It’s cold and dark outside, which means my lack of motivation is rising.

Laundry has been stacking up for weeks. Dishes have been sitting in the dishwasher for days. The work that should have been done last week is begging me to start.

Feeling unmotivated can feel like a disease. It feels like a sickness. It engulfs my body and won’t let me get up or do anything. It feels like chains are around my body restricting me from standing up or walking too long.

When I feel the aching pain of knowing I need to get up, knowing I need to be productive, knowing I have somewhere to be, but I just can’t make myself do it and have no motivation to work. I can’t make myself even start something.

Those feelings where I lack all motivation are scary, especially when I can tell it’s coming from bad mental health days.

It’s scary to feel like I can’t control my body. It’s scary to feel like I can’t function and do everyday activities that everyone else can do.

And don’t let me forget the guilt: the sad, complicated feeling that encompasses me along with the lack of motivation.

If everyone else can go about their day and stay up to par with their daily tasks and responsibilities, why can’t I?

To fix a lack of motivation, motivate yourself by creating a reward system, creating a to-do list or mini tasks, taking breaks and giving yourself grace.

how to motivate yourself

Motivating yourself when all you want to do is lay in bed can be extremely difficult. There are different ways for how to be motivated and how to stay motivated.

If you’re having motivation problems, it’s important to give yourself grace, take things one step at a time and incentivize small tasks.

Here are a few ways I think you can implement for how to overcome lack of motivation:

motivation tips

create a reward system & incentivize tasks

Call me a child, but I love a reward, an incentive, a prize.

Sometimes I need to give myself “a little treat” to incentivize getting a task done.

It encourages me to work toward a goal, whether that’s completing a hard task at work, cleaning up my apartment or even doing my daily hygiene on the rough days.

taking a break

It’s okay to not be completely on top of it all when faced with a task.

Take a break, or several, if you need them. Having small, tangible steps that are coupled with breaks can make things feel more tangible.

It’s better to work on a task, project or chores and include breaks, than to not start at all. Starting something can be daunting, so beginning a task can be one of the hardest parts, especially as a procrastinator.

So make sure to be proud of yourself, and allow yourself breaks when needed.

crossing it off a to-do list

Lists can make things overwhelming, but it can also make things feel more concrete.

It can make life feel more structured. Oftentimes, when I feel a lack of motivation, I feel overwhelmed and defeated without even starting because I overthink about how much I haven’t done.

Being able to cross tasks off visually shows you how much you actually have done and is a reminder of how far you’ve come and what you can accomplish in those low moments.

giving grace

One of the worst things you can do when it comes to a lack of motivation is to beat yourself up about it.

You’re already feeling down, try not to make it worse by getting mentally stuck in the thick of it.

To me, lack of motivation is a battle within my mind, but it feels so physically impairing. Let it be what it is without calling yourself all kinds of names.

build discipline

To help with zero motivation, work on building up your self discipline. I love feeling motivated. It drives me to finish an assignment, start a project or hobby, go to the gym when I don’t feel like it, etc.

But you won’t always be motivated. You have to find the reason why something needs to get done, and remind yourself of that reason over motivation.

It’s okay if you value motivation, but craft that feeling into something you can ignite every day.

The difference in relying on motivation versus discipline is the ability to still achieve what you want on the days when your motivating factors aren’t working.

Here are some tips to stay disciplined.

lack of motivation and tips to conquer it