How To Be Motivated When You Don’t Feel It

Motivation. Ah, it seems like you always have it when you can’t necessarily use it but when it comes to a time when you actually need it or should have it, it isn’t anywhere in sight. Am I the only one?

I’ve often had days where my motivation spiked during my hour commute home from work. I mean, to the point I was making lists in my mind about how I was going to spend my time the rest of the evening. 

When I get home, I’m going to clean the whole house, fold and put away the laundry, do the dishes, and make dinner. And then after that I’ll work on… And the list goes on. 

During those times, more often than not that motivation would leave before I even got home, which made doing those tasks seem hard and almost impossible, and to be honest with you they probably didn’t get done that evening.

It’s real tough for me to get all the things done without motivation, as I would say it is with most people. The energy it gives me pushes me towards getting the things done that I need to, and most of the time the motivation helps me to be excited about what I’m doing, even if it is just dishes.

But what about those times when the motivation isn’t there and it really should be? How can we push past the laziness and the urges to just lounge around when there are things on our to-do list that we need to get done?

Showing up and Overcoming Mindsets

In the fitness community, they always say that the hardest part is showing up to the gym, or for those who exercise from home (like me!), the hardest part is showing up to the mat. They say once you do that, the hard part is over.

When you get in that mindset of “I don’t feel like doing it today” or “I really don’t want to do that but I have to” you are basically digging yourself further into the hole and making it more miserable for yourself. 

Listen, I have been SO guilty of that at times. 

There were some days I didn’t want to do a particular thing so I would mope around until the last minute and procrastinate getting that particular thing done. 

Guys, I can tell you that I probably spent more time dreading doing that thing than the time it would have spent actually doing it.

But, just like how showing up to the mat is the hardest part in exercising, showing up to do that thing that you’re dreading is the hardest part. Once you push past that mindset of “I don’t want to” and “I don’t feel like it” and show up it gets so much easier! The times I’ve done that and I start doing that task I always think wow, that wasn’t as bad as I had thought it would be.

However, we as humans tend to bow to our emotions. You feel lazy therefore you’re going to sit on the couch and watch TV or play on your phone. You don’t want to do that task so you’re gonna do your own thing. I think everyone has been guilty of this at times. But I want to let you know something: you can choose to overcome the laziness and the dread and decide that you are going to show up anyway and that it is worth showing up to.

How cool right?

We can decide to stop wallowing and dreading and choose to show up and get done what needs to get done. Whether that be fitness goals, housework, that project that needed done forever ago, or whatever it may be for you in your life you can choose to show up. 

Yes, moving past those emotions of “don’t want to” and “don’t feel like it” can be hard, but it’s all worth it in the end.

Creating an Atmosphere for Motivation

There are certain factors in our life that can contribute to how motivated we feel. What do I mean by that?

For me, a clean, nice smelling house is what brings me motivation. Truthfully, whenever it’s a mess (whether big or small) it can totally crush my motivation. The worse the mess gets, the less motivation I have. It’s kind of a bad thing to be honest. If it’s messy for too long, I begin to feel depressed. Don’t ask me why, it just happens. That’s why I always try to keep my house clean 😅

ANYWAYS, a clean house is what helps me feel motivated. I love waking up in the mornings to the freshness of it. It really sets the tone of my day, and I feel more enthusiastic about getting the things done that need to get done.

What helps you to feel motivated to take on the day? Is it a clean house, like me? Maybe it’s iced coffee, or music projecting through the house. Whatever it is, create that atmosphere at the start of your day to bring the motivation and enthusiasm you need to tackle the day.

Don’t Neglect Self-Care

Maybe the reason you’re feeling a lack of motivation is due to a lack of self-care. I know in the past this was something I neglected and as a result I lost motivation for literally everything. I would work and work, never giving myself a break and when I did I wasn’t relaxing or enjoying it. I was always tense, thinking about the things that needed done. This is how burnout can happen.

The definition of self-care, according to Google, is “the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health.” 

Self-care can look different for everyone, from a candle-lit bubble bath to watching a favorite TV show. As a Christian, however, the number one form of self-care is to just simply spend time with Christ. 

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30

Self-care requires action. It requires you making the decision to rest and take your eyes off that ever growing list of responsibilities. It’s severely important to your health to take that rest and enjoy life. After all, even God rested on the seventh day after six days of work.

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We all have a busy schedule nowadays, and it can be hard to accomplish those things when we are missing that motivation. But by practicing good self-care regularly, creating an atmosphere for motivation, and choosing to overcome mindsets of laziness, you’ll set yourself up to get stuff done!

Until next time, my friends!

Caleigh

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An adventurer and coffee enthusiast at heart, Caleigh Ball has a passion for reaching out to others to inspire them to live with intention and purpose. As an ordained minister, she spends her time ministering as a youth pastor and is actively involved in Arise Ministries as the vice president and bookkeeper as well as one of the ministers. She enjoys life with her husband, Emmanuel, and their cat, Alaska, in their home state, Almost Heaven West Virginia.

Find Caleigh on Instagram at @caleigh.ball