The Motivation Myth
Cover of The Motivation Myth by Jeff Haden
Rating: 9️⃣
Motivation, by definition, is a reason for acting or behaving in a particular way. The Motivation Myth is aimed to destroy the common understanding of Motivation. Motivation has been scientifically proven to be an unproductive pursuit, where individuals who were given a motivational video actually did less work than if they weren't bothered at all.
Jeff Haden uses the book to dismantle motivation and whether it is even relevant.
Being the Biggest Fish - not a fan
The book for me seems more like a group of listicles across the chapters rather a massive notebook, which makes it easier to digest too! When taking notes, I highlighted the headlining section and the important quotes that interested me.
About Jeff Haden
Jeff Haden is a (ghost)writer and speaker. Jeff has ghostwritten hundreds of books, magazine articles, reports and so on. Five of the books he has written for have even been Amazon #1 sellers.
Summary
The Motivation Myth is a relatively unsung book of the productivity or personal development industry. Jeff Haden focuses more around the beliefs behind motivation and why you would actively seek out motivation.
He opens the book with his thoughts on motivation and whether it is at all necessary to take action. Jeff has a similar point to Stephen Pressfield, in that motivation comes after action is taken. The focus of the next sections of the book are around taking the first step into action and removing obstacles into action.
Mastery of skill is the next focus of the book and the pathway to achieving that. It is a common notion that mastery takes 10,000 hours of mindful practice, note the keyword, mindful. You won't be achieving mastery in a skill if you're practicing it half-assed. With that said, if you practice a particular skill 8 hours a day on weekdays only, it still takes almost 5 years to reach mastery.
Jeff then brings out the concept of being a Serial Achiever. Following the introduction of mastery and being a serial achiever, the book started to reel me in. A Serial Achiever doesn't just have a single job or title next to their name. You're not just a teacher or a doctor, you can be so much more than a singular 'interest'.
Working Smarter and Harder is the focus of the rest of the book. Jeff talks about ways such as getting the extra push at the end of a working period and also ways to reduce unnecessary work. I'll explore a bit more of this in my Takeaways section.
Top Takeaways
"Edge" Time - making use of minuscule downtime
The overlooked time between tasks is often where the hidden treasure is found. I found this incredibly useful through university where I had tons of 30-minute to 1-hour breaks between lectures and tutorials.
This definitely applies less to a full 9-5 job but I bet there definitely still is edge time to be found in your schedule
Lack of motivation happens to everyone
A lack of motivation is the default setting anyways. Without action, there cannot be motivation.
Truly going the Extra Mile
In everything you do, go the extra mile and get it done. This is especially the case if other people aren’t doing it.
Setting goals is more about the framework than your actual goals
Goals are what gives you direction and ultimately, the framework towards achieving your goals. Your goals matter much less than the guide that it provides.
Favourite Quotes:
“None of us should be just one thing. We all possess, or can possess, a variety of skills—including skills we aren’t using.”
People are multi-faceted, no matter who you talk to. The teacher that showed you joy through sciences or arts? They probably have a creative or sports outlet outside of the school too.
Although ‘skills’ are more seen as monetised assets right now, hobbies can always stay as hobbies and not taken professionally.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”
This quote came form the book but it was also a phrase I heard from a friend. This quote has stuck quite dearly to me. Without taking any risks or chances, you will not progress.
“The Best Goals Eliminate the Pain of Regret”
When goals are correctly identified and plans are built around it, you will naturally feel compelled to take action. This leads to a generation of motivation to get things done.
“Choices are a problem, because choices force you to decide what you want to do. ”
Humans are instinctively emotional creatures. We make choices with our emotional mind instead of our logical mind still. So the presence of choices destroys the very brain we’ve built and we do what feels good instead.
“Getting started is often the hardest part.”
The friction of work is definitely the toughest at the start of a task. This is like rolling a ball where to get the ball rolling, it takes a whole lot of work but once it goes, it’s difficult to even stop.
To overcome this, there is a 5-minute rule where you can convince yourself that you are only doing the task for 5 minutes only. This should help you overcome the initial starting resistance and keep you cruising.