficult to start but once you start if you really love the new skill you will love to continue.

Please let me know if that helps.

Cheers

Suvradip

[Christine P. Dela Rosa]

Hi @Fadoua

For me, motivation and habit are closely linked. That's why I like to start slow on expectations for motivation on a new skill.

What's the first thing I need to do to gain skills: is it general understanding of the scope of the skill, look videos or articles of people who do it well? Whatever it is, at first I only look for sources of inspiration or reminders as to why this skill is important. Maybe even write out the reason for your wanting to learn on a sticky to put on your laptop and see every day. Then slowly, as I find a training course or exercise I can practice on my own, I create a schedule to do those things. And then slowly up my game as the rhythm takes over my intentional decision to practice.

Also, if you do really well in groups, consider having accountability buddies who are also learning. You may each learn on your own as individuals, but you can check in with each other to motivate yourselves as a group.

Good luck!

Christine

[Dave Liao]

@Fadoua - good question. As @Christine P. Dela Rosa said, even solo activities can become group ones if you talk to others who are learning.

Atlassian even had study groups this past year for their certifications - I didn't get to participate, but some of our fellow Community Leaders were study group leaders!

[Fadoua]

Thank you guys! I promise to try some of the tips I really need to work on motivating myself.

[Daniel Eads]

'Good artists copy; great artists steal'

               -Steve Jobs, stealing a quote from Pablo Picasso

Some stellar notes from Finish, by Jon Acuff. I really dug this book and haven't talked to anyone about the advice who wasn't able to try something out. Here from my 2-pager of notes are tips that might apply to your situation:

1. Lots of people can be motivated to start and can do ok for a while, but the day they miss doing their goal, they give the whole thing up instead of getting back on track.
2. Spending time on a goal means taking time from something else.
3. When you miss completing something, you'll feel shame. Deciding in advance what to let yourself off the hook about avoids the shame.
4. Plan a reward! 
   Some examples of real world rewards: Jon Acuff bought a balsam and cedar candle that he only got to light while writing the book, people went to the gym five consecutive days to earn stickers and get a t-shirt at the end, a weight-loss challenge got the winner a massage at the expense of the loser (hitting both fear and rewards motivators in one go). The reward should probably sound weird, because it should be personal.
5. Pick one to three points of data to track on your goal. (tip: personal goal tracking apps can help visualize this data and remind you to track it). Track the data every day! (see point #1) "Data is a gift from yesterday that you receive today to make tomorrow better."
6. Asking a friend for help is important and easy. There might even be someone you know that needs a little jab to put them back on track.

I see themes of stuff from the book notes in @Christine P. Dela Rosa's post - it's no wonder she's an expert!

[Sedera Randria]

Hi @Fadoua 

It's not always easy to find the motivation to learn new skills. I know this feeling. Here is something I've experienced:

1. I draw with a vision board about how I want to impact the world in 5 years (intrinsic motivation)
2. I identify some enthusiastic paths to reach my vision
3. before starting a training course or taking an exam, I check how I will leverage this effort: new challenge, promotion, $$, etc. (external motivations)
4. Then, I discuss with my wife :-)

[Jenn Velázquez_Appfire_]

Hi @Fadoua 

I might have the opposite problem you have as I'm a big fan of working solo, 

some of the things I've found that work best to keep my motivation going are having a clear outcome of why I want to learn that new skill and how it will help me get closer to the person I want to be.

I say "the person I want to be" and not "the result I want to obtain" because this way, I'm teaching my brain that motivation doesn't stop when I finish a task, and it's also a way not to lose my motivation if my desired result it's not met.

So, let's say I start a new intense course with the expectation of mastering a new skill in 3 months. If my focus is "mastering x skill," then if I don't become a brilliant expert soon, I'll start losing my interest and motivation and drop it, thinking my effort and time were not well invested.

But, if I shift my desired outcome to "become a person that is constantly learning new things" or, in your case, "become a person that finds satisfaction in doing things by myself," then you'll always be getting closer to your goal just by doing.

Making this shift can help you stay motivated, as everything you do aligns with the person you are trying to be, so learning or doing things by yourself will start feeling natural for who you are. 

I hope this helps.

:)

[Christine P. Dela Rosa]

Sharing a video inspired by your post, @Fadoua. We might share on our social media handles if you're comfortable ;)

https://youtu.be/mK-coRaCpZs

[Fadoua]

@Christine P. Dela Rosa  I am honoured !

[Alexey]

For me, the greatest motivation is always honest 'why'.
I need to find an answer to why I need to do that or learn this.

Cheers!