Feeling Unmotivated?

There are times when motivation is hard to come by and we resort to avoidance and escapism. Boredom, depression, fear, feeling overwhelmed or unfocused, and having no particular goal or setting unrealistic goals, are just some of the factors that can contribute to a general lack of motivation. Many times, we make it much harder on ourselves than it should be by going down a rabbit hole, so to speak, and spending way too long on something with not much to show for it, or by convincing ourselves that whatever it is, just isn’t worth the effort.

You can have results or excuses. Not both.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Let’s say, for example, that you want to write a post for your blog, but you’re staring at the screen trying to think of a topic that is interesting or helpful in some way, and nothing comes to you; or you begin to write only to worry that it is probably boring and no one will want to read it anyway, so now you are feeling anxious wondering what you have to offer that will be at least somewhat beneficial or entertaining or revolutionary in some way? 

Or you want to declutter your living space, but it just seems like there is a mountain of stuff to go through and you don’t even know where to start, and then you start thinking about where are you going to find the time to even go through all this, not to mention the stress of having to decide what to keep or what to get rid of, then suddenly you have a headache and it’s just too much to deal with, so you put it off and go watch a video just to distract yourself from having to deal with it.

Or you want to lose some weight, so maybe you go on a radical diet and completely give up all foods and beverages that you enjoy and start an extreme exercise program for a few days only to find yourself exhausted and not enjoying your meals.  Before you know it, you are overeating your favorite foods and sitting around, unable to find the energy to get up and moving, which leads to you feeling bad that you ‘failed’, so why bother?

Or you want to get out of debt, but you had a bad day, and to help yourself feel better you find yourself online shopping only to realize when the bill is due, that you have added on even more debt and with that interest rate it’ll take until you’re 80 to pay it off, so you just pretend that this is ok and just keep making minimum payments because it’s easier than taking a hard look at your spending habits.

Ok, this stuff really happens! The good news is, just by deciding to make a change, you are already on your way. If you take a small action toward producing a good result, then it will automatically encourage motivation to continue making progress.

People are primarily motivated by either rewards or consequences. You can reward yourself for getting that task completed in a timely manner, or you can give yourself a consequence for not accomplishing it. Examine why it matters to you to do whatever it is that is on the to-do list. Chances are, if you just don’t care one way or the other, then you will most likely continue to find excuses as to why you can’t successfully get it done.

How bad do you want it?

Gary Vaynerchuk

Here are some ways to take small actions that will inspire motivation regarding the examples above. Just start writing whatever happens to come to mind. Don’t censor it, don’t judge it. Just write, or draw, or doodle without trying to be productive. More than likely, something will come to you that you will be able to use to create meaningful content.

Take 5 minutes to declutter one small space. Put the pens in the holder, file the papers in the cabinet, or put the toys in the container. Work your way up to getting the entire desk or counter organized, then later tackle another part of the room, etc.

Make slight changes to your diet or exercise routine and pay attention to how you feel. Don’t try to do everything at once, because that is a recipe for disaster. Decide to drink more water during the day; set a goal to walk a hundred more steps than usual by the end of the day; or perhaps endeavor to exercise for 10 minutes per day. Make it something you can do rather easily and build from there.

Manage the out-of-control spending habit by acknowledging that you really don’t need another (fill in the blank) and reward yourself with something that doesn’t cost money, such as taking a few minutes to relax and focus on something fun like spending time with one of your favorite people.

Motivation to continue making progress will be easier if you start with smaller actions. This way, you will be more likely to succeed in your efforts, which will perpetuate the cycle.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Lao Tzu