Some days I wake up with nothing. No energy and no motivation. Just staring at the ceiling knowing stuff needs to get done but having zero idea where to start.
The tank is empty before the day even begins. Fucking great!
I used to wait for something to kick in. Some spark or a burst of motivation that would get me moving and that spark just doesn't come or it shows up around 11 AM after I've already wasted most of the morning waiting for it like an idiot.
So I stopped waiting.
Here's what actually works. I pick the smallest possible task. Not the important one and not the one that moves the needle. Just something I can finish in five minutes. Put one thing away, study one flash card, write one sentence. Anything!
The goal isn't productivity, the goal is motion! A body and brain in motion stays in motion, or at least that is what I have heard. A body on the couch refreshing the same three apps stays on the couch. I think it is a physics thing or maybe psychology. Whatever, but it works.
That first small win creates a little momentum. Not much, but enough to pick the next small thing. And then the next. Eventually the fog lifts or it doesn't. Either way I've done something instead of nothing.
The other trick is lowering the bar completely. On a zero day, "good enough" is the target. Perfection isn't happening so neither is a personal best. Just forward movement and that means any forward movement.
Some days the momentum builds and I end up having a surprisingly decent day. Some days it stays slow and I grind out the bare minimum. Both count and both beat staying stuck.
The lie I used to believe is that motivation comes before action. It doesn't, action comes first. Motivation sometimes follows, and when it doesn't, at least I'm not still staring at the ceiling or a blank screen.
How do you get moving when you're starting from zero?
Thanks for reading,
Joe
Notes:
-All content is mine unless otherwise annotated.
-Images are my own unless otherwise noted.
-Photos edited using MS Paint and/or iPhone SE.
-Page Dividers from The Terminal Discord.
