Below, David talks about motivation. Excerpted from Episode #26 of the 37signals Podcast (listen or read the transcript).
I have a very hard to impossible time forcing myself to do things that I don’t want to do.
When I feel that lack of motivation, there’s always a reason. I instinctually know whatever I’m working on is not actually worth it — that all this effort I’m about to put in is not going to pay off. Or maybe I’m just not good at what I’m trying to do. Either way, it feels like a waste of time.
Plus, I find it hard to have a wide array of things that I’m interested in at the same time. I usually pick one thing and I get really interested in solving that. Any other task that doesn’t fall under that banner has a hard time capturing my imagination and getting done. I just put that on the back burner until whatever I’m naturally interested in gets completed or my motivation runs out.
When you have a natural interest in something, your productivity goes through the roof. Even though whatever I’m naturally interested in might not, from an objective point of view, be the most important thing to work on at that time, it is the most important thing to work on because of the productivity gains I get out of just being super fired-up about it. I have to get that out of my system. And I wind up doing things really quickly.
When you’re not working on something you’re inspired by, your efficiency is so much lower. You find more moments in the day to let yourself be distracted by email or reading on the Web or something else. That’s usually the key smell I detect when I’m working on something I don’t really want to be working on: I check email much more frequently and I engage in chats about things that aren’t related to what I should be working on.
On the flip side, when I’m working on something I’m really fired up about, I couldn’t care less about new posts on Twitter or whatever. Instead, I get whatever I’m working on done right away.
Luke Anonymous
on 31 May 11I am currently facing this right now. I have moved to Seattle USA to work for a giant, and I am dying because the work is uninspiring. Been here 3 months.
I have realized my passion is with ACTUALLY developing web applications (UX, UI) not being a manager. I miss textmate and photoshop :(
Chris
on 31 May 11Sounds like ADD! Kidding aside, I think it’s also important to grind out the uninteresting moments. Getting excited about things you can’t control or don’t matter can also be fun distractions. But they’re still distractions. I think it’s called managing resistance? The lizard brain?
Galen
on 31 May 11I couldn’t agree more with this. My only problem has been that I have too many interest at one time which makes it difficult to make that initial leap into one specific project. Once I do however, everything else gets put on the “back burner” as DHH said.
Any advice on how to choose one interest/project, of many that you are really passionate about, to focus on??
John Morris
on 01 Jun 11Yeah I agree. I have to be inspired by something in order to really be productive at creating it. And, things I was inspired by yesterday or last week may no longer inspire me today.
Speed helps. I typically try to complete the things inspiring as fast as possible before the creative energy runs dry.
Deadlines seem to really work for me. I find myself suddenly ultra-inspired when I have a hard deadline facing me. Typical procrastinator syndrome, but I try to use it as an advantage by setting what I think are fairly ridiculous deadlines. I usually find they’re not as ridiculous as I though. :)
Darla
on 01 Jun 11I’ve found that while I might not have an interest in a current project, there are still ways to learn from it, and then use that knowledge on things I’m interested in.
Jaanus
on 01 Jun 11I’m torn about this. There are two conflicting viewpoints for me, and I haven’t quite resolved them.
On one hand, there’s everything that this post says.
On the other hand, there’s the view that getting out of your comfort zone and learning and doing something new and painful is a great path to personal growth, and it will help you also get better at the things that you love doing.
Michael
on 01 Jun 11Leave it to “Jaanus” to see things two different ways.
It’s important to note that DHH’s approach requires working a little ahead of deadlines. Not much, just enough to make sure that everything important will eventually be attacked with enthusiasm.
Gerard Kelly
on 01 Jun 11I think it’s just as important to be able to regulate your enthusiasm when you have multiple projects on the go. If youre working on 4 different projects and run off like a dog off a leash on one of them then that means only 25% of your work is getting the attention it deserves.
It’s alright to say that you should use up your enthusiasm for the project that interests you to get maximum productivity for a length of time but that only works if youre enthusiasm lasts a few days. What if the project in question enthuses you for weeks, or months?
It’d be a nice luxury to have but, for the most of us, this isn’t helpful when it comes to making a living.
Chris
on 01 Jun 11I agree with both David and Jaanus. On the one hand, it feels pretty good to work on a project you are really inspired by. You are happier and much more productive. On the other hand, there are tons of uninspired tasks in a startup which just need to be done. You need to do these tasks to keep your business running. I guess a good example are taxes ;-)
How do you manage these conflicts?
Jens
on 01 Jun 11This is so true. When you really interested in some task your productivity is going skyrocket.
Michael S
on 01 Jun 11But what if no one on the team is interested in finishing the forgot password flow, or running the terms and conditions page past legal?
Paul Montwill
on 02 Jun 11@Michael S You outsource it :)
Wiseman
on 02 Jun 11@ Paul Montwill Bad idea.
Mark Wilden
on 03 Jun 11This is incorrect. The most important thing to work on is the thing that will make the person paying you to do it the happiest. We’ve all known programmers who spend their time on their own favorite parts of an application when other parts are crying for attention.
However, I will say this: One of the most important things in life is to get someone to pay you for something you’re most interested in. That person can, of course, be yourself.
Voiture pas cher
on 07 Jun 11The thing is that when you’re alone, it’s really difficult to stay motivated, and more easy with some people working with you on the same project. I wasn’t motivated working alone on my company, but now, with 2 employees, I found it much better !
Brandon Durham
on 07 Jun 11I’m battling with this very thing right now. As most of us do, I have a manageable list of things I need to work on. We (our team) go through a process where priority is set on a couple of items at a time so as not to get overwhelmed by the entire list. Unfortunately “High Priority” sometimes subconsciously translates in my head to “Avoid Me” and I find myself incredibly inspired by something that’s “Low Priority” but, for me, equally important.
This goes back to the age old struggle for creatives where it’s sometimes seemingly impossible to find inspiration on a timeline. I know the task is there, waiting for my attention, but I just don’t know how to spark inspiration—how to flip the creative switch—so I typically just run with what I’m feeling at the moment.
The best work I’ve ever done has come from some creative, inspirational escapade, not an assignment. Unfortunately things need to get done, though, so when it comes down to it I can make it happen. Fortunately for me I work in a very relaxed, supportive environment (much like 37signals), so nine times out of ten I’ll likely get recognition for taking initiative on something off radar. And if that high-priority item turns out launching at 90% there’s a very good chance my pride will spark inspiration and I’ll finish it out.
This discussion is closed.