How to Use Dopamine and Time Horizons to Stay Motivated When Everything Feels Hard
- Brainz Magazine
- Dec 10
- 5 min read
Brian M. Lissak is an expert at working with people across the spectrum from mental health struggles to peak performance. He takes an integrative approach, targeting the neurological, physiological, and psychological aspects of human behavior and experience.
Most people think motivation is about willpower, discipline, or inspiration. But the real driver of sustained motivation is far more biological and far more practical. By understanding how dopamine works and how to shorten your “time horizon,” you can train your brain to stay motivated, even in the face of overwhelming stress, long-term goals, or emotionally exhausting challenges.
What are time horizons, and why do they matter?
Time horizons refer to the psychological distance between you and the goal you’re aiming for. The shorter your time horizon, the more achievable the task feels. The longer your time horizon, the more your brain perceives the task as overwhelming or impossible.
A powerful example of this comes from exit interviews conducted with candidates leaving one of the most demanding military training programs in the world, Navy SEAL BUD/S. As shared on the Dr. Gabrielle Lyon podcast, the Navy began asking a simple question: Why did you quit?
The answers were remarkably consistent. Those who quit described long, overwhelming time horizons:
“I couldn’t imagine doing this for another week.”
“I couldn’t see myself surviving three more months.”
In contrast, the candidates who successfully made it through the program never focused on finishing months of suffering. They narrowed their attention to extremely short time horizons:
“I can take ten more steps.”
“I can do anything for two minutes.”
This difference, long horizon vs. short horizon, was the difference between quitting and continuing.
How time horizons influence dopamine and motivation
Dopamine is often misunderstood as the “pleasure chemical.” In reality, dopamine is the neurochemical of motivation, pursuit, and drive. It’s released when the brain perceives a meaningful goal in the future that feels achievable.
That last part is essential: Dopamine is produced when a goal feels achievable.
Here’s how this connects to time horizons:
A goal like “survive three more months of extreme training” is not psychologically achievable in the present moment. You cannot do three months right now.
A goal like “take ten more steps” is achievable, even if you’re exhausted, stressed, or in pain.
When your brain believes you can accomplish the next step, it releases more dopamine. More dopamine creates more motivation. More motivation helps you continue toward the bigger goal.
This means motivation isn’t something you wait to feel. It’s something you can create on purpose by adjusting your time horizon.
Why long-term goals can kill motivation
Long-term goals often require sustained effort, emotional regulation, and consistency—traits that are hard to maintain when a goal feels distant. Even important goals can become demoralizing when the time horizon is too long. For example:
“I need to heal my anxiety this year.”
“I have to improve my marriage.”
“I need to get in the best shape of my life.”
“I need to finish this project by December.”
These are meaningful goals. They can also feel overwhelming. Your brain cannot accomplish “a year,” “a marriage,” or “a transformation” right now. So, the dopamine response stays low, which is why motivation drops.
But when you shorten the horizon:
“I can regulate my breathing for the next 60 seconds.”
“I can have one honest conversation today.”
“I can walk for ten minutes.”
“I can finish this one outline before lunch.”
The brain shifts from overwhelm to possibility. Dopamine rises. Motivation increases.
This is the biology behind micro-goals, exposure therapy, habit formation, and even elite military resilience. The mechanism is the same, small horizons create big momentum.
To be clear, long-term goals are very important. They are, after all, the overarching umbrella that helps us determine the shorter-term goals. The key is finding the interplay between the two time frames.
How to use short time horizons to boost motivation in daily life
Break goals into present-moment actions: Define the smallest possible step you can take in the next 30–120 seconds. Make it so simple that you cannot fail.
Make tasks achievable, not ideal: Not “journal for 20 minutes,” but “write one sentence.” Not “meditate every day,” but “take five slow breaths.”
Pair your horizon with meaning: Dopamine strengthens when effort feels connected to a meaningful future outcome. Short steps + meaningful purpose = sustained motivation.
Adjust your horizon when you feel stuck: If motivation drops, your horizon is too long. Shrink it until your brain says, “I can do that.”
Use your physiology: Breathwork, biofeedback, and somatic tools can help regulate the nervous system, making short-horizon goals feel even more achievable.
How this applies to mental health and peak performance
In psychotherapy, coaching, and performance psychology, clients often lose motivation not because they lack discipline, but because they are unintentionally setting time horizons their nervous system cannot meet. This shows up as:
“I should be over this by now.”
“I can’t keep feeling this way for months.”
“I’m too far behind.”
By helping clients redefine their psychological time horizon, we help restore dopaminergic drive, reduce overwhelm, and build sustainable change. Elite performers, athletes, and military operators already use this strategy. But anyone can benefit from it, whether they’re healing trauma, building habits, managing anxiety, or pursuing ambitious goals.
The bottom line
Motivation isn’t magic, and it isn’t mysterious. It’s a neurobiological process your mind and body are constantly shaping. When you make your goals psychologically achievable by shrinking your time horizon, you increase dopamine, deepen your sense of agency, and build real momentum.
Your brain is built to move toward what feels possible. Make your goals possible in the moment, and you become unstoppable.
Start your journey today
If you’re struggling with motivation, burnout, anxiety, or overwhelm, learning to work with your neurobiology, not against it, can create profound change. If you’d like to explore how tools like somatic therapy, HRV biofeedback, neurofeedback, or integrative psychotherapy can support your goals, you’re welcome to reach out.
Together, we can help you create short horizons, long-term change, and a healthier foundation for the life you want to build.
Visit my website for more info!
Read more from Brian M. Lissak
Brian M. Lissak, Neuro-Physio-PsychoTherapist
Brian M. Lissak is a psychotherapist, performance specialist, and innovator whose work bridges the real-world applications of applied neurology and psychophysiology. A talented clinician who also works with clients in dynamic, real-world settings, Brian’s practice spans the full spectrum of human experience, from mental health pathologies to peak performance. With a background in athletics and the military, as well as overcoming his own personal challenges, he brings a rare blend of discipline, intuition, and compassion to his work. Drawing from advanced training in applied neurology and physiology, as well as somatic therapies, Brian integrates the latest research and technology to help clients regulate, reconnect, and thrive.
