🎉
Playbooks
  • 👋Welcome
  • Smarty Course Catalog
    • Maximizing Your Free Trial
      • 🚀Welcome to Smarty
      • 🧠Day 1: Plan your best day, every day
      • 🔄Day 2: No task left behind
      • 🗃️Day 3: Organize with projects
      • 💬Day 4: Natural Language meets Scheduling!
      • 🌐Day 5: All your worlds, in one place
      • 🔗Day 6: Share slots that work for you
      • 🤝Day 7: Simplify mutual meeting times
      • 🌎Day 8: Master global timezones
      • ⌨️Day 9: Speed up with shortcuts
      • ⚡Day 10: Unified views + what's next?
  • The Productivity Pulse
    • Thought Pieces
      • How to Protect Your Time with Time Blocking
      • Minimize Context-Switching and Do More Deep Work
      • Be More Productive with Micro-Tasking
      • How to Stick to Routines When Life Breaks Them
      • 3 Cognitive Biases That Sabotage Our Productivity
    • Which Mental Model When?
      • About to drop the ball? Try the Pareto Principle
      • Stuck and trying to innovate? First Principles + 5 Whys
      • Overwhelmed building something new? Gall's Law
      • Micromanaging? Let go of the Illusion of Control
      • Need to adapt fast? Ditch the map
      • Anxious about a big project? Try a pre-mortem
      • Need a fresh problem solving angle? Think in reverse
      • Feeling stuck? Try re-framing
      • Trying to work smarter? Find your leverage
      • Not thinking clearly? Check your contrast bias
      • Want a successful outcome? Build margins of safety.
      • Stuck decision making? Use Occam's Razor
      • Seeking clarity in complexity? Try Bayesian Reasoning.
      • Want more freedom? Master discipline.
      • Missing the big picture? Avoid the Narrative Fallacy.
      • Want more control? Reduce daily life entropy
      • Too many options? Master the Paradox of Choice
      • Stuck? Red Queen Effect: Directional Iteration matters
      • Tracking Fake Progress? Galilean Relativity
      • Feedback Loops
      • Too many options? Try the 37% Rule + Satisficing
    • How I Work Series
      • How I Work: Haily Marzullo, Founder of Humankind
      • How I Work: Andrew Case, Founder at NoonBrew
      • How I Work: Jenna Movsowitz, Managing Editor - Startup CPG
  • ⬇️The Founder's Perspective
  • My Productivity Playbook
    • ✅Getting Things Done
      • Time is a fixed commodity *
      • Maximize Your 24 Hours: 5 Strategies to Optimize the Day *
      • 3 tips for mastering focus, instead of chasing more time *
      • Eisenhower Matrix = Plan Your Days! *
      • There is a right way to prioritize *
      • Timeblock Everything *
      • To think clearly, subtract the unnecessary
      • How to manufacture flow *
      • Stress is your greatest performance enhancer *
      • Character Invention Theory
      • 3 reasons you’re making excuses and how to get back on track *
      • Build in Public
      • Luck = Doing x Telling *
      • Your network is your net worth
      • Luck = Sum of Daily Micro-Actions
    • 🗺️Goals
      • Your vision your GPS *
      • Make a plan *
      • Prioritize the long-term *
      • Think big. Start small. *
      • It's not enough to dream. You have to do. *
      • Focus on Direction, Not Speed *
      • If something isn't working, make a change *
      • The Physics of Productivity *
      • Momentum of Productivity
      • Keep Showing Up
      • A baby step is better than stopping
      • Doubt is removed by action *
      • Create a bias for action
      • It's not enough to set a goal
      • The secret to GTD? Reverse-engineer goals into habits.
    • 💪Habits vs. Motivation
      • Motivation is Overrated *
      • Consistency breeds motivation *
      • consistency > motivation *
      • Tying our habits to our identity for intrinsic motivation *
      • How to break down your goals into habits *
      • Habits let you level up *
      • New habits should feel easy *
      • So easy to do, you always say yes *
      • Start small, reap big *
      • Habit Stacking *
      • Never miss a habit twice
    • 🌿Growth Opportunities
      • 1% Better Every Day *
      • The infinite dance of continuous improvement *
      • Innovation is not a linear path *
      • The only comparison that matters is to you yesterday *
      • Self-doubt is a distorted lens *
      • Our biases are our reality's architect
      • Outlearn to Outperform *
      • How fast you learn from your mistakes is the real competitive advantage *
      • Compete with yourself
      • Learning is a skill. There is a right way to do it.
      • Mistakes = Growth Opportunities *
      • Loss aversion keeps us playing it safe *
      • An expert has failed more than novice has even tried *
      • Your markers for success progress as you do *
      • See Problems as Opportunities
      • 3 steps to help focus on inner growth
    • 🌟Best Practices
      • Over-thinking? Write. Under-thinking? Read. *
      • Prioritize Facts
      • Embrace unknown unknowns *
      • Master the art of thinking ahead *
      • Timeliness Beats Flawlessness *
      • Aim for Excellence, not Perfection
      • Actions speak louder than words *
      • A miscommunicated idea is an opportunity lost
      • Work smarter, not harder *
      • Take calculated leaps, not blind jumps *
      • Regret Minimization Framework *
      • 45% Purpose + 45% Priority + 10% Productivity = Success *
      • 3 reasons why single-tasking is a game-changer
      • Genius is found in simplicity
    • 💖Self-Care
      • Ikigai *
      • Memento Mori *
      • Manage Your Mindset *
      • Transform your inner voice from a bully into your bestie
      • Make time to explore
      • Your authentic self *
      • Free time is a call option
      • From a tiny seed, great dreams can grow *
      • 5 Strategies for Preventing Burnout *
      • You can't pour from an empty cup *
      • Celebrate Your Wins *
      • Your energy matters *
      • Make the time to recharge! *
      • By changing nothing, nothing changes *
      • The Four Pillars of Productivity *
    • My 5 Biggest Life Lessons
      • 1. Have a Plan
      • 2. Keep Showing Up
      • 3. Assume Positive Intent
      • 4. Your Network is Your Net Worth
      • 5. Luck = Doing x Telling
  • My Founder's Journey
    • Smarty's Origins
    • Smarty isn't a productivity tool. It's a mindset.
      • Brain Dumping with Smarty
      • Prioritizing with Smarty
      • Time Blocking with Smarty
      • Solving Stress with Smarty
      • Your Way with Smarty
    • My Personal Productivity Journey
      • Methodologies
        • How to work faster
        • How to reduce overwhelm
        • How to create the right habits
        • How to stop procrastinating
        • How to manufacture flow
        • How to declutter your digital environment
        • How to make the menial feel magical
      • Musings
        • Managing Your Mindset
        • Finding Ikigai Led to Smarty
        • What I do with the mental energy Smarty frees up for me
        • Hard truth: you don't need more time
        • Hot take: don't go with your gut
        • You can't rely on motivation
        • Reaching a flow state - every day!
        • My 4 Quarters Method
        • Combatting Procrastination
        • My Perspective on Productivity Tools
      • Live with Intention
    • My Mission & Vision with Smarty
      • Smarty Makes Automation Accessible
      • Smarty Cuts Through Productivity Software Clutter
      • Smarty + AI/ML/NLP
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  1. My Productivity Playbook
  2. Habits vs. Motivation

Motivation is Overrated *

PreviousHabits vs. MotivationNextConsistency breeds motivation *

Last updated 1 year ago

Can we talk about how motivation is overrated? 🤔

Productivity is defined by 3 things, and fleeting willpower is not one of them:

  • Your Goals 🎯

  • Your Habits 💪

  • Your Data 📊

As an analytical thinker, I've come to realize that these factors work together to drive productivity, especially when your growth mindset and adaptability support the process.

📈 The Math:

  • SMART goals increase your likelihood of goal attainment by up to 76%!

  • Habits practiced for over 84 days have an 82% chance of achieving automaticity

  • Self-monitoring & tracking your progress leads to a 23% increase in your likelihood of achieving your goal

📝 My Steps:

  1. Reverse engineer your SMART goal into a habit.

  2. Focus solely on the consistency of that habit.

  3. Track your progress and course-correct as needed.

Automaticity happens when you do something enough times that it's just so easy and you don't have to think about it. That's why consistency is key!

💡 The Takeaway: Waiting for inspiration or an internal drive to get things done is a losing battle.

Focus on consistency and the interplay between your goals, habits, and data to make the most of your productivity journey.

🚀 Some notes: SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

The Habit loop (Cue, Routine, Reward) creates stickiness in your routines. Start small.

Create a visual representation of your consistency. Tracking will help you not "break the chain" 🗓️🔗

Consistency breeds motivation.

💪