Feeling unmotivated can happen to the best of us and sometimes you get into such a slump that even thinking about making positive changes seem too hard.
Whether you can’t get motivated to clean or you just aren’t feeling motivated to work or study, a lack of motivation can be the biggest obstacle to achieving your goals. There are plenty of motivation techniques that can help you. It is important to keep in mind that not every technique works for everyone or every situation. Trial and error can be the best way to find successful techniques that are going to enable you to achieve your goals.
Here are 5 ways to help you find motivation when you have none:
1. Just start with one task
You should first write a list of everything you need to achieve. This should be a complete brain dump of everything you need to do in the near future or upcoming week. This can help you to clear your mind and make sure that you are not forgetting any tasks.
Pick one task and just get it competed; it doesn’t have to be the quickest task, but if that makes it easier, go ahead! From my own personal experience, once I have done one tsk and satisfyingly checked it off, the list of tasks seems far more achievable. Then, when you have completed another task, the momentum keeps going. Being able to check off all your tasks can boost productivity and help to motivate you to complete the remainder of your tasks.
It is important to remember once you have started; it is easier to continue moving forward. You don’t need much motivation once you’ve started a task. Nearly all the discomfort of participating has gone and you are the in the focused zone to complete the task.
2. Reward yourself when you complete tasks
Having a reward system in place is a really helpful strategy to motivate you into completing your tasks and achieving your goals. Knowing that you have your reward waiting for you can give you that initial push to start that first task. By rewarding yourself after completing your tasks in that moment, your brain elicits positive emotions; it allows the realisation that your efforts result in a positive reward. If you do this continuously, your brain will start to link pleasure to achieving a task.
Not only does rewarding yourself help motivate you, there are other benefits like reducing procrastination, you can become more focused, you can better eliminate distractions and positive reinforcement will become like second nature. If you start rewarding yourself whenever you reach a milestone or achieve a specific goal, having something to look forward to increases your motivation and makes it easier to follow through with your tasks.
When you reward yourself, it doesn’t have to be an extravagant gift or activity, just something that brings you joy. Rewarding yourself could be as simple as enjoying a cup of tea or yummy treat, having a bit of a pamper, watching your favourite TV show – whatever you wish to reward yourself with.
Photo by Hutomo Abrianto on Unsplash
3. Use your favourite music
Music is a very powerful neurological tool that can help you change your mindset and your mood. Music does more than just make you want to dance; it can also improve your focus, boost your mood and makes you feel happier.
Scientific studies of how music affects our brain have been going on since the 1950s. Scientists have figured out which music is best for a particular mood. They say that ambient and natural remedies are best for productivity and light pop music can put you in a motivating mood.
Music creates a motivational background for all your tasks and activities that can impact physical and mental endurance. Have you noticed when you are listening to music, you feel more motivated? I definitely feel more motivated cleaning when I have my favourite music playing. So next time, you are struggling with motivation, press play and start being productive.
4. Be outside with nature
Staring at the same walls and environment can be redundant; I know that feeling especially when I am coming out of a flare up ad my motivation is still low. Getting outside in nature and changing your environment can spark your motivation and inspiration.
When you are outside surrounded by plants, water and other natural elements will enable you to experience less stress and more motivation. There are so many mental wellness benefits associate with being outside in green spaces. It has been proven that being in nature ca restore and strengthen our mental capacities, increase focus, attention and motivation. I found on days where I have not been feeling motivated, a dog walk has helped improve my motivation.
5. Find it from others
Sometimes it is hard to get motivated and you need that jump start that bit of inspiration from others. Absorbing motivation from others can be from podcasts, YouTube videos or your favourite Instagram account. It could also be your loved ones, a work colleague or an online community – like the awesome blogging community!
I have found that watching certain TV shows, Instagram accounts and podcasters really motivated. They actually inspire me to work harder, smarter and to-do what I want to like happiness, energy is infectious and when you surround yourself with it you will feel that way also and the can be the same for motivation. When you are motivated, you have a desire to change your life. Motivation pushes you towards your goal because of a desire for change. Motivation can enable you to clarify your goal and so you know exactly what it is you’re working towards. Grab your motivation and work towards your goals and tasks.
5 motivation quotes that I love and you may love too:
- Success is not final; failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts –Winston S. Churchill
- Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today – Will Rogers
- Goal setting is the secret to a compelling future – Tony Robbins
- Either you run the day or the day runs you – Jim Rahn
- Opportunities don’t happen; you create them – Chris Grosser
What helps you to feel motivated? I’d love to hear in the comments.
Music is a big help for me when I have stuff to work on with my computer; I even have a special playlist that really helps me focus. I love the idea of breaking things down into smaller tasks (start small); that is a really useful way to motivate yourself!
I am glad you found this post useful. Music helps to motivate me during the housework. Thank you for reading and commenting.
These were all great pointers, I realize that music gets you in the groove to do work and it also helps in changing your mood. Writing down things is a must and when you tick each completed task it feels sooooo good.
I’m a big fan of #1 – just start with 1 task. Usually, completing something helps me feel accomplished and motivated. Sometimes I also convince myself to do work with modified pomodoros: 20 min work/study and then 20 min break. Eventually, I can usually get into some kind of workflow. Thanks for these tips!
Colleen|ChooseYourUni
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I think taking a break can be a good idea – especially if you take a quick walk outside. But starting with just one small task is a really good way to push yourself.
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Some pretty reasonable ideas. For me it’s just to focus on one thing, but also take a break first
That’s great you know what can help motivate you! Thank you for reading and commenting.
This is fantastic and timely as I am sitting here feeling very unmotivated! Just turned on some music…it’s one of the greatest mood enhancers. Thanks for posting! ✌️
I am glad this post has been helpful for you. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Fantastic ideas! I am motivated by coffee or books. I like to reward myself with quiet reading time if I get everything ticked off the list. I also find that I have a natural rythm to motivation. I try to do work first thing because if I put it off it won’t get done–or not as well.
It is good you know what works for you. Thank you for reading and commenting.
When I’m completely un-motived I typically start with one (usually small) task and take it from there. I also usually scrap the to-do list because continuing to look at all the things I need to do doesn’t help!
Yes, it can be frustrating when you know you have lots to do and can’t do it. Thank you for reading and commenting Jenny x
My thing lately has been looking to others’ achievements, and using them as inspiration, rather than seeing them as a source of envy. Also, the blogging the Twitter community have proven to be real lifelines for me — I don’t know how I managed before! On a side note, this theme is so pretty!
That is a great way to motivate yourself. Aww really thank you! I am still working on updating my blog and the redesign. Thank you so much. Can you link your blog so I can read? Xx
It’s a really beautiful, clean and classy design! I’m at https://dispeller.co/
I’d actually really love to advertise my blog with you — I did send a message via your contact form, but not sure if was received? xx
Hmm, the contact form hasn’t notified me yet. Unsure why. I am still working on finishing everything on my blog. Can you Dm me on Twitter or email me – lauren.Clark.business@gmail.com and we can discuss advertising xx
Thanks so much! xx
I needed to read this post, This is me at the moment. Definitely going to try your tips. Thank you for sharing.
I hope these tips help you. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Love this post! What usually discourages me is feeling sluggish on hot days or recent failure with a past project, so I loved reading your tips on how to avoid the pitfalls of “failure” and keep the motivation coming. 🙂
I am glad this post has been helpful for you Jaya. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Great post with clear advice. The first tip is what I need to focus on.
Thank you for reading and commenting. I am glad you found it helpful.
Music helps me a lot and so is writing everything on things I need to-do.
Michelle| http://www.brokebutflawless.com
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Great tips here, Lauren! I myself do try to hyper-focus on the tiniest tasks when I’m feeling demotivated, and that often snowballs into other things, and after that, I just need to ride the momentum to get tings done. So #1 is often key for me. Thanks for sharing!
That’s great you know what to do when you are feeling that way. Thank you for reading and commenting.
I really need to just start with one task and reward myself when it’s done. Otherwise I have a list the length of my arm that, while it gets done eventually, always looks overwhelming at first glance.
Starting the first task is the best way to start. Thank you for reading and commenting.
I love this! I always write lists, and I enjoy going through it and checking tasks off. When I am not motivated, taking a small job at a time helps, instead of looking at ALL the things to do and feeling overwhelmed 🙂
Miriam | A Hygge Escape
It is great you have strategies to help you. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Love this post! For me, it’s all about finding a bit of inspiration and starting small until I feel a bit of passion or excitement come back. I also like to start with tasks that I enjoy or are easy, and ease my way into the day if I’m suffering with low motivation x
They are some good strategies to start. Thank you for reading and commenting.
I couldn’t agree with you more! These are some really great tips lovely which I’ll be doing. I never reward myself after completing a task so I defiantly think I’m going to be doing that from now on! Thank you so much for sharing with us lovely, I’ll for sure be putting them to good use Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
Definitely give it a go, rewarding yourself however small can make you feel better. Thank you for reading and commenting.
For me it helps to start with something small first thing in the morning. Usually it escalates to something bigger by lunchtime 🙂
That’s great you have found that helps. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Great tips, having people to help you is good. I can relate to these because I have tried some of them. Thank you for sharing!
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Music is a must for me and it is a must for every kind if task. I have created playlists for everything and I update them regularly. When I need to read and write I prefer listening to instrumental music. When I exercise or do the chores I prefer uplifting music.
It is great you find music is helpful to you. Thank you for reading and commenting.
It is good you have things that help you. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Fab tips as always lovely. I think we can be so hard on ourselves that we don’t even acknowledge our achievements let alone celebrate them. Getting out into nature works wonders I find for motivation and just getting a mental refresh.
Caz xx
I can definitely focus on what I haven’t achieved rather than what I have achieved sometimes. Thank you for reading and commenting.
something I tend to do is to add things on my checklist, even if they’re really small, so I can be proud of my small wins! I feel more accomplished, especially where there are a lot more complicated tasks on my checklist. Great post xxx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
I am glad you enjoyed this post. That is good you have found something that works for you. Thank you for reading and commenting. Xx
Wonderful post! Music is a huge tool for finding inspiration along with quotes. I loved the ones you’ve shared, especially by Tony Robbins. Thanks for these tips!
Thank you for reading and commenting.
What a great post! I like the focus on one thing at a time – it makes things much less overwhelming! I also enjoyed the Churchill quote! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for reading and leaving a kind comment.
Very relatable content. I get distracted a lot. My reward to myself is the relaxation time with food and drink. The people around you, their energy is contagious, you can be productive in a positive environment. And I liked the third Tony quote. Liked the post. Xx
Thank you for reading and commenting. It is important to surround yourself with positive motivational people. Xx
Music is a winner for me! Treats like wine always work and nice things like sweets. I would always have to say seeing a months worth of blog posts completed makes me feel good. Some really valid points expressions because at the end of the day we can be our own worst enemies when it comes to motivation.
Thank you for reading and commenting what works for you.
When the is dragging and I don’t feel like doing anything I follow a couple of these pieces of advice. I listen to a podcast featuring people who have done what I want to do and I just focus on the very next task. Thanks for the post.
Podcasts are a good idea! Thank you for reading and commenting.
Sometimes it’s hard to reignite motivation. These tips are very useful to overcome that struggle. My favourite is definitely taking one step and task at a time. Thanks for sharing! ♥️
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Amazing suggestions here! I definitely find that once I’ve started with one (perhaps smaller) task I’m that much more motivated and in the zone to continue ticking off the tasks. I also love using rewards but I don’t think I’ve used music as a motivator before – I might give it a go! Loving the Grosser quote too, I really agree. Thank you so much for sharing x
Thank you for reading and commenting. Xx
I love the tip about just doing one task at a time and focusing on it. I’ve found myself to be feeling extremely burnt out lately and it seemed to have been because I would try to do multiple things at once to save time and had way too many things on my to do list without knocking out one item and moving onto the next. Very good tips!
It is good you recognised behaviour that doesn’t help you. Thank you for reading and commenting. X
Timely post. My motivation has been lacking lately. I am a list person, so that can be helpful. I absolutely love that Kenny Rogers quote. So perfectly stated. I think a reward system could be helpful. That would at least give you something to look forward to. My usual “go to” is to draw energy and inspiration from others. It can be really motivating seeing others succeed and want to toss your own hat in. Thank you for sharing.
~ Cassie
I hope this post can help you. Thank you for sharing what works for you.
This is so interesting!, thanks for sharing!…
I love watching clips of how ordinary people had to be resourceful and scrappy to climb their way to the top. Many of us only know them as the famous people they are today but hearing their journey, motivates me to stop being lazy and do something productive.
Crystal | http://www.amazingbaby.app
Thank you for reading and commenting. Yes I love to hear about inspiring stories.
All amazing suggestions! Music really helps me get in the mood and depending on what I need I would change it, also starting with one small task and taking breaks or rewarding myself really help!
Thank you for reading and commenting what works for you.
Thank you for the ideas. I want to reward myself with orange flavoured Matchstick chocolates. That might motivate me better.
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I love the idea of rewarding yourself when you complete a task, I think I’m going to try that! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
It definitely works. Thank you for reading and commenting Lucy x
These are all such great tips to help find motivation. I hate when I am stuck in a rut and can’t seem to get any motivation. I will have to try these suggestions out the next time that happens!
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For me, smooth jazz is the cure all 🙂