Finding the reason and motivation to carry out an activity. Getting stuck in that situation on a daily basis and feeling like time is running out. Tips on how to slowly get going.
Finding the motivation to pull you through a situation or task is something I struggle with a lot, and from what I hear, I am not the only one. According to a 2003 National Research Council report on motivation, 40% of students suffer daily from lack of motivation.
The definition for the word ‘Motivation’ is: ‘a reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way’. What I take from this that I can apply to this topic, is that reason is what I may be lacking in some moments of my life. Not life in general, or maybe that too but that’s for another post, but more moments of daily habits and exercises. Only if I had stronger or more appealing reasons to carry me through my day, it would save me a great amount of time that otherwise I spend looking at a blank page, or laying on my bed, or staring at my phone unproductively.
One of the biggest moments I experience of lack of motivation is with physical exercise and running. I try and do some sort of activity every day to move and stay healthy. It varies between going to the gym, going for a run, doing a home-workout, walking my dog, etc.
(I just went to grab a snack to see if it would give me more energy to finish this post… )
(Nope. Will finish it tomorrow…)
But I always end up with a similar mental barrier. Trying to find an excuse to bot go, just sitting and waiting for the divine inspiration to go do something because whatever. Trying to find a reason. Most days I manage to do some exercise, which is a huge accomplishment, but other days I don’t. I don’t immediately feel bad about it either, but in the future when I look back and see my inconsistencies and inability to get something done, then is when I feel bad about not being strong enough to follow a consistent workout.
Similarly, with this writing. Getting stuck in the writing process and with a blank canvas is part of any creative task. Here the issue is more about struggling to write with a goal in mind. I do this because I want to. It is not my job, i don’t get feedback. I have to be versatile and pull short term reasons to write posts. Like being very interested in a topic so I talk about it, or having a personal relationship with it. But it is just hard to run on tiny motivational moments… We try and make it work at the end of the day. We try.
Also in general. When there are less things motivation driven that those which have a goal which is being accomplished, a feeling of exhaustion comes that just takes over, and the little initiative and motivation that you had to do something now needs to be stronger. This formula is applied to many behaviors in my life, that if I kept ab eye out for them I could probably make a long list of.
I am going to continue this post by recommending products and choices for you to use whenever you feel unmotivated to do something. Not necessarily to solve the issue, but more of a short-term solution to get you up and going.
These are some of the things that work for me the best. They may not be perfect for you, but try and listen to yourself to see what you enjoy and what you don’t.
Make yourself a cute and healthy snack. The feeling of doing one small thing successfully can snowball and use that speed to get other things done.
Write an action plan for when you are feeling stuck. Or even try journaling. I find very helpful to write down my day and organize my time.
Watch one vlog on YouTube. Only one. To me, seeing other people getting things done in a day and being productive and chill about it, encourages me to be productive as well. Sure, it is a bit stressful, but effective.
Listen to music. It is very likely you were already listening to music, but change the playlist then. Listen to something new that is more high-beat or exciting. I promise it will get you going.
Feel free to check these and more tips on my ‘Self care’ Pinterest board.
The truth is there is not a formula to get unstuck and into a productive flow immediately. To me, it is about creating habits over time, and the more and more you repeat certain task or process, the easier it will get over time. It sounds obvious to say that running every morning will become easier in the long run, but you have to keep reminding yourself every day every time you feel stuck. Create habits. Routines. And allow yourself to be flexible.
Next time you feel like you lack motivation, simply take that thought, observe it, analyze it, study it, and then put it to the side, for you to keep advancing. You are not alone. That happens even to the most successful people.
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