Motivation. It’s what keeps us going to push through tasks and achieve our goals. However, sometimes, like the country song says, “it feels like my get-up-and-go has got up and went”. When your motivation is nowhere to be found, what can you do? Here’s a handy guide to staying motivated when you aren’t feeling it.
Knowing Yourself
Analyze Your True Motivations
Before you figure out how to motivate yourself, you need to understand what motivates you, and why. After all, you can try all the motivational tips in the world to get yourself to drink a spinach smoothie every morning but if you detest spinach, it’s not going to be very successful.
So, how do you know what it is that motivates you? This is a surprisingly difficult question for many people to answer. Sometimes, society’s expectations — to make money, to have “good” job, to have a house, a car, and 2.5 kids — can overwhelm our own sense of what we truly value. To peel back the layers and understand your true motivations, think about the following:
- Identify your core values. In other words, what’s most important to you? Is it family, making a difference in the world, or making the most of your skills and talents? Once you’ve identified your values, consider how closely your current position aligns with them.
- Identify the job, project or class that was most satisfying to you. Why? Did you love learning something new? Teaching skills to others? Interacting with a team? Making a difference? Beating the competition? The more factors you can identify about your positive experiences, the more you can seek out similar experiences in the future.
- If you’ve had more than one satisfying job, class or project, think about the commonalities between them. What made them all good? The team? The type of work? The values? The learning?
- At the same time, think about experiences where you were bored, frustrated, or unwilling to work. What about the experience, specifically, did you hate? Was the project too easy? Or did you lack key skills? Were you working with others or alone? Did you believe in the project, or was it somehow contrary to your values?
These sorts of questions can be difficult but there are no wrong answers, unless you aren’t honest with yourself. The more you can identify your core values and drives, the more you can get in touch with what truly motivates you.
It may help to chat through these questions with a career counselor or life coach. You may also find it helpful to work through some of the questionnaires on happiness, optimism, and values from the University of Pennsylvania Authentic Happiness Project (questionnaires are free, but registration is required).
Once you know what really motivates you, you can take steps to bring your current situation closer to your ideal.
If you aren’t motivated at work because your position isn’t satisfying your core needs, consider ways to get what you need. Could you move to a different position within your company? Is there a juicy project you could persuade your company to take on?
Are there classes, conferences, or other learning opportunities you could take advantage of? Could a volunteer opportunity add meaning in another part of your life?
If you can’t see a way to change your current position, then create a roadmap to get from there to where you want to go. You may find you regain motivation in your current situation if you can see how it fits on the path to your ultimate destination.
For example, you may be happier in a boring but well-paying job if it helps pay for school or travel. If all else fails, start on your path toward your goals as soon as you can, no matter how small your steps.
Always remember that what matters most to you is the key here – not what matters to society, your friends, or your parents. For example, if spending time with your children is the most important thing for you, it may make you happier to turn down a promotion and keep the job that lets you leave on time every day, even if others urge to you to advance your career.
Only you can know the best path for you; however, sometimes seeing the path clearly can be a challenge. Consider talking with a trusted therapist or life coach who can help you discover that path.
Setting up Conditions for Success
Everyone is different. Some people jump out of bed raring to go at 5 am, while some barely stir until noon. Some people love to work to the sound of classical music, and others prefer rap or death metal. If you are struggling with motivation, try identifying the conditions in which you do your best work. Answering these questions may help.
What time of day are you most awake?
Everyone has a natural circadian rhythm that guides when we feel awake and when we fall asleep. Some people are larks, feeling peak energy early in the morning and falling asleep early evening, while others are night owls, just starting to be productive as the larks are falling asleep. Most people are somewhere in between.
Whether you are closer to a lark or an owl, schedule your most demanding tasks for the time of day you feel most alert. You can’t always change the hours you are assigned to work, but the more you can shift your tasks to fit your natural rhythm, the better.
What time of year are you most productive?
Do you feel most alive when you can bathe in the summer sun? Or does the crisp fall air and beautiful colors set your mind soaring? We all feel the passing of the seasons to some extent, but for some people, changing seasons can cause wide mood shifts.
Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a form of depression that recurs seasonally. Estimates vary, but as many as ten million Americans may suffer from SAD. SAD usually strikes during dark, cold winters, but some people experience SAD in summer as well.
If the changing seasons make you feel seriously down, tired, cranky, and unmotivated, speak to your doctor about treatments that may help. Even if your symptoms aren’t severe enough for an official diagnosis, recognizing the effect that time of year has on you can help you plan for your changing energy levels.
What kind of space do you prefer to work in?
Does your desk have to be clutter-free, or do you work best in a little nest of papers? Do you need quiet to focus, or does background noise help you think? Identify how you work best and set up similar conditions when you really need to get something done. By establishing a regular work environment, you prime your mind to focus.
How does your health affect your motivation?
We all know that cars need regular maintenance in order to perform well, but sometimes we forget to apply that lesson to ourselves. If you haven’t been to the doctor in a while, it may be time for a check-up.
Beware of Time Wasters and Procrastination
Between email, text messages, social media, video games, and a 24/7 news cycle, humans have never had so many opportunities for distraction and procrastination. No matter what your goal is, if you never concentrate on it, you’ll never achieve it. If you are easily distracted, here are a few tips for focusing.
Put Away the Devices
Schedule regular time to work without checking your texts, email, or social media. If you must, lock your phone in a drawer (or hand it to your mom), and set up an internet blocker on your computer that only allows internet access to certain sites at certain times.
Do the Worst Thing First
Mark Twain once said, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Motivational speaker Brian Tracy applies this logic to your to-do list. If there’s a task you’ve been dreading, get it done first.
Let Go of Perfectionism
Ironically, perfectionists are often the worst procrastinators. Worry and stress over making something perfect causes them to delay beginning in the first place. Know that nothing and no one is perfect.
Planning and Goal Setting – The Right Way
In order to be motivated, first you need to know what it is you are trying to do. In other words, what’s your goal? You can (and should) set goals in both your personal and professional life. Goals define your priorities, and help you allocate your time wisely.
It’s important to have both long-term and short-term goals. A good long-term goal will require both a detailed plan and current actions, otherwise it’s just a wish. For example, “I want to live in a castle when I grow up” is a wish. To make it a goal, six-year-old Suzie might create a long-term plan that looks this:
- Age 6-12: Run a lemonade stand each summer, save money in GICs for castle
- Age 13-18: Take summer jobs in hospitality; add wages to castle fund
- Age 19-22: Attend hospitality management school
- Age 22-40: Work for major hotel chain; continue to save % of salary
- Age 40: Research castles for sale; recruit investors; make purchase
- Age 41-43: Castle renovations
- Age 43: Open Castle Hotel for business
Of course, the longer term a plan is, the more likely it is that the plan will change. Maybe Suzie will get a summer job in a castle, and decide she hates old buildings. Or perhaps she lands a job as manager of a castle, and decides she doesn’t need to own one herself.
Throughout life, unexpected events crop up, your priorities shift, and outcomes may not be what you expected. This is OK, and it doesn’t mean that goals and plans aren’t useful. The key to a successful life is not to achieve every goal; it’s to learn and grow from every experience – successful or otherwise.
SMART Goals
When it comes to goal setting, there are some useful tools to help you create realistic plans for achievement. One popular tool is SMART goals. A SMART goal is:
Specific: “Run a 10 km race” is more specific than “Get in shape”.
Measurable: “Lower my blood pressure by 10 points” is measurable, but “Get healthier” is not.
Achievable: Do you have the skills, abilities, and tools necessary to achieve this goal? For example, if you’ve never run a foot in your life, running a marathon in three months is a recipe for injury — but running/walking a 5km race in three months is a great goal.
Relevant: Does this goal get your closer to your long-term vision? For example, if your goal is running, spending all your gym time working on your bench press will not move you closer to your goal. Either stop lifting and start running, or re-evaluate your goal. Maybe you hate running, and would rather enter a bodybuilding competition? It’s OK to change your goals if they aren’t working for you.
Timely: Can this goal be achieved in a reasonable time period? If not, you may need multiple SMART goals to get you to your long-term dream. A non-runner can’t go from zero to a marathon in three months, but a marathon is achievable in 12 to 18 months, with shorter distance goals every three months.
Make Your Goals a Daily Habit
Once you have your goals, you need to keep track of them. There are many software programs that can help with project planning, as well as goal-tracking apps for your phone. However, you don’t actually need anything other than a pen and paper in order to track your goals.
Do whatever works for you, whether it’s careful project planning on your computer, or goals written out in Sharpie on a whiteboard.
If you’ve created good SMART goals, you should already have an idea of what daily steps you need to take to move toward that goal. Even long-term goals should have elements, however small, that can be started now.
For example, if you have a long-term goal of travelling to every continent in the next ten years, you can start today by opening a travel savings account. Even five or ten dollars a week will start to add up over the long term!
You can set multiple short- and long-terms goals in different areas of your life. For example, you may have health/fitness goals, professional goals, and personal/relationship goals that you want to achieve in three months, one year, five years and ten years.
If you are serious about your goals, you should take steps to achieve them on at least a monthly basis, if not daily and weekly. Just be sure to stagger the end dates of each of your goals. In other words, don’t plan on running a marathon, graduating from grad school and getting married all in the same month.
Sometimes the work needed to achieve a hard goal can seem daunting, but as the aphorism says, “it’s just like eating an elephant — take it one bite a time.”
Ways to Reward Yourself when Reaching Milestones and Goals
Ideally, our goals should be their own rewards. However, sometimes we need a little extra treat to help us power through the tough times. Just as goals break down into the short term (daily, weekly, monthly) and longer term (yearly, five-year, ten-year), so should your rewards. Here are some ideas for treating yourself after you power through those to-do lists.
Daily/Weekly Rewards
Do you have a favorite book, tv show, or podcast? These can be perfect treats to reward yourself for getting through your toughest tasks. Set a goal to get through a certain amount of your to-do list before you can read the next chapter, or save your favorite podcast to enjoy while you clean the house or organize the garage.
Monthly Rewards
Ideally, your goals and strategic plans are active documents that you reference regularly. At least once a month, schedule some time to check in with your goals and assess your progress. This will help you stay focused on your long-term plans.
This review can become a reward by recruiting a friend as a goal buddy. Chat about your goals over a meal and make it an evening of bonding and renewal.
Long-Term Goals
When you set a long-term goal, decide on logical rewards for each stage of your plan. For example, if your goal is to run a marathon, you might treat yourself to new workout gear after each major training milestone.
Be sure that your rewards acknowledge effort, not just results. If you are a runner, your goal may be to run a marathon in four hours.
However, there are many things outside of your control that could prevent you from finishing in that time, even if your training goes perfectly. You should still recognize and honor your hard work, even if the outcome isn’t what you hoped.
Activities to Make You Feel More Motivated
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, our motivation flags. If that’s happening to you, here are a few things to try.
Check In with Your Goals
Many people set goals for themselves, but then forget to periodically reassess their progress. If you’ve chosen truly meaningful goals, assessing your progress should reignite your motivation. If it doesn’t, it’s time to reconsider your goals.
If they aren’t motivating you, what has shifted in your life? What do you value now? By bringing your goals in line with your values, you will tap into your natural drive to succeed.
Exercise
It may seem counterintuitive, but if you are lacking motivation, it can help to step away from your work and go get some fresh air and exercise. Most North American adults don’t get the recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise.
However, getting regular exercise is associated with improved mood, better health, and reduced aches and pains. It also offers a chance to clear your head and bring a changed perspective to your work.
Meditation
Between email, social media, text messages, websites, YouTube, Netflix, and all the other distractions of modern life, it can be difficult to step away and find the mental space and calm to focus deeply on our work. However, even taking ten minutes a day to focus on deep breathing can make a big difference in your mood, stress levels, and ability to focus.
There are many meditation apps for both Apple and Android phones, or simply set a time for ten minutes and focus on your breath.
Links for more information:
Get More Sleep
Americans are experiencing a crisis of sleeplessness. 35% of Americans report getting less than seven hours of sleep per night. Among teens, almost 70% don’t get the eight to ten hours recommended for adolescents.
The Centers for Disease Control has found that people who get less than seven hours of sleep per night are more likely to be obese, inactive, and suffer from one or more of ten major health concerns, including heart disease, depression, and diabetes, plus an increased risk of accidents while driving or operating machinery.
In fact, after just a week of sleeping four or five hours a day, a person has the same cognitive impairment as someone who is legally drunk.
If you are getting less than seven hours a sleep a night, it may feel like there’s no way you could get everything you need to do done if you spent more time in bed. However, after a few days of sleeping more, you might be amazed at how much more you can accomplish when you are well-rested.
Final Thoughts
If you are lacking motivation, it’s a sign that your goals aren’t aligned with what truly matters to you. It can be difficult, but by taking stock of what really matters to you, you can create goals that truly motivate you to achieve.
