using peak motivational states to do the hardest things

According to a model introduced by B.J. Fogg, a Stanford University professor, and habit expert, motivation is non-linear; it’s a wave with peaks and valleys. And that’s why if we want to enhance our productivity, our goal should not be to stay at a constant peak state, but rather identify the time zones in which our energy levels are low and adjust our efforts accordingly. 

It’s naive to believe that we’ll have absolute focus at all times during the day. Instead, we must personalize productivity and be mindful of the ups and downs in our motivation on a daily basis. Based on these patterns, we can focus on doing the most difficult and cognitively challenging things when we’re in our prime state. 

For instance, you might use this approach to focus on writing first thing in the morning. Your willpower is at its highest, and you haven’t encountered any digital distractions yet. If you protect your attention and take advantage of your natural motivation in the early morning, you can use your first hour to make significant progress in your creative pursuit. Alternatively, if you are a member of The 5 AM Club, you can take advantage of your first hour and make it “victorious” by focusing on working out, meditating or journaling, and learning something new. This will not only elevate your four interior empires — mindset, heartset, healthset and soulset — but also maintain your energy levels until noon.

The bottom line is that as soon as the natural motivation wave hits us, we must ensure that we ride it with diligence so that we can surf on feelings of confidence and optimism and maximize our creative output and productivity. Make sure that you stack your hardest tasks during those windows of peak motivation and you’ll be able to tackle all of them in a single go with minimal effort.