We all have tasks that we’d rather not have. How do you find your motivation when you just don’t want to do these things? There are many reasons for not feeling motivated or wanting to complete a certain set of responsibilities. Are they boring? Draining? Time consuming? Annoying? Does it give you anxiety just thinking about it? Would you rather be doing something else?
Imagine how much better you would feel if you could just buckle down and do these things. How much happier, or more productive could you be? What other things could you be spending your guilt free time doing? But, how do you find your motivation?
Below are the top 3 common reasons for not feeling motivated and how to address them.
You Don’t Feel Like It
You don’t actually need to “feel like it” to accomplish something. Actions are actionable without adding feelings into the mix. Shift your focus and attention on the successful completion of a task or project. Not “feeling it” only worsens procrastination and can put you off your goals and targets. Stop thinking you need to feel something to be productive.
It’s Boring
There will always be obligations and commitments in life that are boring or mundane. But, most of the time, these are fundamental tasks that shouldn’t be left – washing dishes is boring, but you don’t want the pest infestation that comes with leaving it. One way to overcome this is by doing the “boring” tasks first before you set off onto something more exciting. Learn to utilize exciting tasks or projects as motivators and rewards for completing the boring and mundane.
Fear of Failure
Attempting new things is scary. It often sends people running for the hills. So, make the conscious decision that you will complete x task and actually set out to do it. Don’t wait until you feel that you have enough information. It will likely never actually be enough. Sometimes the best way to get started is to just do it. You will make a mistake, it happens – just keep in mind that the most valuable lessons come as a result of our mistakes. Success comes from our ability to recover from failure and move on.
It’s not as important to find your motivation as it is to get it done. So, learn to start, without over-analyzing, and you’ll feel much better. We’ve also found some great tips on How to Motivate Yourself to Do Things You Don’t Want to Do from Harvard Business Review, as well as How to Make Yourself Do it When You Just Don’t Want To from Psychology Today.
