Client Question: “I am struggling to find any motivation right now. How can I get myself back on track?
Having a lack of motivation is something that everyone goes through every once in a while. This can happen when you are under a lot of stress, overwhelmed or have a task that you just don’t want to do. What can you do to move forward?
When you are under stress, the best thing you can do is to find a way to step away from things and find a way to relax. Indulge in something that makes you happy. Go see a movie, binge on a little Netflix for a few hours, get a massage, go for a run or walk, take a nap, go shopping, etc. You get the idea. Something to get your mind off of your stress. Stepping away from it can be just enough to recharge your batteries and help you focus again.
Being overwhelmed is even more common these days. There are too many things that need to be completed and not enough resources to do them all. It causes you to spin in place and not really focus on any of them. To bring back the focus, start making a list of what needs to be done. Prioritize the items on the list by what works best for your style. You can categorize by due date, what can be done quickly, what can be delegated or what is dependent on other people or things. Sometimes just documenting all the things that are in your head helps to eliminate the feelings of overwhelm and allows you to see things more clearly.
If you have a task that you don’t want to do, you need to try and understand why you don’t want to do it. Some of the reluctance may be tied to how complex it is or if it is your first time. It also could be something that you have done before, but didn’t really enjoy the first time. Can you get someone else to help you that may have more passion for it and can help you through it? If you need to be the one to do it, then breaking the task down into smaller chunks may be a good way to help you to move forward and still make progress.
There are so many distractions in the world now that it can be a real challenge to focus and be motivated. Think about what other times you have lost motivation in the past. What did you learn then that you could apply to this situation now? Here are some other suggestions to consider. Work at the time of day when you have your highest amount of energy. Turn off whatever distractions might get in the way. Work in 1-2 hour blocks of time so that you can see progress and it doesn’t seem so overwhelming. Give yourself a break when you need it so that you can come back refreshed and recharged. Set a goal for the one thing that you will accomplish today. You can always do more than that, but you will get one thing done. For many people being able to cross one thing off of your list is a great motivator!