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Marina K

How do you stay focused on a goal without an immediate reward?

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It is incredibly hard to stay on track while pursuing long-term goals which do not give visible results right away. There are some options to do it: 🏃‍♀️ Just make a system and let discipline help you, for example do your task every day from that time to that time; use habits instead of doing stuff only if you are motivated 🥳 Daily do 3 work things and 1 fun thing to reward yourself (as Erin McGoff suggests) 👍 Do what you like and don't do what you don't -- interesting advice I heard bloggers use, but in my opinion not always applicable, especially if you cannot outsource the tasks you don't like to do 📎 Put paper clips or marbles from full jar to an empty one after each task (from Atomic habits book, old school version of task tracker, which I find more enjoyable for brain) 🖼️ Create a mood board to visualize your goals and dreams to help you go in the right direction, put it in a visible spot (screensaver works too) But there are still moments of struggle. ❓ How do you cope with the lack of motivation and desire to do something while building a product or posting content?

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George Strunin
Hi Marina! I think that's a great question, and I've thought about it a lot too. The best strategy might be to evaluate each long-term goal on a case-by-case basis, as strategies can vary. Sometimes, a long-term goal might not be achieved simply because it's not that important, which can lead to procrastination. Based on my experience, two approaches work for me: 01 Break it Down: For long-term, strategic goals, I break them into smaller, tactical stages which I can quickly complete. Seeing progress on these tactical tasks keeps me motivated, even if I'm only loosely aiming for the bigger strategic direction. 02 External Motivation: Sometimes, external pressure is necessary when internal motivation isn't enough. I try to create conditions where it's easier and cheaper to complete a task than to avoid it. Delegating unpleasant tasks can also be effective, as it creates external motivation for someone else to complete the process :) And I'd love to hear if anyone else has strategies that work for them!
Marina K
@georgestrunin Hi George! Thank you for such a detailed answer. I like your strategies. Usually use the first one solely for work-related tasks, but now I see it's a great idea to apply them in any endeavours. About the second -- looks like a good idea too, how do you usually create such conditions?
murph
1) Chop the long term goal down into a series of intermediate and shorter term goals. 2) Reframe. The journey is the goal!
Susan R. Pruitt
I remind myself of the long-term benefits and why the goal matters. Keeping the bigger picture in mind helps me push through even without instant rewards.