When you don't have a 'real' job, how do you self-motivate?

My conversation with Victoria, @ActuallyAspling, has been playing on my mind...

If you missed the first episode of the podcast, with Victoria, you can find it over on Spotify (or Amazon, or Apple or anywhere you get your tunes) -

Victoria shares how she manages relationships, academic life and writing books as well as her journey to autism & ADHD diagnoses. We talk how to find your tribe, impulsive spending and finding the space, time & peace to get work done.

I’ve been thinking about our chat a lot this week, particularly in relation to self-motivation and work. I no longer have a ‘real’ job. I don’t have a boss, I set my own hours, and I work when I want.

Sounds dreamy, right?

The truth is, there’s also no sick pay, no holiday pay, hell, no guaranteed pay at all. There’s no one to bounce ideas off and no one to put pressure on me to get shit done.

Also, just to clarify, writing isn’t my only, nor is it my main, job. I side hustle in a million and one other ways to avoid doing a more regular 9-5. It’s stressful, yes. But it’s also the type of work that works well for me. It allows me to move around frequently, focus on projects I’m passionate about and meet some of the world’s most interesting people.

On balance, I live a pretty charmed life (and thankfully, I have a very supportive partner to cover the rent while I’m off trying to write a book, or start a podcast, or attend Journalism School). But with an ADHD mind, finding the motivation to get work done, when there’s no real deadline, or no external pressure, is tough.

I had a few sessions with an ADHD coach who explained that to get myself motivated, I need to understand the 4 Cs: Captivate, Create, Compete, Complete.

I need to find ways to make sure the task - captivates my attention, involves creativity or novelty in the process, is a competition or a challenge or, has the urgency of a completion deadline.

I manage this by creating artificial deadlines and organising my calendar as if I still work in a ‘real’ job. I’ll work through the night to make sure I hit my fake deadlines, because if I allow myself to negotiate with myself, I don’t think I’d ever achieve anything again.

If this doesn’t sound healthy, it’s probably because it isn’t. But it’s a method I’ve found that works for me.

The colourful calendar makes tasks a bit more ‘creative’. And I always have at least one passion project running alongside my normal tasks. I’ll go to cafes or shared workspaces or the library to write, for a novel change-of-scenery.

I break down the parts of big projects into little tasks, and then gamify the ‘ticking off my to-do list’ process.

I create external deadline pressure by scheduling quarterly meetings with a career coach.

… I’ve just read back what I’ve listed and realised how incredibly privileged I am. I don’t have caring responsibilities, I only need to focus on myself. I have that awesome partner I mentioned. And yet, I still struggle. I honestly have no idea how others with ADHD who perhaps don’t have the advantages I have, or don’t have the time I have, manage to motivate themselves.

I’d love to hear from you, to learn what your experience of self-motivation has been and if there is anything you do that really helps. Get in touch and let’s chat about it!

Anyway, I could talk about this all day, but unfortunately, I have to get back to the work that pays the rent (the reminder on my calendar is pinging every five minutes!).

Ciao for now

Angie