Week 2 of a new endeavor is always interesting because the initial spike of motivation starts to wear off, and you come face-to-face with the uphill climb you signed up for.
Growing up I always heard people say “Forget motivation, discipline is what matters”. I think I understand why this advice helps. Motivation is a response to temporary discomfort but real change requires prolonged effort. For instance, say I have a big fight and then commit to improving my relationships. If my motivation comes from wanting to avoid more fights, then if I don’t have another fight for a week, won’t my motivation start to fade?
So I see why the advice is important, but I think we can be a lot smarter about harnessing our own motivation too. When I’m “disciplined” but the motivation isn’t there, I may still show up but I cut corners, manufacture excuses, and give subpar effort. Better than nothing, but far from ideal. Contrast that with, say, highly motivated competitors on the “Biggest Loser” show who achieve incredible (not always permanent!) weight loss when given constant community support and TV attention. Or military commanders who “burn the boats” to eliminate any possibility of retreat and strengthen their soldiers’ resolve. Sufferers of burnout know that if discipline carries on without strong motivation for too long, the lack of motivation will eventually win.
As a notorious stop-starter, I’ve been thinking about how I can stay consistent on this creative journey. I’m a huge fan of Tony Robbins’ Six Human Needs framework of motivation, and the more juice I can give myself, the better. So as uncomfortable as it makes me to ask, if you’re enjoying this and want to support, I have a request for you- please send me the gift of motivation. Here are some ideas based on Tony Robbins’s six needs:
Certainty: Remind me that I committed to follow through.
Variety: Pass along interesting or novel ideas.
Significance: Remind me how my peers and rivals are getting ahead.
Connection: Tell me what you think about this project! Coding on a laptop can be lonely.
Growth: Keep me centered on learning and the journey.
Contribution: Share ways I can help you or others with my projects or writing!
Thank you in advance! Your readership and support means a lot.
Project #2: Bulletin Board Material
I’ve always loved the idea of coaches plastering infuriating quotes all over their team’s locker room. I want to be reminded why I care, constantly. At the moment, the #1 thing driving me is sticking to commitment; it would be pretty lame to talk big and then fail to deliver within the first month.
This project idea clicked after my friend P mentioned the value of learning how to develop browser extensions. What more front-of-mind forum for a programmer than replacing my browser’s homepage?
Overriding the New Tab page
Both Firefox (my choice) and Chrome extensions are configured using a manifest.json file. Overriding the new tab home screen is as simple as setting this parameter to my custom page, index.html:
(Don’t be confused by chrome_url_overrides, that refers to a different “chrome” than the browser Google Chrome).
Layout & Styling
I decided to just build a static single HTML page with minimal styling and no scripting. Learning web frameworks might make sense for a bigger project, but my goal is to go from idea to tiny MVP and ship as fast as possible. I ripped various screenshots that remind me of the commitment I made to myself, my friends, and the internet. The hi-res background is a cool image I found on Unsplash (who also have an incredible free API!) Here’s a screenshot of the finished product:
In my first design sketch, I planned to have a 2x3 grid of panels each with some text like “You Made a Commitment” and an image. However right away I realized that the text wasn’t punchy at all; better (and faster) to just make the images bigger.
Lastly, the completely static page seemed too boring so I threw in a slight mouse-over enlargement effect on each of the images. This version of the page should be enough to test whether it actually helps or I just click mindlessly by every time.
Check it out at https://github.com/KShah707/MotivationDashboard.
Love this Keyur! As your gift of motivation from me, I am sending you one of my favorite quotes: "Today I will do what others won't so tomorrow I can accomplish what others cannot." Can't wait to see what you do with this project.