How to Overcome Lack of Motivation

Co-authored by Trudi Griffin, LPC, MS

Last Updated: February 16, 2023 References

Everyone feels low energy sometimes, but lately does it seem like you've lost your motivation completely? In this article, we'll share some ideas about what might be causing your lack of motivation and how to fix it so you can keep working toward your goals.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Getting Motivated

1
Return your eyes to the prize. Over time, you may have lost sight of the reasons behind your major goals. You may be so busy or pressured that you have forgotten your personal reasons for doing your task. However, your reasons for doing a thing are the driving force behind your motivation.
- Ask yourself, "Why am I doing this? Is this helping me achieve my big goals and targets? Why do I want to achieve these goals and targets?" Knowing these reasons can help you feel motivated.
- Evaluating your reasons for doing something is also an effective way of taking stock of your priorities. Over time, your priorities may have changed so that your goal is less important. "Unimportant" tasks can be hard to get motivated about.
- Occasionally take some time to re-evaluate your major goals. Have your dreams changed? Do you still feel like you can accomplish them? What steps do you need to take to achieve those dreams?
2
Invest in your work space. If, as an example, you dreaded going to work every day in a dark basement office without any windows, that feeling would make it hard for you to be motivated.^{[1]
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Research source} A comfortable, pleasant work space, on the other hand, will keep you positive and motivated.
- Equipment that is too large, small, or old might cause discomfort or pain, especially with prolonged use. Choose equipment that fits you well, and follow the care instructions to know when replacement is necessary.
- Chronically dark places can lead to depressed moods. Try adding a few lamps to your work space or going on walks during lunch so you can get some sun.
- Set up pictures of your family, friends, favorite bands, and more. Personalizing your work space can make you more productive, which can give a serious boost to your motivation.^{[2]
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3
Visualize yourself completing your task. This is one way that you can trick your brain into believing you can succeed. The more you believe you can succeed, the more motivated you'll be to achieve your goal. When you visualize:^{[3]
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- Imagine doing and completing your task as vividly as possible. Think about the smells, sights, and other sensations as you imagine each step from start to finish.
- When you're feeling especially unmotivated, you may want to get into the habit of starting out each day visualizing yourself accomplishing the major tasks of that day.
4
Take steps to achieve your goal every day. The problem with big goals is that they can be awfully intimidating. It's a good thing you don't have to do it all at once, although sometimes you might feel that way. Taking a few steps every day will keep you on track completing your goals.^{[4]
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- If you have difficulty remembering to take a few steps every day to achieve your goals, you might want to use a planner, checklist, or sticky notes as a reminder.
- With big goals and projects, sometimes you might get lost in the details. In these cases, every week or so you might want to reevaluate the big picture.
5
Approach your goals as if they were objectives in a game. This technique, called “gamification,” helps make reaching goals or completing tasks challenging and fun. In gamification, you reward yourself for completing tasks and overcoming major challenges, just as you would in a video game. Try using a productivity gaming app, such as SuperBetter or HabitRPG, to help you feel like you are “levelling up” in the game of life.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Staying Motivated

1
Expect resistance. When your experience doesn't match up with what you expected and you feel uncomfortable or uneasy, psychologists call this "cognitive dissonance." Over time, cognitive dissonance can lead to stress and make it difficult to get motivated.^{[5]
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Hull, A.M. (2002). Neuroimaging Findings in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. <i>The British Journal of Psychiatry</i>. 181: 102-10} By expecting resistance, or obstacles, along the way to accomplishing your goals, you'll be less discouraged when they happen.
- Whenever approaching an important task, it's completely natural for you to feel like a force is resisting or fighting you, making the work more difficult.
- Once the ball gets rolling, you'll find in most cases that resistance decreases or disappears entirely. The hardest part to beating resistance is getting started.^{[6]
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2
Change your routines to fight boredom. It’s hard to stay motivated when you are feeling bored. Making even minor changes in your regular routines can help spice things up and boost motivation. Try taking a new route to work, eating something different for lunch, or rearranging or redecorating your workspace.^{[7]
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Journal published by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, which uses scientific research to promote happier living
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3
Cultivate a supportive environment. You can't always choose your situation, but you can choose the people you surround yourself with. People who are encouraging and positive will naturally stimulate your motivation. In a similar way, discouragement and negativity can hurt your motivation.
- If you have a friend who's a bit of a stick in the mud or a pessimist, you may want to limit your time around that person while you need to be motivated.
- Some people are more sensitive to the emotions of others.^{[8]
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  Research source} If you find that your emotions are easily affected by the feelings of others, you might take on negative emotional energy easily and need to avoid it.
4
Find an accountability partner. An accountability partner is someone you trust to help you keep a commitment. This can be a friend, a family member, a teacher, a coach, or anyone that you're comfortable sharing your goal(s) with. Have your accountability partner regularly check in on your progress and you should notice an increase in motivation.^{[9]
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- Try to be regular in your check-ins with your accountability partner. Routine, like reviewing your progress weekly with your partner, will help you consistently remember to check in.
- You can create an accountability network by taking time to share your goals with your friends and family. You'll be more motivated to work hard and make progress if you know someone might ask about your goal later.
5
Set major milestones and make a schedule. When you write something down, you're more likely to do it. This can be an invaluable tool in maintaining your motivation. Create a loose timetable for the major phases of your goal (brainstorming, design, production, etc.), then schedule time during your week to work on your project little by little, day by day, until it is complete.^{[10]
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- As you see yourself accomplishing weekly tasks and getting closer to finishing the major phases of your goal, you'll likely be encouraged and motivated by your progress.
- It's best to leave some wiggle room when making your loose timetable. Some goals might require more practice or effort than expected, in which case you'll need to adjust your timetable.
- In some cases, slow progress can lead you to thoughts that you'll never finish, which can be very discouraging. Focus on the positive points and remind yourself that all big projects are accomplished one small thing at a time.
6
Take breaks. If you spend too much time and energy focusing on completing a task or trying to achieve a goal, you will start to feel burnt out. Taking breaks actually increases productivity and helps you feel more motivated. Take short breaks while you work and go for a quick walk, stretch your legs, eat a snack, or read a little bit. Make sure you have a little time set aside every day for fun, relaxation, and self-care.^{[11]
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American Psychological Association
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Go to source}

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Evaluating the Cause of Your Lack of Motivation

1
Discern the different kinds of lack of motivation. Being unmotivated isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes, lack of motivation can be a sign that you don't enjoy what you are doing, or that the task isn't challenging enough. Other times, lack of motivation can be a kind of self-sabotage that you need to resolve to achieve success.
- Forget how difficult it might be to accomplish your goal. Do you feel excited and thrilled when you think of it being completed? If so, this is a strong indication that you are passionate about the goal and it is worth getting motivated about.
- If you find that you do not enjoy or are not challenged by whatever it is you are doing, you might ask if you can graduate to a more advanced level, or you could try something entirely new.^{[12]
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2
Familiarize yourself with your lack of motivation. By clearly detailing what your lack of motivation feels like, you'll be better able to find solutions to get inspired. Your unmotivated feeling might come from the focus of your work, your work space, your coworkers, and so on. While familiarizing yourself:^{[13]
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- Simply ask yourself, "Do I like the topic of my work? Do I like my work space? My coworkers?" Such questions might reveal that your motivational problem isn't the work itself, but something else.
- When you think that you might have found a potential cause of your motivation problem, test it by leaving your daily routine the same and adjusting only that potential cause. If motivation improves or worsens, you've found a cause.
3
Notice and fight self-doubt. When thinking about your future goals, you may have thought to yourself something like, "Who am I to achieve this?" In this case, it's likely you don't believe you deserve your goal/dream, which will make it very difficult getting motivated. Give yourself permission by:^{[14]
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- Coaching yourself positively, saying things like, "It's only natural to be afraid of failure, making a mistake, or embarrassing myself. It's OK to feel this way, but I can still do this!"
- Confronting the inner demons telling you that you're not good enough. Oppose these feelings by telling yourself, "I am good enough, I can do this, and I believe in myself."^{[15]
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4
Identify and contend with being overwhelmed. When you feel like there's too much to do or a task will never be completed, it can absolutely kill your motivation. Things unrelated to your task/goal, like homework, your social life, or your job, could also be adding to your stress and killing your drive. Handle being overwhelmed by:^{[16]
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- Breaking down your task into small, manageable parts. Picture each part clearly and separately in your mind and arrange these from first to last.
- Getting outside of overwhelming patterns. Even if you're used to being overwhelmed, constantly being so is unhealthy. Adjust your daily schedule so it's less hectic and there's enough break time.
- Pausing to ask yourself before agreeing to do something, "Would adding this be too much?" If yes, you may want to decline helping until you life is less stressful.^{[17]
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Warnings

Regular or intense periods of being unmotivated may indicate a more serious problem, like depression, nutritional deficiency, and more. If your lack of motivation is seriously impacting your quality of life, talk to a professional, like a doctor or counselor.

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