We all have days where, no matter what we do, motivation just doesn’t come. A TO DO list longer than your arm looms, but nothing gets done, and it’s a horrible feeling. Motivation killers are real – so, how can we overcome that feeling we all get from time to time?
Firstly you have to be able to identify what is killing your motivation, and tackle it head on – get back in control and get things done.
Hopefully this list will help you next time you are feeling unmotivated, and will create a solution for you to try….
Motivation Killer #1 – Nothing to look forward to
Theres nothing worse than doing job after job with nothing at the end of it to look forward to.
No rewards equal no motivation.
The solution? To put some rewards in place – it’s as easy as that!
The rewards don’t have to be huge – maybe a coffee with a magazine at the end of the day, or a long bubble bath – or they could be something big like a holiday – whatever you can put in place daily, weekly, monthly and annually to keep your motivation high will do the trick.
Motivation Killer #2 – Same old stuff…
Do you wake up sometimes thinking that you are in the movie GROUNDHOG DAY?
Everything is the same, your routine is definitely tried and tested, and you know exactly whats coming?
Routine is great, but if you get bored of it you will end up fighting it and not actually getting anything done. There’s no motivation any longer to get things done.
The solution? Change your routine every so often.
Just as how you should change your fitness routine every 6 weeks or so, to get the maximum benefits, so too should you look at your daily routine and change it every so often.
This keeps things fresh, keeps you on your toes a bit, and keeps you motivated so you end up getting more done.
Why not add in calling a friend, meeting for a coffee, doing some exercise, changing when you do household jobs, even changing your route to work etc… – anything different can energise you so think outside the box and have fun!
Motivation Killer #3 – No one else is onboard
I have lost count of the number of times I have woken up really motivated to do something, and during the day someone has said something or done something negative about it (“why are you bothering?”, “Surely it’s not worth the time?”) etc… and the doubts have set in.
I don’t know about you, but once I start doubting myself, my motivation seems to just leak out of me and I find it really hard to continue.
The solution?
Ignore them! – it’s a hard skill to achieve but is so worth it.
Of course there may be times when your friends and family are right about something not being worth it, but oftentimes it’s more that they don’t really understand what you are doing, or where you are going with something – or that they are even jealous of the thought of you succeeding (it happens!) – so you just have to be confident in your own path, move forwards and try it out.
Motivation is lost by focusing on the negative, and gained when you concentrate on the positives – so make sure you are happy with what you have set your mind to, and get going!
Motivation Killer #4 – Lack of focus
You have lots of energy, lots of momentum, but the lack of focus means that you are less motivated as there is no plan to follow and no way of knowing where you are headed.
Let me put it to you another way – if you went on holiday and didn’t know where you were going, would you be motivated to get to the airport? would you be motivated to pack (who knows what you will need…)
The solution?
There are 2 solutions for this one – firstly to have a plan, and secondly to gain focus by racing yourself.
In the first case – and looking at the holiday example from above – as soon as you have a plan and know where you are going your excitement and anticipation will motivate you to get there.
If you have a TO DO list then you can systematically work your way down the list and feel that you are getting energised which will increase your motivation to get more done as well.
And secondly – if you are easily distracted, then a great way to gain focus is to make friends with your timer.
I recently wrote about a 15 minute challenge – where you set your timer for 15 minutes and see how much you can get done. This is empowering as you can achieve so much, and it really motivates you to get even more done the next time.
If you are struggling with any project (household chores, work etc…) then try just saying to yourself that you will do 15 minutes and you will no doubt get motivated to continue after this time, it’s usually just about starting something that you find your lack of focus stops your motivation in it’s tracks – so get started and see where it takes you!
Motivation Killer #5 – Overwhelm
Nothing can sap your energy like having so much to do that you can’t see the wood for the trees.
Your home is a mess, everything needs sorting, there’s cleaning/washing/cooking to do, paperwork is piling up on every available flat surface – everywhere you turn there’s something to do.
Where to start? what happens when you have started but can’t seem to get anywhere? – that little negative voice inside you gets bigger and bigger and then your motivation to even get one job done goes out the window.
The solution?
Create a haven somewhere in your home.
If you can concentrate on getting one room (or part of a room) as you want it to be, then you will always be able to escape there and find your inner calm.
There’s nothing more exhausting and draining than being constantly reminded of things that you should be doing – so giving yourself space away from this even for 10 minutes a day can be energising and may well give you that spark of motivation to create more areas of your home like it…
Next time you are feeling low and lacking the motivation to get started, have a time out and think about why you are feeling that way:-
- Nothing to look forward to
- Same old stuff
- Noone else is on board with it
- Lack of focus
- Overwhelm
Recognising the reason will really help you to reverse how you are feeling, and empower you to do something about it – using the solutions I’ve listed – good luck!