What Do You Do When You Lack Motivation?

Motivation is a magical thing. It is necessary for anything you wish to accomplish. Yet there are undeniably times when your motivation falls far short of what you know it should be.

What on earth do you do when you lack motivation?

Can it be recaptured or rekindled?

Consider some of the situations that could result in a lack of motivation. For example, perhaps you are “mismatched” to begin with. By that, I mean that maybe you are trying to pursue something that simply is not meant to be. Are you wasting time and energy by expending effort on something you need not do, or something that in fact would be of no benefit to you?

For this reason, it may be instructive to listen to the opinions of friends or family. Loved ones often know us better than we give them credit for, and sometimes they are able to see a particular situation more clearly and more honestly than we can—since they are more removed from the situation than we are, their perspective enables them to consider a broader scope. Their insight can be invaluable, and we could save ourselves a lot of grief if we would just take their advice to heart.

Let’s assume, however, that it is not a case of the wrong person for the wrong job. You have something that you must do but you haven’t the will to do it, or you have some activities that you formerly enjoyed but now have become a chore to you. You’ve lost whatever motivation you had.

How can you get it back?

The key to understanding your lack of motivation lies in the answer to the question: Why?

Why is your motivation lacking?

What has changed?

Are you feeling overwhelmed?

The task may be more involved than you initially thought, or you may have come to the realization that you’ve bitten off more than you can chew. The task looms over you like a gigantic weight threatening to crush you, and you’re feeling the stress.

Is there something that can be delegated?—Maybe you can enlist someone to share the burden with you. Perhaps you can think of someone who is better suited to some particular aspect of your task.

Can the task be broken up into smaller ones?—Sometimes an activity is best handled as a series of component ones. It’s easier to focus on taking the next step than it is to focus on taking 45,000 steps to complete a marathon. As the old riddle goes: How do you eat an elephant?—One bite at a time.

Do you need to modify your original goals?—People change, circumstances change—and your goals and plans probably need to change along with them. Consistency is good, but not to the point of rigidity. Being flexible enough to adapt to changing conditions will reduce the stress levels and help you to get back in control.

Are you weary of long, hard toil with little to show for it?

You feel like a hamster on an exercise wheel, with plenty of activity but no real accomplishments. Maybe it’s time to take a break, a pause that refreshes. A break will give you some mental space to assess your situation. Maybe you could combine or consolidate tasks, giving you greater efficiency.

You may be physically tired.—Being worn out and rundown puts you in a precarious situation, as you then have a greater likelihood of coming down with illness, disease, or some other condition. Good sleep, adequate nutrition, and regular exercise will help you regain your energy and restore your balance.

You may be mentally tired.—Mental or psychological fatigue is more pernicious, since it often masquerades as physical fatigue. Weariness of the soul, however, cannot be remedied with physical rest. Are there psychological sinks in your life—things, people, habits, or pastimes that drain you of your mental energy? In particular, you may encounter people who are psychic leeches, sucking you of your energy. Rather than uplifting you, they make you feel drained. If possible, limit your contact with such folk. Better yet, try to get them involved in a project of their own, which will have the natural effect of getting them out of your hair without hurting their feelings.

Do you feel frustrated?

You might feel as though you’re swimming upstream, against the current.  Not having the support of family and friends will certainly dampen your enthusiasm. Many times such opposition is latent, lurking beneath the surface. If you’re not expecting it, it may take you a while before you realize what’s going on and can deal with it for what it is.  Reach out to others in your network to get the support you need.

Other times, though, the antagonism may be more obvious. You may have people who are actively working against you. They may be trying to thwart you, sabotaging all your efforts. Perhaps they may harbor jealousy, envy, resentment, or animosity towards you, and consequently they have no desire to see you succeed. Being aware of the situation is generally the first and best line of defense. Channel your frustration and anger positively, and use that energy to prove them wrong. Success is the best revenge.

Do you think the task or activity pointless?

Maybe it’s become meaningless to you. You’ve lost sight of why you’re doing it. Having a reminder of your goal, of how it fits in to the big picture may be sufficient to bring back meaning and purpose.  Something as simple as a photo or a personal affirmation could help you fix your eyes on the prize when you find your motivation flagging.

Think about your original motivation.—Has it changed without your realizing it? Why? If your motivation has changed, it may be that your goals or priorities will have to change as well. Conversely, if your priorities or goals have changed, you’ll probably have to modify your motivation to keep it in tune with your new definition of success.

Lack of motivation is a serious problem, but the good news is that acknowledgement of the situation then puts you in a position to do something about it. Take the time to pinpoint the cause by asking the questions above.  Once you’ve done that, you should be able to come up with your own unique fix to your lack of motivation.

Have you struggled with lack of motivation? How did you overcome it?

Share your story in the comments below!