3 Ways to Make Progress When You Lack Motivation

At some point, everyone struggles to find the energy to complete a task. In some cases, we have a tough time getting started. In other cases, we begin but then lack the staying power to finish strong. This is understandable, as many tasks are boring and/or difficult. Add in the fact that our lives are constantly interrupted, and it’s no surprise that maintaining focus is difficult. Nevertheless, we all have to get things done. If this sounds familiar, here are 3 ways to make progress when you lack motivation.

The Ups and Downs of Motivation

Let’s begin by acknowledging that motivation is an elusive little emotion. It shows up at odd times and then vanishes without warning. In 2019, I did a series on motivation, sharing 30 thoughts on getting and staying motivated. If you could use some inspiration, click here to see the first day, and then click “next post” at the bottom to scroll through and see them all. I love feeling charged up and ready to go. However, like anyone else, there are days when I’m just not “feeling it.”

When it comes to productivity, I frequently talk about the difference between motivation and commitment. Motivation is nice, but it’s unreliable. What gets us to our goals is commitment—a mindful decision to show up and perform, regardless of how we feel.

This is easy to say, but hard to do. That’s where this post comes in. How can we approach a task in a way that increases our odds of success? I realize there is no simple answer. Still, I’ve got three suggestions for your consideration.

Three Strategies for Motivational Success

1. Try A New Approach

In tasks we struggle to complete, we may be stuck in a rut. The approach we have taken in the past has always failed. The sense of failure often causes us to avoid the task in the future. We think, “I know how this is going to go, and it won’t end well.” This kind of thinking is sabotaging our productivity.

One way around this roadblock is to try a completely new approach.

For example, let’s say you’ve tried going through your closet and decluttering many times in the past. Each time, you’ve pulled out a few pieces, setting them aside to try on, sell, or donate. Previous efforts have resulted in bags of clothing accumulating in the corner of the bedroom or in your car. Plus, you’ve never gotten around to selling anything because you don’t know how to do it. Then you’ve bought new things, making the closet a mess again. Because you have too much, you have hung pieces in front of other things, making it impossible to maintain any sense of order.

How could you try something new? Here are a few ideas:

• Rather than cherry-picking a few garments, take everything out of your closet, potentially one section at a time. Spread it out on the bed and take a look in the light of day. Organizers know that when you take everything out, you get rid of more.

• Schedule a “try on” day before you pull items out. You can make it fun by turning it into a fashion show for your spouse or children. If they have items to try on, the whole family can do it.

• Instead of going out for drinks with a girlfriend, invite her over for a closet overhaul. Bring drinks and snacks to the bedroom and put on some fun tunes.

• Contact a reseller and put a date on the calendar for them to come and review your items. Adding this bit of accountability will help motivate you to follow through.

• Take “before” photos.

• Ask your significant other for help as an alternative date night. Once the project is finished, plan a shopping date for a future date night.

• Cycle through tasks for short bursts of time each instead of forcing yourself to stay with one task until it is completed. This keeps the front of your brain engaged as you keep starting something “new.”

• Enhance the environment in which you are working. Light a candle, put on your favorite background music, turn on mood lights, sit by your fireplace or in your favorite chair.

The idea is to ask yourself, “How could I go about this in a totally different way than I have done in the past?”

2. Add An Element of Challenge

Another reason many struggle with motivation is because a task feels boring.  There are so many more exciting things out there than the “same old thing.” Who wants to file paperwork or run laundry when we could be doing something significant? Unfortunately, life is full of rote activities that aren’t necessarily very stimulating. The good news is we do often experience a dopamine rush when we complete tasks. Unfortunately, this payoff can feel distant or vague on the front end.

If you tend to avoid things that seem boring, dull, repetitive, or otherwise unpleasant, another way to boost your motivation is by introducing an element of challenge. A few ways to add a challenge include:

• Turning it into a competition with another person. (e.g., “Who can finish their to-do list first today?”)

• Adding a time element (e.g., “How much of this filing can I get done in 15 minutes?”)

• Getting creative (e.g., “Instead of just shoving the tools back into the toolbox, how can I add pegboard and hooks to improve my storage location?”)

• Doing more than you have done before (e.g., “I’m going to try folding and putting away all of our laundry today.”)

The trick to this one is to ask yourself, “How can I add a challenge to this familiar task that will raise my energy?”

3. Don’t Quit

When tedium sets in or our energy wanes, our natural instinct is to stop. We want to move on to something more fun and/or stimulating. For those who have ADHD, this is especially true. It’s hard to stay engaged when the going gets rough, particularly when we face no external accountability, such as a deadline, an employer’s directive, a care recipient’s needs, etc.

Resisting the urge to quit is primarily a mental challenge. I once heard a story about a man undergoing intense military training. He was tasked with carrying logs from one location to another under bitterly cold conditions. As soon as he got the logs moved, he was then instructed to carry them all back again. It was an extreme test of perseverance.

As he reflected on the experience, he realized that as hard as the task was physically, it was the battle in his mind that was actually much harder. He recalled repeatedly thinking “I can’t do this anymore. I’m going to collapse.” And yet, his feet kept moving and his arms kept carrying. The lesson? Our brains often want to give up too soon.

The motivational “assist,” then, is to teach our brains that we can hang in there longer than we think. The way to do this is by not quitting.

When you are feeling like you want to quit, ask yourself, “Can I keep at this for another (fill in the blank) minutes?”

You might be surprised to discover that you can! When you have success, celebrate your achievement, and let this be your new benchmark for the next time you work on this task.

Admittedly, time spent isn’t the only metric that matters. If we stay seated at our desk–but are actually zoned out–we may not be accomplishing much. Sometimes what we need most is a brief break, after which we can return refreshed and with fresh energy.  Taking a break is not the same as quitting.

Another way to avoid quitting is to ask yourself, “Can I do “one more” of these before I stop?” The goal is the same: prove to yourself that you can do it.

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Motivation may let us down, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still show up and make progress. What helps you make progress when you lack motivation?