Use your motivation to become healthier!

1. Motivation Wave
Harnessing your motivation to become healthier
Angad Singh – angad.co

2. What is a Motivation Wave?
 A motivation wave depicts a persons motivation at
any time.
 We are all aware that our motivation fluctuates over
time.
High Motivation
Low Motivation

3. What is Motivation anyway?
 Motivation can be defined as the ability to do hard
things.
 When one has low motivation, one can still do easy
things.
 But one can only do hard things when one’s
motivation is high.

4. Behavior Model
The graph below makes it clear that as motivation
increases, behaviors that are Hard are successful.

5. How can we use this wave?
 We know that when our motivation is low, we will
not be able to do many of the hard behaviors that
we should do.
 Thus, we should use moments of high motivation to
make hard behaviors easier.
 When we make hard behaviors easy, we will still be
able to do them when motivation.

6. Walking Everyday
 Taking a 30 min walk everyday is a hard behavior.
 You can do it when you have high motivation, but
not otherwise.
 Instead, use your high motivation moments to
make it easier to reduce barriers to walking on a
low motivation day.
 For example, buy walking shoes, hide all your other
shoes, place your shoes by the door etc.

7. High Motivation Moments
When you open your task list.
When you get home after class/work.
When you finish a task.
When you watch an inspiring video.
When you talk to a doctor.
When you look in the mirror.

8. Sources of Motivation
Motivation can come from the following 6 sources:
Internal: motivation that comes naturally
1. Goal-driven
2. Habit-driven
3. Momentum-driven
External: motivation driven by external incentives
4. Reward-driven
5. Social-driven
6. Recognition-driven

9. 1. Goal-driven
This motivation stems from personal goals that drive
people to do things.
Harness it: In a moment of high motivation, set a
health-goal for yourself and come up with a plan for
how you will get there.
Example: Commit to losing 1 pound every week.

10. 2. Habit-driven
This motivation makes people do things that they are
in the habit of doing. Usually subconscious.
Harness it: Tie an existing habit that occurs in a
moment of high motivation to a new health-habit
until it becomes second nature.
Example: Whenever you check your to-do list, take a 5
minute walk.

11. 3. Momentum-driven
This motivation occurs when you are on a streak of
completing hard behaviors.
Harness it: Tie a health-behavior to the completion of
another hard behavior that you have to do.
Example: Whenever you cross off a task from your to-
do list, take a 10-minute walk.

12. 4. Reward-driven
This motivation is driven by an external reward.
Harness it: In a moment of high motivation, set up a
reward for yourself tied to a health behavior.
Example: Allow yourself to play your favorite game
only if you’ve walked 30 minutes that day.

13. 5. Social-driven
This motivation is driven by social pressure from
others around you.
Harness it: In a moment of high-motivation, enlist
someone to keep a tab on your health behaviors.
Example: Get your mom to make sure you take a 30
minute walk daily.

14. 6. Recognition-driven
This sort of motivation comes from recognition of
previous achievements.
Harness it: In a moment of high motivation, set up a
recognition mechanism tied to your health behavior.
Example: Get your roommate to congratulate you
every time you take a walk.

15. Go get ‘em!
Angad Singh
angad.co