There comes a time in everyone’s life when you say to yourself, ‘I just don’t feel like it anymore”. Whether it’s work that’s piling up and becoming overwhelming, a hobby that hasn’t panned out the way you thought it would, or family matters that make you wish you could sit in solitude for hours. Wherever your lack of motivation stems from, there is a way around it. People have reported being less motivated to do ordinary tasks during the last few years. According to a study from Gallup, in 2022, only 15% of workers feel motivated. That means that employee motivation is down 20% from when the same Gallup research showed that employee motivation was at 35% in 2019 before the pandemic.
We’re currently in the middle of a rapidly changing environment in both work and home life. It’s normal to feel down. However, when it comes time to pick yourself back up and get back to focusing on the task at hand, it’s easier said than done. Here are five ways to get yourself into gear and start focusing on the task at hand:
Find an End Goal and Determine a Way to Get There
We have an inherent desire to set goals. If we didn’t, New Year’s resolutions would be a thing of the past. But the real reason why people tend to set goals and never meet them is that we also tend to be ambitious. The goals we set have a habit of being far-reaching and difficult to obtain. The key to efficient goal setting is to start small. Instead of setting goals to establish a new business in the next five years, break that goal into smaller, more manageable tasks. If you set a goal to finish the outline of your business plan by next week, you’ll feel more accomplished and more motivated to move on to the next step.
Understand the Value of Your Health
Health is often not associated with a lack of motivation, but it can be a massive factor in feelings of sluggishness. If you’re skipping meals and not getting your daily water intake, your mood will decrease, and your health will decline – preventing you from getting any of your more long-term goals finished. It may be time to re-prioritize if you think your health may be a factor in feeling unmotivated. Take a look at how diet and exercise fit into your daily schedule and identify areas to improve. Once you prioritize yourself, you can get back to setting and achieving your goals.
Don’t Punish Yourself for Not Getting Things Done
Your internal monologue greatly affects your mental health and your ability to work efficiently. So, when it comes to staying motivated, use rewards, not punishments, to train yourself to stay motivated. If you’re constantly berating yourself for not getting tasks down, you’ll start to associate these tasks with negativity and are more likely to avoid them entirely. A better alternative? Reward yourself when you’ve finally finished that thing you’ve been putting off for weeks. Whether it’s a trip to your favorite coffee shop, or a few hours in front of the television, being able to relate your goals to the things you love to do to relax and unwind means you’ll start looking forward to getting things done.
Identify the Reason Why You’re Not Feeling Motivated
A lack of motivation in an employee has far-reaching consequences. It doesn’t just affect you, but research shows that companies lose approximately $450 million a year on unmotivated employees.
To combat the effects of feeling unmotivated, the best thing employees can do is to pinpoint what’s causing these feelings. A lack of motivation at work can stem from many factors, including unfair wages, a disagreement among leadership or coworkers, feeling undervalued, a stressful work environment, and many other factors. Once you identify why you’re feeling unmotivated, you can work towards rectifying the situation and start feeling happier.
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When you’re feeling like not doing anything at all, the hardest (and most important) step is the first step – do something about it! Taking the first step means deciding to change your life in a way that will push you to take more risks and get more done.