Take our Ambition Test

Find a therapist near me

Neurodivergent motivation strategies can be summed up in the acronym PINCH.

Play, interest, and novelty are three key tenets of neurodivergent motivation.

Interjecting challenge and external accountability into project planning can boost motivation.

Are you stuck on a project like me?! Sigh... I know I should start promoting my second book about RSD since it is coming out in a few months, but I lack motivation. After several years of writing blog posts and social media content, I am facing a combination of burnout and exhaustion. Can anyone out there relate? I know many of us can.

Part of why I am in this place is likely because I am trying to motivate myself by "shoulding" all over myself and "musterbating," as a college professor once joked. I have promoted my books so far in all the ways I "should." However, this strategy runs counter to the key tenets of motivation in neurodivergent brains. To revive my process, I need to revisit some key advice from my mentor, well-known author and parent coach Elaine Taylor-Klaus (2020). She describes neurodivergent motivation using the acronym PINCH: play, interest, novelty, challenge, and hurry up (external accountability or a deadline).

While you may not be stuck on book promotion specifically, there is likely something in your life that could use a glam-up with a PINCH of motivation. Here is how I am applying it to my current slump. Could any of these strategies and approaches work for you, too?

Neurodivergent brains love to be playful! We enjoy games, rewards, sticker charts, fun........

© Psychology Today