Photo by Daniel Lincoln on Unsplash

Like a legal nightclub drug, the power of anticipation delivers motivation, thrill, and an escape from the clutches of the doldrums.

“Come on Rusty, let’s take a walk,” I tell my dog, and he hops, jumps, and spins like a tornado. Why? Because he anticipates the intense pleasure he’ll get from the sights, smells, and sounds of the outdoors.

I like exciting moments too. I keep a calendar of upcoming events and activities. Symphony, theater, dinners with friends. Vacations cover multiple weeks, even if they’re just a wild idea. I schedule ski trips with my kids and hikes to remote lakes. Anything that I can look forward to is fair game.

I over-plan and over-think all my events because I absolutely revel in the excitement of future activities. Planning lets me live in an extended state of anticipation, constantly thinking about that “thing” that I’ll be doing soon. I enjoy it a thousand times in my mind and then I enjoy it for real.

Anticipation is my caffeine, my motivation, my addiction. If your life needs a boost, you should consider it too.

The science of anticipation

Our innate reward system responds to actual rewards (like a kiss) and future expectations of rewards (like an upcoming vacation). When that happens, the hypothalamus region in our brain releases dopamine that is transformed into compounds like opiates, which are then consumed by the frontal lobe of our brain. It makes us very happy.

I’m like a lab rat on morphine. But better because my drug is legal — and good for me.

“It’s … good for our mental health — to have something to look forward to …. The reward is not physically here yet, but the brain somehow manages to create it in our mind.”

— Dr. Kiyohito Iigaya, Computational Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Columbia University

The mind has a hard time distinguishing, chemically, between anticipation and reality. In fact, some scientists say that anticipation may even be better than the actual event itself.

I don’t care, I like them both.

Anticipation can help us navigate difficult times by giving us something exciting to think about. It can distract us from our woes, and act as a motivator when we need that extra oomph.

Boredom & motivation

We all get bored from time to time. It’s part of life and some amount of boredom can be good for you. Usually, it mopes around for a short time and then goes away, replaced by some engaging activity that popped up.

But not always.

Scientists say that excessive and chronic boredom may be related to lower levels of dopamine, and as we know, anticipation is a good source of that.

Anyone at any age can be bored, but retirees complain about chronic boredom far more often. Various studies report that one-third to one-half of retirees have trouble filling their days with meaningful activities. Some yearn to return to the stress of the workforce just so they can have something to do — anything other than watching daytime TV.

Single people, divorcees, and those living alone report higher levels of boredom as well. They say it’s not easy to muster the energy to escape when you’ve settled into a recurring cycle of sloth.

“How do we get motivated again?”

A retired friend of mine told me that he and his wife have gotten into the habit of sitting around much of the day, watching TV, playing board games, and surfing the internet. They talk and enjoy each other’s company but they aren’t motivated to get up and do anything. They’re perfectly healthy and capable of doing whatever they want, but it’s easier to just hang out.

He said, “There’s just not much to do. The pandemic kept us inside for so long, we got used to it, and now we can’t get motivated. We’re stuck in a rut. How do we get going again?”

You read about opioids a lot these days and may even know people who have been helped or harmed by them. Opioids raise dopamine levels (among other things) and increase pleasure and motivation. They get you going. You also know they can lead to addiction and depression, and should only be used under the close supervision of a doctor.

So let’s consider natural ways to boost your dopamine levels and get that motivation you need to escape boredom.

First, get plenty of sleep, exercise, eat chocolate, listen to music, meditate, and spend time in the sun. These have been shown to help.

Next, you can build a habit of anticipation — which also raises your dopamine levels. How do you do that? It’s easy.

1. Make a “Fun List”

Write down a long list of fun things you’d like to do. Go to a movie, call some friends over for dinner, travel to Patagonia, take a driving tour of state parks, build a B-52 model airplane, landscape the backyard. Put down anything you like, the world is your oyster filled with pearls just waiting to be discovered.

Concentrate on the outcome. Landscaping the yard or calling contractors to remodel the kitchen may not be fun by themselves, but it sure will be when you have beautiful new topiary arts and tantalizing culinary treats.

Your list needn’t be formal and can even be just a bunch of post-it notes stuck on a wall if you like. Make sure it’s editable, you’ll be adding to it as new ideas pop into your head.

2. Get a calendar

You can create an online calendar if you’re tech-savvy. Google, Microsoft and a dozen other companies have free ones. You can buy a printed one to hang on the wall (use a pencil) or create one in Word or Excel. It doesn’t have to be fancy because you’ll be changing it up constantly.

3. Fill the calendar with items from your Fun List

When you put something on a calendar it becomes real. It creates a responsibility of sorts that requires you to pick up the phone and call your friends or research organizations that sponsor travel to Patagonia.

Dates should be flexible. The more ambitious and complex the activity, the less specific the dates can be for starters. The date for “Vacation in Key West” could be as vague as the “Summer of 2023.” As you research it and get closer, you can fine-tune it.

4. Think about the event. Repeatedly.

Talk about how fun it will be and what you’ll do when you overnight at that casino you’ve always wanted to visit. Think about the joy you’ll have on your anniversary sharing that rare bottle of wine you’ve been eyeing. Do you have everything you need for the trip? Did you buy the wine? Preparation will motivate you to get up off your butt and go do something.

Physical effects of anticipation

Keep your Fun List and your Calendar handy where you can see them. Talk about them with your spouse and your friends to build excitement. Add new ideas and rearrange the calendar. Anticipate the fun you’ll be having and let that dopamine spray like a fountain.

Be sure to keep it flexible though. You’ll find that you’ll be moving events all over the calendar, and that’s good because flexibility reduces stress while deadlines provide motivation.

Increased levels of dopamine are known to play an important role in motivation, arousal, motor control, learning, and pleasure! You may sleep better, lose weight, and pay more attention to the world around you. Your kidneys, heart, and blood vessels will function better too. And your mental health will improve.

Try it now!

Right now, take a few minutes to write down five things you’ve been wanting to do. Think about each of them and the thrill they’ll deliver. Pick a date for each.

Now you can start planning. What do you need to buy, who do you need to call, how much will it cost, who can come along? Then get up off your butt and make it happen.

Let me know how it goes. I’m eagerly anticipating your response.