“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” — Ayn Rand

Everything you think you know about motivation is wrong.

I’m sure you’ve been there. Excited about your new goal, ready to take on the world. And then you hit a wall. You want to write that next five pages, research another hour, or code for the rest of the night.

Whatever your it is, you can’t seem to get past a certain point before you throw up your hands and give in to your urge to binge watch the latest season of Stranger Things.

Trust me. I’ve been there.

I’ve got the perfect thing for you. Are you ready to take things to the next level?

The traditional model

The truth is, most of the time you don’t need motivation. You can use the power of habit to create what you want slowly over time. Habits can and will accomplish your goals.

But once you reach a certain point, it’s only natural to want to kick things up a notch. You want to 10X your behaviors to market that next book or make the next product launch.

You’ve got your morning routine in place, a couple of 45-minute Deep Work sessions, but then you come home after work and want to get in a few more.

You give it a go. But as your Pomodoro clock strikes 45, you feel the desire drain from your body like water in a bathtub. You just don’t see how a five-minute break will be enough recharge your brain.

You give in. And sometimes, that’s okay. But not today. Not two weeks before your product launch. Not the week before your book hits the shelves. Not three weeks before you share your app with venture capitalists.

You’ve heard that motivation declines throughout the day, so you don’t feel so bad.

But the truth is, it doesn’t.

Say what!?

The science

Earlier studies hinted that your brain depletes glucose when using self-control for extended periods. But a recent study with more robust research discovered something completely different.

In a one of kind study, researchers looked at over 16,000 students over a 24-hour period using an adaptive learning program. Their findings surprised them.

Evidence shows your memory actually improves with short frequent bursts of use. Motivation does the same thing. It actually increases throughout the day.

Yes, you get tired. And if you don’t do it right, you’ll want to throw in the towel.

So what’s the right way?

The hack

The new study showed self-control and motivation don’t decrease. They increase, just not for that task.

The problem is that your brain gets concerned it’s neglecting other essential things and begins to pull at your focus.

Between 30 to 50 minutes of focused work on the same task, your brain wants to switch to something else out of survival instinct. The more different the better.

The solution then is to have two or three specific things that are different but required to do your goal. After each session, give yourself a short break and then start the next session with a task that’s substantially different than your prior one.

An example would be writing fiction, then marketing, then writing nonfiction. Or it could be coding, then planning, then content development.

Whatever your tasks, break them up into 50-minute sessions or less. Follow each item with an activity that needs different types of focused thinking.

Once you do, you’ve got a powerful method to keep working and increase your motivation throughout the day.