Staying Motivated
Overcoming the Know-Do Gap
To say it’s a busy time is a drastic understatement. I’m sure you feel it too. Hibernation season is completely over and spring has arrived. Things are popping up from the flowers to family events.
Once spring break ends on a college campus, time moves into a strange vortex that somehow quickens each day and moves it along as if it were a rollercoaster, free from the restrictions of an ordinary calendar.
While it is always hectic in April, this year feels extra insane. I have many events I’m running this month in addition to the very big events I will be organizing for my day job. Even though they are fun and things I enjoy, it is starting to add up to make this month feel overwhelming already:
Sober Social: Accessory Swap on April 10
Ecstatic Dance on April 12
Work Event: National Health-Promoting Summit on April 22
Chakra-Balancing Journaling Workshop on April 24
Work Event: Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention Walk on April 26
Write to Heal Monthly Circle on Open-Mindedness on Insight Timer on April 28
Keynote Speaker at Uplifting Voices Project on April 29
I share all these not only to highlight the insanity of my schedule but also for my local friends to join me if they can ~ and the last two have virtual options for my non-local friends if you’re interested!
I’ve learned many ways to manage stress over the years and one of the best, other than writing, is moving my body. It is invigorating to break a sweat and I know this, but I don’t always get myself to do it.
Movement can be walks with the dog, going to a yoga class, or running on my elliptical in the basement. I consistently do the first two throughout the year as I’ve made them a routine, but I’ve been on a hiatus from that third option - until this week.
Morning Run
This week, I ran three times in the morning and it really is an amazing way to start the day. Tuesday morning I ran for twenty minutes, Thursday morning I ran for twenty-five minutes and then today (Saturday morning) I ran for another twenty-five minutes.
Each time, my heart raced while I listened to an audiobook on my phone to help the time pass. When I finished, sweating and thirsty, I was ready for a shower and felt energized to tackle the day.
I know that a morning work out is good for me. I know that I will feel great when I finish. I know I will have more energy than if I didn’t do it. Even though, I know, I still don’t do it. .
This is called the Know-Do Gap. It’s that difference between having the knowledge and implementing an action. The differential between knowing about a healthy option and doing the opposite anyway. It’s the space between my cozy bed and my elliptical in the basement.
I’d almost always rather sleep in on any day when I have the time to do so. Sleep is a glorious act.
This semester, due to a late work meeting on Thursdays that has me working until 7pm each week, I go in late on Tuesday/Thursday to make up for it. This means I have more time in my morning routine, without having to get up any earlier.
I didn’t jump on this idea of morning workouts at the end of January when the semester started because it was still dark and I was still in hibernation mode. Winter requires me to soak up all the extra time in bed that I can.
But now that it’s spring, my body has attuned itself to nature and knows it is time to get moving. I used that early morning time to move my body and burn some stress away and I’m already feeling great about it… I only hope I can maintain the motivation to keep going!
More than Motivation
Today, while running in my basement, I listened to a TedX talk that a friend posted about that piqued my interest.
“The Secret to an Unstoppable Brain” by Kyra Bobinet. Interesting, right?
The title had me curious but the description made me click the link to watch and learn more. She claims to have solved the problem of “I know what I should do, I just don’t do it” (that annoying Know-Do Gap I mentioned).
Watch this 11 minute video for yourself to see what you think:
She talks about brain science and research over decades that proves motivation is often stopped by the habenula ~ a part of the brain that activates at the slightest hint of frustration or potential failure, working to stop our motivation for that behavior.
She says that part of the brain works great for when we need to remember to not touch the hot stove twice but when that part of the brain is activated by our feelings of frustration after trying to eat healthy and feeling like we failed, that causes the brain to stop our motivation for that behavior.
She says learning how to be iterative rather than performative is key.
Being iterative means having a growth mindset. It means you focus on what you learned from the effort and continually move through the cycle of trying, assessing, and improving the next effort. Rather than relying on willpower or perfection, iteration works with our natural tendencies of our brain’s reward center.
A shift in mindset, away from all-or-nothing thinking, is also important. Instead of “I don’t have time to go to the gym today,” I can think, “At least 10 minutes on the elliptical is better than nothing.” That’s what got me on the machine on that first day and I stayed for 20 minutes. And that accomplishment got me back there again two days later.
Finding out what works best and then using that information to try again is something I teach often in my day job. As a learning and development leader, the cycle of assessment is essential to constantly improve. That’s the same idea here.
Let’s see if simply learning about this today can help motivate me to keep up with my morning workouts by being more iterative with my process. I’m going to need the extra boost of energy this month!
Journal Prompts
What does spring time look like for you? How do you align with nature this time of year? How are you starting to move (physically, emotionally, socially, or any other way) after the season of hibernation has ended?
What are some behaviors that fall into the Know-Do Gap for you? Write about the knowledge you possess and the related actions you do or do not do. Write about the barriers that get in the way ~ the frustrations and failures you’ve met along the way of trying.
In what ways have you utilized an iterative process of trying, assessing, and trying again? Are there any behaviors you could apply this iterative process to and what do you think the benefit would be of that effort?
