[johnthewise]

I strongly believe external motivation kills the inner motivation. Maybe that is the goal here, by killing it completely so you can't ever think of depending on it(?). For me personally, I always found these kind of tools that helps trick one's self into doing or not doing things, very soul crushing. It's almost like trying to beat yourself into submission, disowning the part of yourself. If you can't make yourself to do something, maybe you shouldn't do it?

[khromem]

The role of this is to bridge the gaps between the spikes of internal motivation.

A lot of times people start working on something new and for the first few days they have enough motivation to stick with it. But when that disappears a lot of people just quit. They don't stick with the new activity long enough for the next surge of internal motivation.

We believe this service can help people grind it out for a week or two until they get a surge of internal motivation and no longer need us.

[vasco]

Why would you grind out something you found you don't want to do? Or on another note, if something really should get done, I think their argument is that this sort of crutch makes you lose the muscle of "just do it and get on with it".

[MaulingMonkey]

> I think their argument is that this sort of crutch makes you lose the muscle of "just do it and get on with it".

I don't have that muscle when it comes to "internal motivation", and decades of floundering have not particularly succeeded in developing it.

The right external motivation - for me, most typically, something along the lines of not wanting to let down the people who are depending upon me in a reasonable manner - means I can absolutely slay it when it comes to getting things done in a 9-5 work environment, and rather than being soul crushing, it's a relief that I can contribute value. I might grumble a bit at the start of my mornings, but getting into the grove of work quickly distracts me from said grumbling. johnthewise's experience is far from universal.

Precommitment in the form of money laden goalposts and checkpoints alone aren't super effective for me, but they do accomplish something.

> Why would you grind out something you found you don't want to do

Because it will be valuable enough to have it done, to be worth it in the long run. My natural internal motivation is terribly shortsighted - to the point that I'll procrastinate on getting myself food when I'm only a little hungry, because cooking, walking, driving, or even ordering sounds like a bother and a chore. Does spending an extra hour or three hungry improve my day overall? It does not.

It's 10AM, I've skipped breakfast, and I'm rather hungry for lunch. My natural instinct is to spend another few hours doomscrolling reddit or HN or otherwise making not particularly good use of my time, even when it comes to the explicit goal of leisure or relaxation. But, instead, I'm going to hunt down some socks, shoes, keys, wallet, sunglasses, mask, jacket, and go out into the beautiful sunny day that I've been hiding away from, and go grab some delicious food I've been looking forward to all week, and improve my day in the process.

And I will grumble slightly along the way, because among other injustices, I will have to "get up".

[imtringued]

I have to do X. I don't want to do X but I must finish X. Instead of procrastinating and wasting my entire day on avoiding X, it would be more productive to do X and then do the things I am actually interested in.

[marginalia_nu]

It seems to me like you are describing inspiration and not motivation, when discussing internal motivation.

Motivation is the why of what you are doing, inspiration is the Eye of the Tiger montage when you are doing something that seems to go well.

Your motivation for brushing your teeth may for example be to avoid a trip to the dentist.

[ravishi]

You may have inner motivation. Some don't.

I've been down this rabbit role trying to find my inner motivation for half a decade already. I've tried everything, from recreational to prescription drugs, routine, exercise, nutrition changes, therapy, even became a parent. Nothing works consistently.

So when I find myself unable to be motivated, I just stack techniques as much as I can. I have a whole toolbox of maneuvers and mechanisms to achieve whatever I have to without any inner motivation.

It's the best way of coping with life I've found up until this point.

[newsclues]

Not everyone has the same level of motivation.

Maybe highly internally motivated people won’t understand this, but others will benefit?

[KaoruAoiShiho]

I think this is for when your inner motivation is already waning. You obviously don't need to do this if you're already super motivated.

[the_only_law]

> If you can't make yourself to do something, maybe you shouldn't do it?

That attitude probably works if it’s some sort of leisure activity, but someone who struggles to do routine, necessary tasks might not want to just give up on them.

[johnthewise]

I totally understand, I can't still make the bed or do procrastinate with many things. Would it be better if I somehow tricked myself into doing them by delegating the decision making process into a third-party? If this worked, maybe. But these tools never work on me as I feel I'm being tricked and get stressed/annoyed even more. I understand everyone is different, but if anyone out there is like me, I'd suggest trying to make your peace with yourself and with all the cool projects you abandon. or get stressed enough that maybe you can change yourself :) If you're depressed, get help!