Increasing Motivation…Even During a Pandemic?
If you’re anything like me, motivation to do much of anything has been at an all time low over the past several months. Most of the time I’ve been distracted by the news, by politics, by the problems others are experiencing, by pretty much everything. I’ve been irritated and annoyed. I’ve been tired. So, the last think I want to do is anything I have to do. I think there’s been a lot of value in just acknowledging this and giving myself some compassion. It has been a hard year. It’s okay if my motivation is low. It’s okay if I’m not as productive as I used to be.
But what happens when we still need to get things done? What if you have a deadline for work or a project that needs to be completed? What if you still have to get out of bed and do the thing you’ve been dreading? Here’s a few things that have helped me in those moments and that I hope will continue to be helpful over the next few months:
Focus Less on External Rewards- A lot of research shows that intrinsic motivation is most successful. This means that when we are passionate about something, just generally enjoy it, or see it as an opportunity to better ourselves or add value to our lives we tend to be more likely to actually do it. When we focus on external rewards, we lose motivation quickly.
Spilt Big Goals into Smaller Tasks- Is your to do list overwhelming? When you have a ton to do, do you tend to freeze up and do nothing at all? Break it down. If your goal is to get a big project done for work, what are the smaller tasks you need to get to that point? Focus on one thing at a time.
Challenge Yourself- Sometimes we lose motivation because we’re bored. Think about something that would be a challenge for you—whether personally or professionally—and go for it! You’re more likely to be motivated if it’s something that excites you ( back to intrinsic motivation) so push yourself a bit and see what happens.
Switch it Up- Find yourself constantly picking up your phone and scrolling through Instagram instead of doing the work you’re supposed to be doing? Switch it up! Move to a new location if you can. If you’re at home, maybe move to a different room or if you’re in an office, is there a conference room or other available space you could use for an hour or two? Go take a 10 min walk. Take your computer outside and enjoy some sunshine. Turn on music. Drink a glass of water. Eat a snack. Light a candle. Make a plan to work for 25 minutes uninterrupted and then take a 5 min walk or stretch break. Sometimes change and movement can be just what we need to refocus and get back to it.
Fake It ‘Til You Make It- When all else fails, just act like you would if you were motivated. Some days are just going to be difficult. When this happens, ask yourself what you would do if you were motivated. What task would you work on? What would you try to get done? And then just do it.
Practice Self-Compassion- Despite what you might think, being hard on yourself doesn’t help you get motivated or accomplish more. If you’re having a hard time, acknowledge it. “This is really hard right now. A lot of us are struggling and trying to adjust to a new normal. It’s okay if I’m not feeling like doing this right now. Maybe I can take a minute to be kind to myself before I work on this”.
Finding motivation is always hard. But it seems like it’s been extra hard as life as continued to change over the last few months. And that’s absolutely okay. Do what you can to try to work through this, but when you just aren’t able to get everything you once were able to accomplished, be kind to yourself. Cut yourself a little slack. This is hard. We all feel it.
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