Increase & decrease motivation
Increase motivation by:
- Finding an ambitious group of friends; moving to a city (SF or New York) with ambitious, high-energy people
- Being around people more successful than you
- Visualising any or all of the below when required: not having what you want; having what you want—a vision that inspires you; people who have doubted you/criticised/or insulted you, and the specific moments they’ve done so; material things; people who have succeeded wildly despite the odds
- Focusing on the gain, not the gap
- Being outwardly open and honest about your desires
- Simplifying your choices. When you have no alternative your faculties are concentrated
- Calling your shot publicly or increasing the stakes of failure
- Committing to something where the upside is immense
- Setting ambitious deadlines
- Shutting off all communication with the outside world
- Creating a compelling us vs. them (or me vs. the world) mentality
- Restricting your resources to force creative problem-solving
- Practicing forced willpower activities (e.g., fasting every 4 days)
- Regular reviews and accountability checks
- Working on projects with a high degree of risk; something that’s uncertain
Decrease motivation by:
- Spending time with people who have a low bar
- Spending time with pessimists or complainers
- Spending time in uninspiring, low-energy environments (e.g., corporate office)
- Not doing what you said you’d do
- Thinking that it isn’t possible
- Drinking alcohol