Read time: 4 minutes

Having energy 24/7 is hard.

I mean, how do you always find motivation?

What do you do to overcome the inertia when tackling tasks seems almost impossible?

The constant struggle to find motivation can make even the simplest activities feel like monumental challenges.

In the past year, I’ve delved deep into understanding how to combat this issue by exploring various strategies and insights from productivity experts and personal experiences.

And I've found 1 powerful tip to reignite your motivation (& tackle those daunting tasks with renewed energy).

Here it is:

Lower the Friction

We all have bigger projects & tasks in our minds hoping to be completed one day.

We have big dreams.

Aspirations.

People always tell you to dream big & crazy.

But people’s comments aren’t always the most helpful.

An aspiring musician constantly receives the same advice:

Or for the aspiring entrepreneur...

I've been there myself.

I've received similar pieces of advice.

But, the main problem I see here is that the aspiring [insert your desired profession] already has a lot of internal pressure. Which don't get me wrong... isn't a bad thing.

However, too much of it does lead to action paralysis.

You do nothing.

You spend your days thinking of all the things you could be doing but don't.

And you feel bad about yourself because your subconscious knows you could be doing so much more.

That's why I've realized that the best solution here is to lower the pressure.

What is that one thing you can do today, right now, at this very moment that will get you at the very minimum 1% closer to that big, crazy, & wild vision of yours?

The key piece here, my friends…

1%

Many people have this need to do more than 1%.

Instead of going on a walk & letting the ideas flood in... the aspiring musician will want to book a studio session & record "at least something".

But, then what?

You get there.

With no ideas and no previous experience, ultimately leaving the session more lost, confused, & discouraged than you were when you first got there.

With more money out the window too.

I'm not saying this is the case for every single aspiring musician. I have heard many stories of people getting in the booth for the first time & absolutely killing it.

However, the majority — and this doesn't apply to just artists & creatives — tend to stack up more tasks, projects, & goals at once.

In the end, it all ends up being more weight than they can even carry.

How can you expect someone who is at 0% & hasn't done much thus far, to suddenly go to 50% or in some cases even 80%?

It doesn't make sense.

So what can you do instead?

Start with the lowest friction task possible.

If that means journaling every single morning (using the aspiring musician's example), then please start with that.

Even if that doesn't feel like "work" or "productive" to you at that moment... trust me it will help.

• You're starting to build a writing muscle.

• You're committing to doing the same practice daily.

• You're learning to organize those thoughts in your mind by putting them on paper.

All things that are needed (in one way or another) to become a successful musician & artist.

There's so much you can do that isn't challenging or complex in nature that will get you closer to that big vision.

Because you need something to ignite that initial momentum.

This is the only way you will let your mind & brain see that you are capable of stacking a win.

As little as that win may feel.

There is no rule or blueprint to this.

That first low friction task you can do will vary depending on the person, the profession, the context, the environment, & even the day.

Perhaps the low friction task you choose to tackle today is completely different to the one you choose to do tomorrow.

It took me a while to really understand this.

Take it from someone who used to match their happiness or level of satisfaction to their productivity. Meaning that I could only be satisfied or content with myself & my life at large if I was the "most productive, efficient, & effective" in my work.

Whatever that meant.

At the end of the day, it ended up being more of a recipe for added pressure, continual stress, and prolonged discouragement than anything else.

Why do this to myself?

I noticed that I was pushing myself further away from bringing this vision into reality than anything else...

Until, one day, I tried something new.

I didn't work at all.

Or at least how my typical "work" day used to be.

I woke up & journaled.

I made time to read.

I made time to work out.

To go on long walks.

To spend time with myself.

To write some more... without any expectations.

And that one day alone did more for my creativity, energy, & passion than all the previous days of heavy, long hours, & nonstop "work" combined.

I'm not saying this is what I did or continued to do every day thereafter.

However, it allowed me to see that there are other ways to “work”.

There are other tasks that can be done that will still get you closer to that dream of yours.

Because, at the end of the day, there's only one thing that pre-determines an outcome.

And that, my friends, is action.

No matter how small.

No matter how imperfect.

No matter how weird, unconventional, or different it may look.

It's the consistent steps forward (& continual commitment) that ultimately stack up & incrementally make the difference.

Therefore, please do not overwhelm yourself.

Check-in with yourself as much as possible.

Let me let you in on a little secret:

There's no right or wrong answer to that question.

Do whatever makes the most sense & feels right to you.

You're the one with the most material & context about your life & the direction you want to take it in.

Trust yourself.

That's it for me on this one.

Thanks for reading.

Much love,

Julian