Motivation vs. Discipline: Which One Do You Need?

I was recently on vacation, away from my regular schedule and gym.  And nobody will find it surprising that it was much harder to motivate myself to work out when it wasn’t automatic or part of my routine.  I kept telling myself I’d get on the treadmill when I felt motivated.  But here's the problem: my motivation was deeply unreliable.  It came and went.  I was motivated when I was watching a great show and then it would disappear when the workout got repetitive, difficult, or hard.

And at home, that's where discipline comes in.  At home, I go to the gym most mornings when my kids walk out the door to school.  It’s automatic, repetitive, and generally not something I question.  It’s 8:30?  Let’s go sweat!

Discipline isn't about forcing yourself to work harder or having extraordinary willpower; it's about creating systems that make it easier to keep going when motivation abandons you.

Motivation gets you started. Discipline helps you continue.

Motivation answers the question, “Why do I want to do this?”  Discipline is what happens after the excitement wears off.  It answers, “What will I do even when I don't feel like doing it?”

Think about starting a new project. On day one, you might be highly motivated. You do the research, make the schedule, read the files.  It’s great!  You’re learning so much and getting great exposure.  By day fifteen, though, you’re tired. You have 47 other things to do and you realize this new project exists on top of all your other work.

Motivation says, “I’ll stay late tomorrow.”

Discipline says, “It's Tuesday. Tuesday is when I stay late.”

The motivation trap

We often assume that motivation will lead us to action, which will yield results.  But a more likely scenario is that we take action, see results, build our confidence in our ability to make progress, and then feel more motivated.

This is an important distinction for managers. If an employee says, “I'm just not motivated right now,” the answer doesn't necessarily need to be a pep talk.  Instead, you might ask:

• What's making it difficult to get started?

• What's one small step you could take?

• What would make this easier?

• What progress have you already made?

• Is there something about the goal that no longer feels meaningful?

Sometimes motivation returns after action begins.

Discipline isn't willpower

We sometimes picture a disciplined person as someone with extraordinary self-control: the person who wakes up at 5 a.m., never procrastinates, never gets distracted, and somehow manages to accomplish everything on their list. (And then we instantaneously hate them - or is that just me?)  But real discipline often looks much less impressive.  It's putting a recurring meeting on your calendar, creating a template instead of reinventing the same process every time, or deciding in advance when you'll do something.  Discipline is often less about trying harder and more about designing better systems.

You can build discipline into the workplace

If your organization launches an initiative and then relies on everyone's (or, notably, HR’s) continued enthusiasm to keep it alive, the initiative will probably fail.  To make it succeed, build structures that support the desired behavior.  Want people to give feedback more regularly? Don't simply tell them feedback is important; build feedback into one-on-ones.  Want people to follow through on commitments? End meetings with clear owners and deadlines. And hold people accountable.

Don't make the desired behavior depend entirely on motivation. Build it into the system.  Use cue-based planning where possible.

That said, sometimes what looks like a discipline problem is actually a capacity problem.  If someone is exhausted, overloaded, unclear about priorities, or constantly interrupted, telling them to “be more disciplined” isn't particularly helpful.  Likewise, if someone has lost motivation because their work no longer feels meaningful, a new productivity system isn't going to solve the underlying issue.

Identify the obstacle

Before berating yourself or your employees for not being more disciplined, ask, “What’s getting in the way of doing this?”  The obstacle might be motivation.  But it could also be clarity, skill, workload, or that the objective no longer really matters. 

How do you know?

If you're thinking:	You may need:
“I know exactly why this matters. I want the outcome. I just haven't gotten started.”	Discipline (or, rather, a better system for getting started)
“I don't really care about this anymore.”	To explore motivation, meaning, or purpose.
“I want to do this, but I don't know how.”	Clarity or skill-building
“I want to do this, but I simply don't have the time or energy.”	To delegate or prioritize so that you can find more capacity

The most effective teams use both motivation and discipline.  So the next time you (or someone on your team) says, “I just need to get motivated,” pause before trying to manufacture more enthusiasm.  Ask a better question: “What would make it easier to keep moving forward, even on the days when motivation isn't there?”