Screw Motivation! What You Really Need to Focus & Deliver Results

August 7, 2017 - 17 Comments

Why is it that each time we face a new, difficult task we need to work on, suddenly even a mediocre Netflix series or our former neighbor's Facebook profile becomes so intriguing we can't resist to check it out? 

For many of us, this reaction has become the automatic response to a new task. Even though we know that doing the work will do good to our business, when we're about to get started, some greater power seems to take over control

Why does it happen and how can we fight it? Can we turn that pull towards distraction off for good? 

This is what we're aiming to help you with in the newest episode of the ActiveGrowth podcast. Listen in!

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Episode Transcript

Bonus Content​

Our companion course for this podcast series has been updated! You can now find the fourth lesson that includes all the action steps mentioned in the episode and some more helpful information on forming habits.

If you have already signed up for the course, you can log in here. If not, take a moment to sign up here (it's free!):

In This Episode You'll Discover:

  • How understanding how your brain works can help you deal with procrastination
  • Why it is that you're rather stay in bed when you know you should work
  • Why it's not your fault: our brain wasn't programmed to build a business
  • Motivating yourself with money can be completely useless
  • How to hack your brain to be more disciplined and motivated even when you don't feel like it
  • What you need to know about willpower
  • How working only 4 hours a day can be more effective than hustling until the sun goes down
  • Why most people struggle with keeping their new habits
  • How you can create new habits without hating them
  • Why motivation is ofter overrated and what is more important for shipping than motivation
  • How changing your working environment can have a huge effect on your work ethic

Resources

How Do You Keep Your Habits?

Do you find it easy or difficult to stick to a new, good habit? Join the conversation below and share your personal experiences and stories with us.

Want to be featured in our future podcast episodes? Leave us a quick voice message about your story and experience with the topic:

See you next week with another podcast episode!

About ​Alexandra Kozma

Alexandra is a traveling marketer. When she is not editing podcast episodes or writing blog posts, she's out there exploring a new city. She's the creator of the Morning Mindset daily mindfulness journal.


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  • Baris Soref says:

    Hi, Shane & Hanne

    I’ve been using your products and following every piece of advice you are publishing. You are teaching me this “online business” thing in such a natural way with it’s humanistic philosophy underneath. Which i think should be the core fundamentals. Your new podcast series are amazing with this approach. This episode was also the one of the best so far that I could took so much value and inspiration for myself.

    I think the longer duration for podcast episodes are much better. Because i can find much more value, examples and action steps in it. And i don’t consume the content in one go. I can break down it for myself. I usually listen 30 minutes in morining than pause, than listen other 30 minutes the next or another day and wait for next episode. I think it is a good idea to have 2 or 3 sections in an episode as you implement that way. So we can pasue section by section.
    I love your book recommendations about productivity. I did apply 30 days challange for my self and it works phenomenal.
    I also very much appreciated for your efficient and excellent work thanks agian.

    • Thank you for your comment, Baris!

      It’s really motivating for me to know that you are following our podcast and putting it into action so deliberately. I think that’s a very badass thing of you to do and it’s exactly for people like you that we are creating this content. Keep it up and I wish you all the best!

      • cliveburns says:

        I echo what Baris is saying. I’ve been more positive and productive in the last week than I care to remember, thanks to these podcasts.

        I’ve learned many valuable things here, but the one that comes to mind that’s helped me the most is that in the past I’ve been focusing on the wrong outcome. I was focused on creating a perfect product ‘immediately’ instead of focusing on the longer term process of becoming good at the key skills of writing and making videos. As a result, I’ve got hundreds of never published Keynote presentations! Never published primarily because of fear of reaction and judgment etc.

        I’m no longer scared or hesitant because I know my content is good enough and that it will get better the more I practise and publish.

        I love being more productive. It feels like I’m working again instead of pretending. That said, I’d better get back to it :-)

        Thanks once again.

      • That’s really great, Clive!

        It’s wonderful that our content has helped you flip a switch and focus on a different outcome. That’s exactly what we were hoping for.

  • Hi and thanks for this week’s podcast episode and for the many aha moments (again!). I’ve applied some of the things you’ve mentioned in your series for a long time intuitively, but your approach gave me a lot of valuable motivation to improve my self-management skills. My procrastination problems seem to boil down simply to having better work habits, although I do use Nike’s ‘just do it’ slogan to overcome certain issues especially if I track them to be related to fear. I downloaded Part 1 of the companion course last week, and the completion of the course is no 1 on my to-do-list. I’m really putting my mind into each of the steps and work with the action points, so my progress on the course is a tad slow.

    As to your question about the duration of each episode, I like it as it is now. I use podcast listening as one form of a reward, and usually, I listen you when jogging or having a walk. So in that sense, the current length also motivates my training. Because I always find your episodes so full of value, each episode also takes some time to digest and apply to my own personal circumstances. So, to sum up, thanks a million!

    • Thank you very much for your detailed feedback, Anni. Very happy to know that the format is good for you.

      And I think it’s great that you’re taking deliberate time to work through all of the points we discuss. This may feel slow, but I guarantee that you’re making faster progress with this approach than anyone who’s just binge listening to all episodes and then moves on to the next podcast.

  • Long podcasts are more than OK, I prefer them that way. :)

    I’m also glad that you don’t have to do advertising, so – as you said – there’s no endless intro. I wouldn’t mind hearing about Thrive products if that would become necessary, though – because these are also *your* products, so that would be OK.

  • Longer the better. I like the deep dive.

    Thanks for not advertising, I think it’s a wise choice as well. If I have to listen to another blue apron advertisement I think I’ll dig in and start a business in direct competition with them.

    It took some guts to give a toilet example on this episode so props for that! Being a father of 5 it’s the only vacation I get, so maybe not ready to bring the workplace in there.

    Been using your products for quite some time, and I count it all a blessing.

    Keep it up!

    • Haha, I hear ya about those blue apron ads.

      Although they got us to talk about them here, so I guess they win? :D

  • First time listening to this podcast and I need to say keep them coming I listen to them in the background as “motivation” :D

    • Oh no, we have failed! :P

      I guess I can’t complain if you get motivation from this, but I sincerely hope that’s not the only thing you’re getting.

  • Christine says:

    Hi Shane and Hannah, this was probably my favourite episode so far. I love your practical examples. I heard people talking about time boxing before but it only just made sense to me after listening to this episode.
    In terms of length of time I think for me personally 30min would be perfect but I appreciate that you might not be able to dive deeply into a topic that way. As mentioned above as a listener we always have the option to listen to it in parts which is great!

    • Thanks for your comment, Christine!

      I’ve noticed that different people need different timespans. For me, shorter times like 30 minutes just don’t work at all. But I know there are people who swear by Pomodoro.

      The only thing I would add is a warning against short working periods because it feels uncomfortable. We live in a world of endless, surface-level distraction and our brains are being conditioned accordingly. Real focus feels uncomfortable. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong to do it anyway.

  • The hour is great. Whatever allows you to get into the subject in detail. My elephant may like short and sweet, but my rider appreciates the depth and how to apply this. Too many people go the route of shorter. That’s just me.

    It means I’m more deliberate about when I sit and listen. And when I do, I’m prepared to take it in.

  • Thanks for your series, I find it useful and practical, applicable right away.
    Answering your question: Yes, I prefer long episodes, which go deep into analyzing the issue.
    Forward with the next!

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