Motivation is fleeting. One day, you’re on top of the world. Ready to do everything it takes to crush your goals. Next, you’re tired, sad, and you’ll skip today. That lack of motivation sends you on a spiral and you pretty much never get back.
Here’s the secret: Motivation is nothing more than an idea. An idea you’re super excited about. However, the winning is found in the ability to continue to do things, even when motivation fades.
Only 15% of employees World-wide actually feel engaged in their work. That leaves 85% of people unmotivated and disengaged.
In the blog you will learn 10 ways to continue to do the things you need to. When motivation fades, these are the things that will keep you on track.
Build a System when Motivation is Low
Having the right system can make or break your goal. Motivation fades quickly. You can use that short highly motivated time to set up a system that works even when you lack the motivation.
A system follows three major components:
Trigger: What reminds you to do the thing
Process: What will you do to accomplish the thing when the trigger hits
Track and Improve: A way to know if you system is working and make it better until it becomes your normal routine.
Building your system doesn’t take very long and can make a huge difference. Take my writing routine for example:
Trigger: 4pm is my writing time
Process: I go to my office, open my laptop, and begin writing.
Track and Improve: I usually do this 6/7 days a week. I used to spend time deciding what to write, now I start by just writing what is on my mind and refining from there.
It’s that easy. Be specific with your trigger, be very specific with your process, and continue to improve the system. Tracking helps you make the necessary adjustments to keep your system robust.
Make it Easy
No matter how easy you make something, there’s something that is always easier: Not doing it.
The bigger the gap between what you want to do and doing nothing, the higher chance you do nothing.
So, spend some time making it as easy as possible.
For example:
If you want to go to the gym, lay your gym outfit out, have your shoes ready, and pick the gym closest to you. Anything you can do to make things easier means a lack of motivation won’t stop you.
Pay attention to your environment. Everything can either make it easier or harder for you to reach your goals.
The easier you make your goals, the more likely you are to hit them.
Surround yourself with Others and Beat Lack of Motivation
Community is one of the most powerful ways to get yourself through an unmotivated period. They can help push away burnout symptoms. Having someone keep you accountable to your goals is key.
Find a group of entrepreneurs that align with your goals, friends who have big aspirations, and groups you can be a part of. This will help you push through when times are tough.
Argue for the Opposite
When you have a loss of motivation, you’re choosing the easy path right now. It’s easier to watch Netflix than work on your business. It’s easier to scroll social media than play your guitar. However, our brains often compare only in the short term.
Take a moment to consider where each action will take you in 1 year. Choosing to work on your business instead of watching Netflix each day is huge. That can be thousands of hours, building the business you’ve always wanted.
It could be becoming the best guitar player you know.
When arguing for the opposite, consider where each choice will take you in the long term, and whether you’re okay with that.
Find the Right Performing Temperature
Doing something challenging can be both highly motivating and discouraging. It takes time, effort, and a whole lot of work. Breaking things down into the right temperature is important:
Too Hot: Your goals are so lofty that they seem impossible to reach. This results in low motivation and frustration.
Too Cold: Your goals are so small it feels like there’s no point in doing it.
Just Right: Your goals stretch you but feel obtainable. You can push through lack of drive
Learn more about the Temperatures of Performance
Eat the Frog
Eat the frog is a popular motivation tactic. It focuses on doing the most difficult task first. You do the most difficult task first for a few reasons:
- Your motivation and energy is at its highest at the start of the day
- Doing the first hard thing makes all other things seem easier by comparison.
- There’s no time for lack of focus and motivation to sneak in.
Eating the frog can be a very powerful method to use your limited motivation well. I have noticed over my years of coaching that the time to eat the frog can vary.
You may have the most energy in the evening. If so, that’s when doing that big hairy task is best. Don’t try to stuff the frog down first thing in the morning if you’re not ready for it.
Manage Ambiguity when you Lack Motivation
Low motivation levels are often the result of ambiguity. You may feel unsure of what you should be doing, what happens if you do it, and who cares if you do. When this happens, it’s easy to feel stuck in life.
You need to get clear on what you should be doing. Get as specific as possible.
For work:
High Ambiguity: I will work between 8:00am and 5:00pm
Low ambiguity: From 8:00am-9:30am I catch up on my emails, 9:30am-10:30am I make sure the team is aligned, etc.
Want to learn more about dealing with ambiguity? Manage Ambiguity with these strategies
Crush Conflict to Get Motivated
When you have competing roles in your work, you can feel unmotivated at work. Conflict comes up when your limited hours in a day are pulled between multiple things. You often underperform in both, not realizing what is getting in your way.
You can beat role conflict by first finding the conflict. After that, you can set the boundaries necessary for you to win in one role instead of losing in multiple.
Want to know more about role conflict? Check out: Managing competing roles without Burnout
Make Clear Decisions to Overcome Laziness
An unmade decision results in loss of purpose. One moment, you’re crushing it. Next, you’re stuck in space without a path forward. This results in a lack of motivation.
Making a clear decision on what you want to do gives you a path forward. Rather than waiting weeks to take the next step, you can move forward now.
Fast decisions can allow you to harness motivation when it is high and keep yourself on the path when feeling unmotivated.
Check out: Why Decision Making Matters
Forge Your New Life
Dealing with motivation is a skill, and we help you train it.
The Forge Coaching uses all of these strategies and more to help you go from unmotivated to crushing it. Our certified coaches know how to keep you moving forward without burning out. We deploy up to date strategies and give 1-1 attention to you so you can succeed.
Learn more about the Forge by clicking the button below.
