Listen, I get it. Staying motivated in just one aspect of life is hard let alone staying motivated in every.single.thing. you do. I will be the first person to tell you that lacking motivation is one thing I struggle with more often than I probably should. HOWEVER, I do try to make a mental note of when I am lacking motivation. Whether it be for the gym, work, or something I’m doing at home. Lately, it’s been packing to move. And all I have to do is pack my bedroom up. But still, that motivation is so not there it’s insane.
But I have stopped to recognize that issue in my life. And I have been attempting to do something about it. It sounds like I’m preaching steps to admitting mistakes, but for real the first step in getting your motivation back is admitting that you’ve lost it. And it’s okay. We all lose motivation from time to time. Some of us are better at keeping it up than others, but what we can all agree on is that sometimes it’s lacking. All that matters is that we get it back, and keep on keeping on.
When trying to get unstuck, there are a few things I like to think about.
- Try to understand WHY you are unmotivated. Is there something dragging you down? Is there a reason you don’t want to do the task at hand?
- Figure out what about the task makes you happy. Why do you want to achieve that certain task? Are there parts of it that will make you happy?
- Make that task a priority. Put it at the top of your to-do list. And if you didn’t get to it today, put it back at the top tomorrow. Eventually, you’ll get annoyed with writing it over and over that you’ll get to it. At least, that’s how I work
There are also things you can do to get motivated in life that don’t involve sitting and deeply thinking about things.
- Just get up and get moving. Get out of bed. Get out of those pajamas. Maybe put some makeup on or your favorite pair of jeans.
- Get outside. Sunlight. Sunlight. Sunlight. I cannot preach enough about how important it is to just be outside in the sunlight and nice weather.
- Avoid negativity. Whether that be in your own mind, the people around you, or the things on your social media feeds. Just avoid it. No one needs negativity in their life anyway.
- Talk to a friend or a loved one. Just talking to someone who you know loves and supports you is enough to lift your spirits.
- Listen to a motivating podcast or TED talk. Literally just listening to someone else who is super motivated can make you want to get up and get shit done!
- Work on that specific task for AT LEAST two minutes. And if you make it through those two minutes without wanting to cry, work on it for two more minutes. Maybe keep doing that until the task is done?
- Make a vision board. Got a bigger goal you want to achieve? Vision board it. Look on Pinterest for ideas. They’re all over the place!
- Just freaking do it. Just make yourself do it. You may think you’re not accomplishing anything if you’re doing the task but you’re not happy about it. But I promise once you just start working towards that goal, you’ll be happy you did.
Obviously, there are other ways to get motivated. So if you think of something YOU do to stay motivated throughout life, drop it in the comments below!
