Motivation Is Overrated

Motivation Is Overrated

By: Marcy Schoenborn

If you wait to feel motivated, you’ll wait a long time.

That’s not a mindset flaw — it’s human biology.

Motivation is state-dependent. It fluctuates based on sleep, blood sugar, stress hormones, emotional load, and cognitive fatigue. It is not designed to be a reliable driver of daily health behaviors.

Why Motivation Fails as a Strategy

Motivation is governed largely by the brain’s dopamine system. Dopamine is influenced by novelty, reward anticipation, and emotional state — not long-term health outcomes. This means motivation rises and falls unpredictably, especially under stress or fatigue.

When people rely on motivation, consistency collapses during:

• poor sleep

• emotional stress

• illness or overload

• decision fatigue

This is why “getting motivated” rarely leads to sustained change.

What Actually Works: Systems

Healthy people do not feel motivated all the time.

They rely on systems — repeated behaviors tied to structure, timing, and environment rather than emotion.

They eat because it’s time.
They move because it’s scheduled.
They rest because it matters.

Systems reduce the cognitive load of decision-making. This conserves mental energy, lowers stress hormone output, and increases follow-through — even when motivation is low.

Action Precedes Motivation

From a neurobiological perspective, action generates motivation, not the other way around.

Behavioral activation — doing the behavior first — increases dopamine signaling after action begins. This reinforces the habit loop and makes future action more likely.

Waiting for motivation delays action.
Taking action creates motivation through feedback.

Why Scheduling Works

Time-based behaviors reduce reliance on willpower.

The brain responds well to predictability. Scheduled meals, movement, and sleep routines help regulate circadian rhythms, blood glucose, and cortisol patterns — all of which influence energy and mood.

Structure supports biology.
Biology supports consistency.

The Bottom Line

Motivation is unreliable.
Systems are dependable.

People who sustain healthy habits are not more disciplined — they are less dependent on feelings.

They act first.
Motivation follows.

References

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3. Baumeister RF et al. Ego depletion: Is the active self a limited resource? J Pers Soc Psychol. 1998;74(5):1252–1265.

4. Duckworth AL et al. Self-control and grit. Annu Rev Psychol. 2019;70:373–401.

5. Lally P et al. How are habits formed? Eur J Soc Psychol. 2010;40(6):998–1009.

6. Dimidjian S et al. Behavioral activation for depression. Clin Psychol Sci Pract. 2006;13(1):3–19.

7. Panda S. The circadian code. Rodale Books; 2018.