4 Simple Ways To Improve Your Human Battery Life And Be More Motivated, According To Research
Create momentum and superhuman energy.
Hitdelight | Shutterstock Years of ‘not feeling like doing stuff’ taught me a lot about what it takes to be motivated and improve my human battery life (remember the Energizer bunny?) I saw that motivation is — counterintuitively — more about what you don’t do than what you consciously try to do.
The hardest part of improving your battery life and motivation is getting started. When you’re feeling sluggish, it can be difficult to even get the energy you need to do these research-backed things that will make the biggest difference.
Here are simple ways to improve your human battery life and become more motivated:
1. Eliminate fake sources of dopamine
Fake sources of dopamine are an extremely underrated destroyer of your passion for life. You get big dopamine spikes from social media likes or playing video games, which slowly destroys the sensitivity of your dopamine receptors. Yes, this happens.
Over time, you need more and more stimulation to get the same ‘hit,’ and this numbs you further. You might get your fix online, but guess what? NORMAL life becomes boring to you.
Being motivated to write, paint, and create is now the last thing you want to do. Congrats — you’re officially a robot. Dopamine traps provide quick, superficial rewards but don’t support lasting well-being.
Research by Harvard Health Publishing explained that recognizing these dopamine traps is essential for maintaining a healthy work-life balance, as they often distract us from meaningful, goal-oriented activities.
2. Stop waiting for motivation to magically appear
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Motivation is not a feeling, an emotion, or something that seizes us like a lightning bolt from the heavens. Motivation is a doing. It is a verb. It is an action — a lifestyle even.
You act in a way that a motivated person acts. Now you’re motivated. You create your identity. It is kind of weird, I get it.
But most of us get it wrong, wait for inspiration like freaking Plato, and then wonder why three hours have gone by and all we’ve achieved is to extract three large boogers. If you want to be more motivated, get up, and do more stuff.
This feeds the self-image you have as a motivated person. Act, even if you don’t feel like it. Just take a laughably small step. This is huge and will change your life. Waiting for motivation to appear before taking action is detrimental because it often leads to inaction and prevents progress toward goals, as motivation can be fleeting and unreliable.
Instead, a 2022 study found that taking action first can generate momentum and create a sense of motivation by accomplishing small tasks, making it a more effective strategy for achieving long-term success.
3. Stop making it about you
This is probably one of the most common and pernicious motivation destroyers here. Most of us are too focused on trying to be happy and ‘believing in ourselves’ and some other garbage.
We don’t take action because we tell ourselves silly made-up stories about how we’re not ‘that kind of person,’ or ‘I’m not sure I’m ready yet.’ Stop making everything about you. You’re getting in your way, and it’s selfish. Instead, focus on creating a system that is biased toward straightforward action.
Want to get fit? Stop talking about it, and create a step-by-step plan to get into the gym every day. According to a study published in Current Opinion in Psychology, this is important because it signifies the ability to consider other people's perspectives, feelings, and experiences.
It fosters empathy and healthy relationships by actively listening and showing genuine interest in what others say rather than constantly redirecting the conversation back to yourself. It means prioritizing the needs and concerns of others, demonstrating respect, and creating a more balanced social dynamic.
4. Quit the unnecessary ‘shoulding’
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We naturally rebel, even if it’s unconsciously, against things we feel we should do that we don’t want to do. We say, ‘Oh, I should go outside and run more.’ So of course we resist and moan, and find excuses.
We rebel against our own ‘shoulds.’ And if we do find a way to get moving, we’re resentful. That’s hardly a motivated state. Instead, we need to find a way to want to do something. This can be done in two ways:
- We find several valid reasons why something is a great idea.
- We stop entertaining thoughts about why it isn’t what we want and lean into small steps.
This creates the momentum we need. Now you’re in motion. Who will stop you?
Shoulding puts excessive pressure on yourself to act or be a certain way based on perceived expectations, which can be detrimental to mental health. Research by Stanford University explained that this often leads to feelings of guilt, anxiety, low self-esteem, and stress, highlighting the importance of refraining from this negative thought pattern and replacing it with more realistic and accepting self-talk.
Replace 'should' statements with more positive and realistic affirmations focusing on what you want to achieve or how you choose to act.
Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient. He's the author of the Mastery Den newsletter, which helps people triple their productivity.