6 Things to do When you Feel Unmotivated

I know you don’t feel like doing anything but hear me out first.

Lack of motivation is a natural feeling. That restful feeling where you don’t want to lift a finger and you just want to lie down all day.

But I also want to ask you, do you feel like watching a movie? Do you feel like eating? Do you feel like sleeping?

I hope you know all those things I listed above also require energy and the movement of your body.

Yet, the important work you need to get done, you don’t feel like doing it.

You feel tired but you can watch a movie all through the night!!

Think about it!!

What I’m trying to say is that your body will always tell you what it wants you to do and what it doesn’t want.

And most times, our bodies never tell us to do the hard and boring things.

Your body only wants to do things that make it comfortable, happy, excited, and pampered.

And the sad thing about life is that the road to success and goal fulfillment usually comes from doing the hard and boring things.

So what do you do?

How can you win over your body’s desires and gratification?

How can you get up to work even when you don’t feel like it?

How can you do things you don’t enjoy or things that are not fun and easy?

Read on as I share with you 6 things to do when you feel unmotivated. 

Get to work

Usually, when I feel unmotivated and I don’t feel like doing anything, I have realized that doing it anyway is always worth it.

If I force myself to start working, I eventually thank myself for doing the work. It’s always worth it in the end.

So, also when you lay on your bed and you have something important you need to do but you can’t seem to leave the bed, at that moment the only thing that will work is getting out of bed.

Nothing else!!

You will eventually realize you don’t feel all that sleepy and you feel agile to work if you take the first step i.e get out of bed.

That is how it is with feeling unmotivated.

If you cultivate the habit of not doing what you have to do just because you don’t feel like it, you will end up failing at a lot of things.

People will not trust you with work or hire your services because they know you won’t deliver.

You have to understand that you will not always feel like working or doing some things. 

There are times when working will feel like the worst thing to do at the moment but being disciplined enough to get up anyway, will help you finish every task.

Understand the importance of the task

Just like I wrote earlier, you will not always feel like working but understanding how important what you have to do is, will help you get up and get to work.

It’s like being given a task and knowing that not doing the task can cost you or your employer a lot of money and the success of the task lies on your shoulders.

This can surely motivate you to get to work.

So, anytime you feel unmotivated, think about how important the task is and how much the success of the task relies on you and get it done.

Set a deadline

Another thing that can get you to work is a deadline. When you have a deadline, you know you have to complete the task before the deadline.

This helps you get to work even when you don’t feel like it.

It has helped me a lot of times. 

Whenever I feel unmotivated to write a blog post or film a video for my YouTube channel, I look at my calendar and see that if I don’t do this thing now, I will be missing my schedule for the week; which means I will have to carry over the task till the next week or I will disappoint myself and my viewers/readers.

These thoughts, actions, and intentionality, will keep you working without the motivation feeling.

So, set a deadline. And when that date approaches, you will feel a sense of urgency that is (most times) more effective than the motivation feeling. 

It will keep you on your toes and keep you focused.

Understand that procrastination never works

If you are a chronic procrastinator like I used to be (I’m still a work in progress too, my friend), you will understand that saying you will do something tomorrow or later, never works.

It’s just a trick that keeps you from doing what you should do immediately.

So, instead of pushing the task forward, do it and get your mind off it.

You will be glad you did it right away instead of putting it off till later.

Read also: The Ultimate Tip to Overcoming Procrastination

Get some motivation

If you feel unmotivated, get motivated.

It could be by reading a book, watching a YouTube video by a motivational speaker, listening to a podcast on getting work done, reading an article like this one or following a blog like this one (winks).

Whatever gives you that motivation feeling, do them and get your motivation feeling on.

You can also listen to highlife and hip-hop music that will put you in an energetic mood or that will get you into action. 

Whatever works for you, do it and get your motivation back. 

Do something fun

Sometimes, you feel unmotivated because you’re bored or the task is hard.

During this time, all you need is to do something fun or take a short break.

Whenever I’m doing a task and it gets boring, I sometimes take a break to play a game, watch a short clip of a Korean drama, take a short walk, take a nap, or dance to good music.

And by the time I get back to work, I feel energized to keep working.

So, you might be feeling unmotivated at that time because your mind and body is weighed down by the tasks before you.

Take a break and allow your brain and body to relax, then go back to work again and see the difference.

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Ensure you don’t just read but also implement these 6 things to do when you feel unmotivated.

Productivity articles only work when you not only read but also act.

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Need a productivity coach?

Do you struggle with achieving your goals or completing your daily tasks! 

Do you struggle with overwhelm, too many tasks on your to-do list, or balancing your work and life?

Did this article describe your current need and struggle?

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As a productivity coach, I have helped my clients achieve their goals, held them accountable to get their tasks done, and helped them live a more flexible, yet productive life. 

I have helped several creatives who battle anxiety as a result of numerous unfinished tasks and feelings of inadequacy to go from underachiever to high-achiever.

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