How to get things done when you have no motivation
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Motivation is the mental fuel that pushes us to get things done. But what do we do when we are low on this fuel?
According to the Oxford dictionary, “motivation is the desire or willingness to do something, it can be used to express enthusiasm.”
However, as great of a role as motivation plays in us getting things done, it is very fickle. Or should I say it is a boss of its own? Showing up sometimes and then leaving us stranded sometimes when we need it so desperately.
If motivation is responsible for our desire to do something, what do we do when that desire tank is blinking empty? Like a car that has run out of fuel, we may feel stuck.
Although you might wish you could just wait until your motivation is back to get back to work, that is not very realistic for the majority of us as we have responsibilities we can’t ignore or deadlines we need to meet up with.
This makes it really important to figure out what you need to do when you have no motivation to get things done.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
1. Figure out the cause of your lack of motivation
To tackle any problem we face, we first need to understand the root cause of it. How else can we provide a solution when we don’t know the problems we should be targeting?
What is the reason for your lack of motivation?
Low motivation might be a mask for a variety of other emotions that you might be experiencing. The way forward will be a lot clearer if you can appropriately diagnose how you’re feeling.
Some of these emotions could stir from:
- Difficulty
- Heartbreak
- Comparison
- Exhaustion
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it would be beneficial to reduce your daily goal until things get back to normalcy. You may be stressing yourself out by having too high of an expectation of yourself beyond what you can deliver at that moment.
The very popular quote that says “comparison is the thief of joy” couldn’t be more true. Constantly comparing ourselves to people we think are better off than we are or accomplishing more than we do can easily lead to us undermining our own abilities. A lack of faith in our own abilities can be very demoralizing when you have to approach tasks that are a little challenging.
Talk kindly to yourself if you’re struggling with comparison and understand that you are not seeing the whole picture of someone else’s success. Just like an iceberg you mostly can not see all the effort and experience that has led to the success and accomplishments that you see.
If you feel exhausted, give yourself time to rest and recuperate.
Too much rest could also be the cause of your exhaustion. It’s common for people to relax and sleep a lot when they are feeling depressed, which can make them feel less energized.
While there are so many reasons that could be the culprit of your lack of motivation you need to figure out what exactly it is.
2. Uplift your mood
Do things to elevate your mood.
A happier mood is more likely to give you a positive outlook on things which can fuel you with enthusiasm and optimism for the task you have at hand.
There are different ways you can boost your mood, this often involves indulging yourself in things and experiences that you really enjoy.
You can:
- have your favorite food or dessert
- spend some quality time with a loved one
- go out in nature
- play your favorite songs and dance to them
- Attend an event
- Invite friends over
- Clean and organize your space
- Try aromatherapy
- Take some time for self-care, etc.
Find things that can make you laugh a little, and spend some time with people that can wrap their arms of warmth and love around you.
Allow yourself a little while to focus on elevating your mood even if you think those are a waste of time and you should rather be working.
Focusing on your mood can help you be more efficient within the fewer hours you spend working.
3. Have a change of environment
When you are struggling to get some motivation, I think changing your environment will do you a lot of good and can help boost your motivation.
When you find yourself in the same environment day after day, it can be easy to become complacent or even bored. This can lead to a decrease in motivation, productivity, and creativity.
But, by intentionally changing your environment, you can stimulate your mind and reignite your motivation.
For example, you can try:
- working in a different room or location
- incorporating new decorations or plants into your workspace
- simply rearranging your furniture can help create a fresh and inspiring environment.
- Going to the library to get some undistracted and intense focus time
- Going to one of your favorite coffee shops to work
By changing your environment, you can break out of your routine and give your brain a chance to see things from a new perspective.
This can increase your energy, creativity, and focus, which can ultimately improve your overall productivity and sense of fulfillment.
I personally enjoy going to the library during these times of low motivation to establish some momentum again because working at home makes it very easy to succumb to distractions.
4. Invest in discipline
As much as motivation gives us fuel to do things, on days when you don’t have much of it you are going to have to depend on something more consistent and reliable which is discipline.
The Cambridge dictionary defines self-discipline as “the ability to make yourself do things you know you should do even when you do not want to.”
Self-discipline is one of the distinguishing factors that sets high achievers apart from everyone else.
People who have self-discipline just seem to be able to get things done and stay on top of their tasks. We might wonder if they have a superpower that helps them stay efficient through life’s highs and lows.
To some extent, I guess we can say they do. Self-discipline makes it much easier for them to choose to do the things they NEED to do.
Self-discipline is like a muscle, it grows with use and atrophies without use.
This means that there is hope for you and me.
It means with constant practice we can grow our discipline muscle and become better achievers of our goals.
Self-discipline is also an amazing self-esteem builder.
If you find yourself lacking self-esteem, an effective way to improve that is to focus on improving your self-discipline.
The knowledge that you will do anything that is needed to get things done will improve your belief in yourself.
The key to building self-discipline is consistency, not necessarily the number of things you change but how consistently you stick with one over a period of time.
This would create a habit of you doing these things and when they are a habit you will feel less resistance when it is time to do them.
You can start by choosing one activity be it:
- Running
- Reading everyday
- Saying a prayer
- Journaling, etc
Set a schedule and try your best to stick to it. Even if you feel like you can’t go through the entirety of it, do it for a couple of minutes before you let go, that would still register in your brain as you performing that activity.
5. Start with the smallest task
In my post on how to have a more productive week, I talk about the strategy called “eating the frog now” by Brian Tracy for when you want to maximize how productive you are.
This strategy involves doing the most difficult task first or earlier in the day and I have found it to be very effective.
However, when you have no motivation, choosing to do your most difficult task first can be a deterrent to actually getting started. This can lead to procrastination.
Instead, I recommend starting with a smaller and easier task that you are easier to convince yourself to do.
It’s easier to convince yourself to spend five minutes putting the dishes away than ninety minutes researching a paper.
The moment you get yourself into the zone of activity with these little tasks, it is easier to transfer some of that momentum to the more difficult task.
6. Go easy on yourself
It is easy to beat yourself up when you feel like you are underperforming. This has no benefit whatsoever although it might also be quite difficult to convince yourself of that as well.
Just remember that life comes in waves and that just as we have high times, it’s ok to have low ones too.
If anything they help us to be more grateful for the good times.
Take it easy on yourself, don’t push too hard to the point where you break or strain yourself.
I like to see this scenario as stretching an elastic band. Due to the elasticity of this band, you can stretch it and still have it return to its original state but when you stretch it beyond its breaking point it breaks.
Agreed during periods of low motivation you would need to push yourself a little more than usual but you need to make sure you are not pushing yourself beyond your point of resilience.
7. Talk about it
Expressing how to feel about your lack of motivation about a task with somebody you trust can be very exhilarating.
Sharing your problems make you see things from a different perspective than you did previously.
You can get advice or help in tackling your lack of motivation.
Most people have people in their lives that can pump them up sometimes and remind them how good they are. For some of us, it could be family and friends.
Talking to them can help you diagnose your problem better or offer ideas for various things you can try.
You can also share it with your therapist if you are enrolled with one so you can better understand your situation and how to tackle it.
8. Focus on assessing the task
When you have no motivation to get things done, rather than trying to dive in deep with your tasks, focus on assessing them instead.
Figure out:
- What exactly does the task demand of you?
- What resources would you need?
- What is a realistic amount of time you need to dedicate to it?
After figuring this down break down the tasks into much smaller tasks as realistically possible and create a plan.
Doing this can increase your sense of control and reduce overwhelm which can also raise your level of motivation a little bit.
9. Tag along with someone
If you have friends and loved ones that are very focused and motivated, you can tag alongside them to get some work done when you have no motivation.
For example, a student who has no motivation to study can tag along with a friend or colleague when they are going to study.
Their motivation can rub off on you.
You can also join a friend at a coffee shop to get work done.
It is important that the person you are choosing is focused on the task that they are doing else they can be a source of distraction instead.
10. Reward yourself
Setting a reward for yourself when you accomplish your task is an effective productivity strategy.
It works and that is why it is always being recommended.
Setting a reward for the tasks that you are not motivated to take on can help make you excited for the reward instead.
And, knowing you don’t get the reward until after your task is completed will give you a different kind of motivation.
For this to work though, your reward has to be something you enjoy or really like.
11. Take care of your body
The state of our body and the things we consume can influence our mood, agility, and energy levels.
If you find yourself with very low energy levels and low motivation consider what you have been putting in your body.
For instance:
- Have you been less active lately?
- Have you been consuming high-sugar processed foods? These usually cause a short sugar spike and then a sugar crash soon after that can leave you feeling very moody and low energy.
Not having the right amount of good gut bacteria can influence your mood and energy levels as well so ensure you are consuming foods rich in probiotics.
Your sleep and wake circle can also affect how fatigued or motivated you feel. You can check out this post on how to easily become a morning person.
Ready to get better at managing your motivation?
There you have it! You have made it to the end of this post on how to get stuff done when you have no motivation. I hope you find some of these tips helpful in handling tasks in these moments when you are struggling.
Once you figure out a way around getting things done when you have no motivation you would easily know what to do when it happens again.
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