We can achieve desired outcomes like greater performance, improved wellness, personal growth, or a sense of purpose thanks to motivation, which represents something unique about each of us. The ability to influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors is accomplished through motivation. This article will explain the motivation curve, a scientific approach to motivation.
To learn more about the motivation curve and how this strategy fits into our daily lives, read this article till the end.
What is the Motivation Curve?
The Motivation Curve gives us a broad view of where our motivation is at any given time in life. Although there will be highs and lows, The Motivation Curve will eventually find stability.
Peaks and Lows of Staying Motivated
When our motivation is at its highest, we will be completely committed to completing thousands of tasks, have a great plan, and have the conviction that nothing can stop us. The reality that motivational highs will pass eventually is the worst part of all of this.
We won’t be inspired when our motivation starts to decline. We have no power over this. Thus it is out of our hands. It ruins our plans and our daily schedule. Every three to four months, people have low points in motivation. So, it is best for our mental health to become aware of this as soon as possible.
There are times in our lives when we feel passionate and, of course, when we just want a vacation from everything. It is entirely normal. It is a trait of human nature.
The Motivation Curve ensures ongoing growth and continuous improvement in our lives since our lives would be very mediocre if our motivation were to be a straight line parallel to the axis—that way of living that those without ambitions, desires, or dreams lead.
People who lack the passion and lead careless lifestyles lack the guts to get to the top, make improvements, and improve themselves because they are trapped by fear of failing.
Yerkes–Dodson law Explained.
The Yerkes-Dodson law serves as a model for how stress affects task performance. It suggests that you can function at your best level with a moderate amount of stress or excitement. Poorer performance is the outcome of insufficient or excessive arousal.
The term “arousal” is used in discussions of the Yerkes-Dodson law to refer to stress and drive. Yerkes and Dodson used mice experiments to develop their theory. They were able to train the mice to learn a task—which they labeled a “habit”—faster by giving light electric shocks.
The mice took longer to master the task as the shocks increased stronger, maybe because they were more concerned with avoiding the shock than with finishing it.
Low Arousal:
The absence of any stress isn’t always a positive thing for performance. For instance, boredom creeps in when your job is all about routine and nothing ever changes. There isn’t any worry, but there isn’t any drive either. There is no motivation for you to go above and beyond since you are not being pushed. You only accomplish the bare minimum since your work seems pointless.
Optimal Arousal:
In case of low arousal, a little bit of stress may go a long way. It’s controllable, inspiring, and performance-improving. A little bit of quicker heart rate. You experience a sense of alertness and clarity. Your body and mind are both on high alert.
When a tight deadline approaches and you’re in the running for a promotion, you need that little additional push. It’s the exhilaration you have right before your long-awaited black belt test.
High Arousal:
In high arousal, A fight, flight, or freeze response may result from extreme stress. You’re up to bat in the season’s final play; the winner takes all. The make-or-break assignment could earn you a bonus that changes your life. You might fail this exam and not be able to graduate.
In these circumstances, stress and anxiety are increasing to an unbearable degree.
Why People Get Stuck Halfway to Their Goals
We can quickly become distracted when the world provides us with so many options and chances for improvement. When we become bored, fatigued, or tired of something, we quit doing it and go on to the next activity.
Because there are continually new things around us, we will give up on projects we have been working on for weeks or months too quickly. We anticipate doing tasks more quickly and effectively thanks to the new technologies. We cram more and more functions into our already packed schedules to accomplish more and more. Unfortunately, we lose motivation when we fail at one of those objectives.
Another factor contributing to our demotivation is routine, daily work. Then, it is only natural for us to have less passion for our profession, which may just be dull. We could even feel guilty about not having the will or inner resources to get through such brief energy slumps. This is why people become bogged down in the middle of their goals and quickly give up when lacking sufficient resources.
Lack of Motivation Affects Everyone
Everyone may relate to losing interest in an activity halfway through. Just consider how frequently you have quit reading a book after the first 50 pages or stopped working out after the first month of your exercise routine had passed, and yo, you had not experienced the desired results.
Our motivation is high at the beginning of every new activity, work, or job because we can see the progress from the start and that we are getting close to completion because the end is in sight.
The main issue with losing motivation occurs in the middle because we concentrate on how much work still needs to be done even when the outcomes have not yet been shown.
How to optimize your daily schedule
Here are some easy actions you may do to make your daily schedule more effective:
- List everything you need to do
- Plan out your day.
- Make a day plan in advance.
- Combine similar tasks.
- Use tools to improve your focus.
- Take frequent breaks.
Final Thought
One cannot always perform at their best. Because every time there is growth, there must eventually be a decline because that is the essence of our universe. It all comes down to balance. The fall is necessary to get a hold of us and help us raise once more. To truly understand what has previously enabled us to be the best, we must repeatedly collapse.