This week is all about different ways to find motivation for people with interest-based nervous systems.

Typically, society encourages motivation through an importance-based nervous system, which involves getting motivated by the importance of a task. 

But those with an interest-based system, like many ADHDers, may understand a task is important, but still struggle to get started until the task becomes urgent.

Trying to implement things based on importance when your system craves interest is like trying to put a square peg in a round hole. 

So this week, we are going to break down 5 key motivators that work with an interest-based nervous system.

Our acronym to remember these motivators is PINCH, and let's get started with P.

P: Passion or Play

This involves making a task more fun or playful, or taking time to consider how it aligns with your passions.

Play and passion are often dismissed as silly, distracting, or unnecessary—but for many people, they provide the stimulation their brains need to sustain attention and reduce burnout.

Calling your task a “mini-boss” like Focused Space member Paul, or playing some focused music on our video platform are some examples of play at work.

Passion and Play Motivators

🕺🏾 Dance and Clean: If you need to clean your house, put on your favorite music and dance while you clean. Tap into play energy to motivate you to do the hard thing.

🎨 Creative Projects: Incorporate colorful and fun materials like fancy pens or use design tools like Canva to make your project more interesting. Making the project more playful and visually engaging helps your brain engage.

🧩 Incorporate Play into Routine Tasks: Add elements of play into everyday tasks. For example, turn folding laundry into a game by timing yourself and trying to beat your previous record.

🎲 Gamify Tasks: Turn tasks into a game by assigning points for completing certain activities. For instance, give yourself points for each section of a project you complete and accumulate points to reach a goal.

🖊️ Use Fun Tools: Use colorful sticky notes, fancy pens, or unique stationery to make mundane tasks more enjoyable. The addition of these playful elements can make routine activities feel more engaging. 

♥️ Clarify Meaning and Values: If you’re unsure what you’re passionate about, try value inventories like the VIA character strengths assessment or do a value card sort. These tools can help you understand your values (here’s a link to a free online value card sort). Once you have clarity, remind yourself how the task connects to your values.

I: Interest

Have you ever noticed yourself struggling with boring tasks but engaging with something you’re interested in for hours at a time?

Then you might benefit from infusing interest into your day-to-day tasks. Connecting tasks to interests can tap into curiosity and creativity that can support you in getting started.

An important note to keep in mind this week: Having an interest-based nervous system doesn’t mean that you are incapable of completing boring tasks, and having an importance-based nervous system doesn’t mean you can’t also benefit from these motivators. 

Interest Motivators

🔗 Linking: Draw on associative thinking to link the task to a hobby or topic of interest.  

👁️ Visualization: Use diagrams, drawings, or mind maps to make the project more visually interesting.

🌍 Real-world Applications: Think about how the information can be applied in real-world scenarios or problems you’re curious about.

🎥 Using Multimedia: Incorporate videos, podcasts, or interactive mediums that are of interest to you.

↩️ Exploring Tangents: Allow yourself to side-quest and explore related topics that pique your interest.

🎧 Combine Tasks with Interests: If you enjoy listening to music, audiobooks, or podcasts, pair these with routine tasks like cooking, cleaning or exercising to make the tasks more enjoyable.

N: Novelty

When something is new and exciting, it can help boost motivation. For someone with ADHD, this can be why a lot of “hacks” initially work and then fall off. Experiences like those can make novelty feel frustrating instead of helpful. 

However, leaning into different sources of novelty can actually help with giving your brain the stimulation it needs to get started or re-engage with a task that feels stale.

You may find a few novelty-based actions to rotate so that when one strategy feels old, you can pick up a new one. 

Novelty Motivators

✨ Engage the Sensory: Our sensory system is a powerful way to engage novelty. Struggling with body care? Use new personal hygiene products with different scents. For studying, use brightly colored pens, or unique textures.

🖼️ Change Up Your Environment: Rearranging your workspace or adding new decorations can also stimulate your senses and make work feel fresh.

🎨 Creativity: Try incorporating different creative elements into your work, like using infographics, illustrations, or mind maps.

🤔 Learning New Skills: Introduce new skills or tools into your routine. This could be learning a new software program or how to use new supportive technology or experimenting with different techniques related to your projects.

☕️ Changing Scenery: Work in different locations to keep things interesting. Whether it’s a new coffee shop, a park, or a different room in your house, changing your environment can provide a sense of novelty.

🤝 Collaborating with New People: Collaborate with different people to bring in new perspectives and ideas. This can make projects feel fresh and stimulate your creativity.

🗒️ Switching Mediums: If you usually work on a computer, try switching to paper for a while, or vice versa. Sometimes a simple change in medium can make a task feel new again.

C: Competition, Collaboration, and Challenge

Next, we’re covering C, which stands for competition, cooperation, or challenge!

This motivator is connected to the science of body doubling that powers Focused Space. Having timed sprints and a community to work with can be a great motivator. 

Competition, Collaboration, and Challenge Motivators

🧑‍💻🧑‍💻 Body Doubling: Having someone else present while you work can help keep you accountable and focused. This could be a friend, family member, or even a virtual buddy working on their tasks at the same time.

⏱️ Time-bound Challenges: Set short, timed challenges for yourself. For example, see how much you can accomplish in 20 minutes, then take a break and switch tasks. This can make the task feel like a game and add a sense of urgency.

⏰ Beat the Timer: This is especially great if you or your child struggles with mornings. Turn routine tasks into a race against the clock. For example, see if you can get dressed, eat breakfast, and pack your bag before a certain song finishes playing.

👥👥 Group Challenges: Engage in group challenges with friends or colleagues. Set collective goals and track each other’s progress. This can add a social and competitive element to your tasks.

👯 Accountability Partners: Pair up with someone who has similar goals. Check in with each other regularly (text photos or status updates or other visual forms of accountability) to share visual progress and provide encouragement. This can both boost motivation and create a sense of shared purpose and connection.

⭐️ Progress Tracking: Use visual aids like charts or graphs to track your progress. Seeing your achievements visually can create a sense of competition with yourself to keep going.

H: Hurry

The final motivator is Hurry. For some with interest-based nervous systems, this is the only consistent, reliable motivator that can also turn into a pattern of procrastination sometimes.

Hurry Motivators

🧩 Break Down Big Projects: Divide large projects into smaller, manageable subtasks, and create daily deadlines for each one. This can help create a sense of urgency without the overwhelming pressure of a single looming deadline.

⏰ Beat the Clock: Similar to self-competitions, set a timer to create a sense of urgency. For instance, see how much you can accomplish in 15 minutes.

📆 Time Blocks: Schedule specific time blocks for tasks and stick to them. Knowing that you only have a limited time to complete something can create a natural sense of urgency.

🔥❗️ Urgent-Not Urgent Matrix: Use the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance. Focus on urgent and important tasks first to ensure critical tasks are addressed promptly.

⏳ Visual Timers: Use visual timers or countdown clocks to make the passage of time more tangible. This can help create a sense of urgency, while also helping with time perception.

🛤️ Create Artificial Constraints: Impose constraints on your tasks to create urgency. For example, tell yourself you can only spend a certain amount of time on a task, regardless of its complexity. These self-imposed limits can push you to work more efficiently and quickly.

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As we close out this week’s theme, we’d like to encourage you to experiment with these motivators and see what feels supportive for you.

The goal is not to fix yourself, because you’re not broken. Experimenting with interest-based motivators invites you to listen and get curious about your rhythms and your preferences, and design a life that works with you, not against you!

P.S. If you aren't a member of Focused Space, but could use help accomplishing your goals, busting through procrastination, or getting motivated… you are welcome to join us at one of our live guided work sessions, or morning planning sessions!

Take care,

— Kaila and the focused space team