Why you don’t need motivation, you need momentum

Ever sat down, stared at a blank screen, and thought, "Why am I never motivated enough to start?" We've all been there. Motivation feels like a mysterious force—you either have it or you don’t. It comes and goes like the wind. Some days, you're on fire. Other days? You’re scrolling Instagram wondering where the day went.

But here’s the truth most productivity gurus won’t tell you: You don’t actually need motivation. What you need is momentum.

Let me take you back to a rainy Sunday morning last winter. I had this big creative project I was excited about—a personal blog redesign I’d been dreaming up for months. But the excitement had long since turned into dread. I was overwhelmed. Too many ideas, too little energy. I made coffee, sat at my desk, and… nothing. My fingers hovered over the keyboard like they were waiting for divine intervention.

Instead of giving up completely, I made myself a deal: "Just open the design file. That’s it. No pressure. Just look at it."

And something weird happened. Once I opened it, I thought, "Maybe I’ll move that header down a bit." Then I tweaked a color. Then I replaced an image. Two hours later, I looked up and realized I’d completely redesigned the homepage. No motivation. Just momentum.

That’s the magic. Momentum is what actually gets things done.

Motivation is a fair-weather friend. It’s great when it shows up, but it's flaky and unreliable. Momentum, on the other hand, shows up after you do.

Here’s what I recommend: Stop waiting to feel ready. Pick one ridiculously tiny action. Not "write a blog post," but "write one sentence." Not "go to the gym," but "put on your sneakers." Not "start a business," but "buy the domain name."

This isn’t just theory. Psychologists call it the "Zeigarnik effect"—our brains like to finish what we start. Even the tiniest action creates a kind of mental itch. Once you start, it’s harder to not keep going.

So today, try this: Choose one micro-action. The smaller, the better. Then do it. Don’t overthink it. Don’t plan your entire week. Just do the first thing.

And here’s the best part: That one action? It might be all you need to go from stuck to unstoppable.

Writing after work, with lukewarm coffee. Like what you read? Buy me a coffee ☕