My 5 tips to regain motivation when learning something new gets tough

1.  Do something else

No, wait, don’t give up on the new thing you’re trying to learn – that’s not what I mean. Burnout is all too real and the mental effort involved learning something new is no joke.

I’ve found that when the mental gears start to grind a bit too hard I can get some much needed relief by switching gears entirely. Try reading a book, going for a walk, maybe finally get all those dishes done.

But, there’s a trick here – once you’ve switched to a less demanding task, don’t return to your learning until you feel ready. I’ve found that by jumping straight back into learning something new just means the burnout hits faster and harder the next time. 

Take your time and recharge PROPERLY.

2. Talk to someone

Wow! Genius, groundbreaking, I know. No one has ever thought of that before, that by sharing your experiences with someone close to you, it would actually make you feel better about them and maybe provide you with some much needed context. Thank you, I’ll be taking all the awards for this soon.

But yeah, seriously, this can be super helpful. I think that most people don’t recognise the pressure they feel when embarking on something new to make it seem successful right from minute 1. It’s perfectly ok to answer the question “hey, how’s that new thing you’re working on going?” with “shit right now actually, thanks for asking”. I’m 100% aware that this is sometimes hard to do, but I think you’d be surprised at how many times, when I’ve had this conversation, I got the response “Oh God same here, I’m totally failing at …”.

Learning is hard. Other people are in the exact same boat. Sometimes a good communal whinge is just what the doctor ordered.

3. STOP comparing yourself to others

Here’s the thing, I think most people are aware that comparing themselves to others can only lead to negative outcomes, especially when it comes to ‘beauty’ standards, wealth, lifestyle etc. I’m perfectly content not comparing my arse to Kim Kardashian’s, that way only disappoint lies. 

I think this concept is sneakier though. Have you ever googled “How to be more productive” or watched a YouTube video on “10 tips to stay motivated”? Oh, I have, it’s one of my favorite internet rabbit holes to get lost in. Inevitably you end up hearing from all these experts that motivation and self-discipline is “actually really easy, actually”, they do it all the time. They can do it, so can you, just follow their simple advice.

I have one word for that – bullshit.

I don’t care how successful these people are at portraying themselves as bastions of productivity and self-actualisations, there is no other way to treat this other than a truly superhuman feat. Do not let yourself slip into the belief that if they can do then so can you so if you can’t there’s some personal failing on your part.

Should you find yourself thinking of these comparisons, try instead picturing the individual involved in their pajamas at 3 in the afternoon, sprawled on the sofa eating day-old McDonald’s and cancelling plans by text because “they just have too many commitments right now”. Because I guarantee, they have done exactly that and will do so again in the future. Or their personal equivalent or something.

4. Count your blessings

I’m not saying you need to purchase a gratitude journal (unless you’re into that) or spend 15 minutes a day meditating on your fortunate circumstances (unless you’re into that too). Here’s what you do:

1. Grab the closest bit of paper to you (that envelope from the spam mail is fine, no wait – not the one with the dentist’s phone number on it, you’ll need that one later, that one from the Samaritan’s is fine).
2. Grab the nearest pen, pencil, writing implement, chopstick, chainsaw or discarded toenail clipping
3. Scribble down the first 3 things that come to mind when you think “I’m proud of….”. It can relate to something you’ve been learning recently or not, doesn’t matter. You can add more if you like but don’t stress out trying to fill out a sheet of A4.
4. THINK about those things. You achieved something, you’ve made yourself proud, you’ve done things! Let yourself have a little moment to bask in your successes, you deserve it. Take a second to focus on past successes as a way to encourage future ones.

5. Break down the problem

Take the goal you’re trying to achieve. Now, what is the first step you need to take to achieve that goal. Importantly, don’t list out ALL the steps you need, just focus on the very first step.
Now, take that first step and think about what the first task you need to complete there is. Then, what’s the first task you need to complete in order to get that first task done. And so on and so on, keep this going until you get to a task that will take you less than 5 minutes to complete. For example:

• Get a job offer
• Increase my online presence
• Start a blog to raise my profile
• Set up a blog
• Create a blog on a hosting platform
• Research which blog platform I want to use
• Google “Which blog platform is best?”

 

Boom. Now, here’s the genius bit – do that ONE thing. Just do that 5 minute task. If you want to continue with the next step, great, full steam ahead. If you’re still not feeling it then take a break, have a cup of tea, a nap, a walk, whatever, and then come back and complete the process from the start. It might look something like this now:

• Get a job offer
• Increase my online presence
• Start a blog to raise my profile
• Set up a blog
• Create a blog on a hosting platform
• Continue to research which blog platform I want to use
• Compare pricing plans for platforms

 

Here’s the thing – you’ve achieved! You are, unarguably, closer to your goal than you were 20 minutes ago. Congratulations, you’ll be head of the department at your new job in no time.

I think there’s a tendency for us to minimise the impact that new undertakings can have on us.

It gets swept under the rug of the movie montage, the simple cliches that get touted out about “sure it was hard, but I kept at it” and “you just got to get after it” by those who have already been successful. There’s less of a focus on the gritty, painful reality of having to push through the self-doubt, brain fog and other grim realities of actually getting your butt in the chair and doing something new.

Well bugger that, I’m here to say that not only does that happen but it happens to everyone and the sooner we recognise that the better we’ll all feel about it.

Hang tough my dudes, hang tough.