What To Do When Enthusiasm Wanes

Image Credit: Forbes

Imagine this:

You get super excited about something (a new tool, a new planner, a new activity, a new skill, etc.), you dive in deep and things are going great.

Until they’re not.

Maybe the initial enthusiasm has just worn off.

Or you realized consistency is harder than you thought.

Or you thought you’d progress faster.

Or you hit a snag, some friction, etc. and you’re not sure where to go next.

Suddenly, this new thing you were so jazzed about is making you feel bad…about yourself.

And now you’re ready to throw in the towel, and you're feeling more than a little demoralized.

Sound familiar?

This phenomenon has a name: “The Hype Cycle”.

And, in fact, the Hype Cycle framework was first used to describe the adoption of new technologies as follows:

1. Innovation Trigger: A breakthrough or innovation sparks interest.

2. Peak of Inflated Expectations: Characterized by over-enthusiasm and unrealistic projections.

3. Trough of Disillusionment: Reality sets in. Things are harder than originally thought and interest wanes.

4. Slope of Enlightenment: Second-wave adopters begin to understand the technology’s practical use.

5. Plateau of Productivity:The technology finds real-world applications and starts delivering real value.

But I’ve found, time and time again, in both my own life, and my work with clients, that the hype cycle is a really good metaphor for what can happen when we’re trying to adopt new skills, or new habits.

So, let’s reframe it through the lens of, say, building a task system for yourself:

1. Innovation Trigger → The Spark of Hope

   You hear about a new task app, maybe from a friend, a podcast, or a productivity article, or perhaps, me :) It promises to organize your life, reduce stress, and help you stay on top of everything. You think: “This might be the thing that finally works!”

2. Peak of Inflated Expectations → The Productivity Fantasy

   You go all in. You spend hours customizing tags, color-coding projects, setting up recurring tasks, and watching tutorials. You imagine becoming a highly efficient, never-forgets-a-thing kind of person.

3. Trough of Disillusionment → The Reality Check

   Reality hits. You realize it takes effort to maintain your system. You fall behind in updating it. Tasks pile up. The app starts to feel like just another thing to manage. You want to just put your head in the sand.

4. Slope of Enlightenment → Real Learning Begins

   This is where the rubber meets the road. You realize your lack of systems really was worse. And you come back with more realistic expectations. You simplify your setup. You stop trying to use every feature and start using only the ones that actually help. You get some support as you build your system, and the habit of using it.

5. Plateau of Productivity → You’re doing more, and stressing less

   Your task app becomes a truly trusted system. Did it solve every problem you had? Nope. But does it help you prioritize, remember what matters, and reduce decision fatigue, all in one place? Hell, yeah. Now your system is a part of you, and you can’t imagine how you existed without it. (Well, you can, but, boy, was that a stressful period in your life.)

Here’s the kicker:

When you try to learn a new skill on your own, you often never get past the “trough of disillusionment”. When you’re at the bottom (emotionally speaking), you can’t imagine it’s going to get better from here.

You lose confidence in yourself and you abilities.

And that feels terrible.

But on the other side of that trough? Good things abound!

And that’s why, in my coaching practice, we talk about the hype cycle right at the beginning of any engagement. Because they hype cycle helps normalize the ups and downs that can occur when developing new skills; it puts your emotions in perspective.

When you can recognize what might be coming, it becomes less personal, less about you, and more about the process.

When you’re down in the trough, you know that the plateau of productivity is waiting for you…if you just keep moving forward.

And my hand will be there to hold yours along the way. Because we all need a little help getting over the hump from time to time.