{"id":688539,"date":"2026-07-13T02:08:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T02:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/688539\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T02:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T02:08:15","slug":"wanted-neurodivergent-motivation-psychology-today-united-kingdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/688539\/","title":{"rendered":"Wanted: Neurodivergent Motivation | Psychology Today United Kingdom"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/a>. After several years of writing blog posts and social media<\/a> content, I am facing a combination of burnout and exhaustion. Can anyone out there relate? I know many of us can.<\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n

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? <\/p>\n

P Is for Play<\/p>\n

Neurodivergent brains love to be playful! We enjoy games, rewards, sticker charts, fun markers, and being artistic and creative. How could I make my book promotion more fun? The first idea that comes to mind is to make a book promotion Bingo board. I can assign a smaller reward for a single Bingo and a larger reward for a blackout. Is there a project you\u2019re working on that you could gamify with a Bingo board or a similar system?<\/p>\n

I Is for Interest<\/p>\n

Neurodivergent brains love our interests. The interest-driven nervous system<\/a> of the ADHD<\/a> brain and the special interests of the ASD brain thrive on passion. However, we sometimes fear<\/a> that others won\u2019t think our interests are \u201ccool\u201d (I am raising my hand here). If I avoid connecting to my interests just because some people might think they’re silly, I am overlooking a powerful source of motivation. By connecting my book promotion to my love for rom-com movies, Taylor Swift, tarot cards, and reading, I will enjoy the process a lot more. Those who think my interests are silly don\u2019t need to follow me, right?<\/p>\n

N Is for Novelty<\/p>\n

We are often motivated by new things\u2014new ideas, new methods, and new experiences (especially if our anxiety<\/a> isn’t acting up!). How can I promote this book using fresh methods? For example, I just started drafting this post by typing on my Freewrite typewriter. I also frequently dictate my first drafts while walking or working in coffee shops to change things up.<\/p>\n

As far as posting goes, I could experiment with using Canva to create images, explore turning my blog posts into podcast episodes, or share quotes that are meaningful to me. I could even share concepts from books by other authors I enjoy. These novel ideas can be added to my Bingo board to reinforce the other elements of the PINCH system. The more motivating elements involved, the better!<\/p>\n

C Is for Challenge or Competition<\/p>\n

Book promotion is already challenging, but not in a motivating way; it feels tedious and like it will go on forever. It also comes with the nagging feeling that I am not doing it as well as I should, which is an unmotivating downer. I prefer challenges that feel winnable, which helps buoy me to keep going.<\/p>\n

To spark that competitive drive, I am creating a July and August Bingo board for an \u201cauthentic and fun book promotion challenge.\u201d The reward for a blackout will be an overnight stay at an Airbnb in September to plan the next few months of promotion. This will be enjoyable and reinforce the habit, because I can\u2019t give up or burn out<\/a> just yet!<\/p>\n

H Is for Hurry Up<\/p>\n

Hurry up is all about deadlines and external accountability. My lack of motivation is likely tied to the fact that I currently have no external accountability for this project, as no one is forcing me to do it. Engagement on my posts often isn’t enough to drive me, since I don\u2019t love being on social media and don\u2019t find the platforms very interactive. The Bingo board can provide some of this urgency, especially if I share it with friends or my community. I can also book the September retreat in advance to set a hard deadline and discuss this project in my accountability group to build external momentum. <\/p>\n

Motivation Essential Reads<\/p>\n

My Book Promotion Bingo Board<\/p>\n

Goal: 1.5 months of authentic and fun book promotion (Deadline: August 31, 2026).<\/p>\n

1 Bingo Reward: Get a new book or audiobook.
\nBlackout Bingo Reward: Creative book promotion retreat.<\/p>\n

The Bingo Squares:<\/p>\n

Connect a post to Taylor Swift.
\nUse Canva to create a post.
\nTalk to my spouse about going away for the retreat.
\nPost about dictating drafts while walking.
\nPost something about Ireland during my summer vacation.
\nConnect a post to romance books.
\nShare this Bingo board publicly.
\nPromote my RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria<\/a>) workbook book club.
\nWrite about the challenges of summer and things not going to plan.
\nCreate a challenge related to concepts in the book.
\nShare a meaningful quote.
\nPost this ADHD & Motivation blog post.
\nFree Space.
\nAsk someone to hold me accountable.
\nShare early feedback on the book.
\nShare an idea from a book I like.
\nPost something music-related.
\nPost about RSD in rom-coms.
\nPost a collage of books that feature neurodivergent characters.
\nPost about the challenges of packing and traveling.
\nCreate a podcast-style post.
\nPost a selfie doing something fun.
\nPost about the challenges of managing an injury.
\nPlan two book promotion events.
\nPost about RSD and the experiences of being a mom.<\/p>\n

What project are you stuck on? Could a PINCH of motivation help you get started? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Are you stuck on a project like me?! Sigh… I know I should start promoting my second book…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":688540,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-688539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=688539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/688540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=688539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=688539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=688539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}