We often think we need to feel motivated before taking action. But psychology and real-world experience say the opposite is more often true:

Motivation is the result of action; not the cause.

Once you start, even in a small way, your brain begins to engage, your resistance drops, and your momentum builds. This is known as the activation energy principle; it takes the most effort to start, but far less to keep going.

View each day as four quarters (morning, midday, afternoon, evening) to make it easier to bounce back quickly from setbacks or distractions. By failing small, you can always recover in the next quarter.

Pareto's Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, is a concept that approximately 80% of the effects or outcomes result from 20% of the causes or inputs. In other words, a small portion of the factors or efforts often contributes to the majority of the results.