Motivation Management by Daring to Slack Off: The 'Motivation Switch' and the 'De-motivation Switch'

There is a term called the "motivation switch."

While it seems to be a concept used by educational companies, this way of thinking can be useful even if you are living a daily life far removed from education. Managing motivation should be a theme of interest to everyone. Whether the goal is work or study, everyone is searching for ways to get themselves moving.

In this article, I would like to dare to think about the opposite of the "motivation switch": the "de-motivation switch."

If the "motivation switch" is a trigger that draws out a person's motivation, then the "de-motivation switch" is a trigger that lowers it.

The significance of thinking about the "de-motivation switch" lies in grasping the factors that lower your own motivation.

If you can grasp "when do I lose my motivation?", you can keep those factors away as much as possible, and even if you don't necessarily improve your motivation, you can at least prevent it from dropping.

I have thought about my own personal "de-motivation switches."

Examples of de-motivation switches
・Lying down on the bed
・Sitting down on the sofa
・Turning on a game console
・Eating until I am full
・Drinking alcohol

The benefits of grasping your "de-motivation switches"

1. You can keep "de-motivation switches" at a distance

This goes without saying.
To maintain motivation, you just need to eliminate the factors that lower it. Grasping your "de-motivation switches" makes this possible.

Examples of improvements
・Lying down on the bed, sitting on the sofa, turning on a game console
→ Set up a workspace away from the bed, sofa, and game console.
＝ Separate your bedroom or living room from your work room. If you live in a studio apartment, divide the area and arrange your desk so that the bed, sofa, game console, etc., are not in your line of sight.
　Folding up your futon or placing items on the bed or sofa to make them unusable is also effective.

・Eating until full, drinking alcohol
→ Separate your dining space from your workspace.
　Turn hunger into motivation.
＝ Schedule your meals or evening drinks for after you finish this work.

2. Daring to cool yourself down

It might also be necessary to intentionally press the "de-motivation switch." If you keep the "motivation switch" in the ON state, you will get tired. Rest and leisure are also necessary. It is the same as how restarting a smartphone or computer can improve performance when it becomes sluggish.
The "de-motivation switch" can also be rephrased as a trigger to switch yourself into a state where you can relax.

By grasping your "de-motivation switches,"intentionallyyou can switch yourself into a state where you can relax.

Examples of utilizing the "de-motivation switch"
・Decide that it is okay to drink alcohol after 6:00 PM.
・Decide that it is okay to play games after working for two hours.
・Decide to spend time in bed after 11:00 PM.

Finding your "motivation switch" and turning it on is important. However, if you keep trying to stay motivated, you will get tired or burn out.

If so, isn't the idea of daring to press the "de-motivation switch"—that is, switching yourself into a state where you can relax—also necessary?