71: Zero Motivation? 5 Ways To Get Out Of A Slump

Some days you wake up ready to take over the world. You feel excited, energized, and ready for anything. You power through your day getting stuff done and feeling good about it.

Other days… you wake up not so motivated. Your alarm clock goes off and you debate taking a hammer to it. You stare at the ceiling for the few minutes before you actually have to get up, contemplating life. You eventually make it to work but you’re distracted by everything and feel like you get nothing done.

You’re not alone. We’ve all been there!

Your brain’s energy and motivation fluctuates. Which is normal but not super helpful when you’ve got a lot to do.

Today on The Bold Life podcast I’ll give you five strategies to kick your brain into gear and get stuff done.

I Would Rather Do Anything Else

The other day I had one of those off days. I would have rather done anything other than work.

I’m lucky enough to love my job and most days I’m excited to come into work. But I have to admit… not every day! And not even all day on the good days.

There are some tasks I have to do at work that I simply just don’t want to do, and it can be really hard to get motivated to do them.

If you’ve been here, you know how easy it is to…

Start procrastinating
Check your email every five minutes
Wander around aimlessly
Work on other tasks to avoid that one you don’t want to do

… It’s really hard to stay on track!

By the end of the day, you

Feel more tired
Didn’t get much accomplished, and
Feel frustrated that you didn’t get much done

Here’s The Solution

There are things you can do to set yourself up for success so that you can readily attack your to-do list.

Things like

Getting enough sleep
Taking care of your body and mind
Check out episode #42 of The Bold Life podcast for more tips on how to avoid burnout!

But what can you do about those days where you just feel… Bleh.

Those days that you can’t help but procrastinate, your motivation is nowhere to be found, and you spend hours spinning in your office chair.

Strategy #1: Start With Something Small

One of the prime reasons your brain procrastinates on tasks is because the task feels too overwhelming. The project is too big or the goal is too long term.

We know that our brain isn’t that good at focusing on long term outcomes so your brain sees the big task and says “meh, no thanks, that’s too much work”.

This is a bullet straight to your motivation and the endless procrastination and avoidance ensues.

By starting with something small, it’s easier to build your momentum and motivation.

Breaking the task down into smaller tasks makes it easy to start somewhere and keep going!

Bonus: Once you start, you’ll build momentum and your brain will want to continue.

Strategy #2: Set A Time Limit

Setting a timer is adding motivation.

When you say something like “I’m gonna work for 10 minutes”, you’ll usually end up working longer. It’s just a matter of getting started!

You can also tell yourself that if you work for 10 minutes you’ll get a reward or do something fun when you’re finished.

Strategy #3: Give Yourself A Reward

Reward yourself for your hard work! Rewards are great motivators for your brain.

It doesn’t have to be a huge thing – just something that’s fun and will make you feel good.

For example, you know I hate bookkeeping. So to motivate myself to get it done, I tell myself that once I get my bookkeeping done I’ll reward myself with an episode of my favourite show.

If you’re struggling to get started or your motivation feels really low, set a reward for yourself. “When I do this activity, I get this prize”.

Your brain’s going to release a whole bunch of happy neurotransmitters when you get that reward, and that can be super motivating to keep going.

Rewards work – and they’re a good thing! Make use of them.

Strategy #4: Try A Change Of Scenery

I’ve explained on The Bold Life before that your brain works best with routine.

Working at the same place, same desk, same area all the time actually makes you more efficient because your brain learns the routine in that space.

But your brain can also get into bad habits working in the same place.

For example, if you’re sitting at your desk procrastinating (spinning in your office chair again), what your brain is learning is “this is what I do at my desk”.

If you’re sitting at your desk while you’re chatting on the phone or scrolling through your social media, your brain might have developed a bad mental habit of associating your desk with procrastination.

So switch it up! Try working somewhere else. Maybe outside or in a conference room.

Taking that physical break can also restart your motivation and get you out of a funk. It will retrain some of those mental habits that might be making you procrastinate more just sitting at your desk trying to get things done.

Strategy #5: Just Start!

For real. Take that baby step. Start with five minutes. Just get started!

It comes back to the momentum game. Those baby steps get your brain working towards success.

Instead of being stuck in a mental loop of procrastination and low motivation, taking action – any action – can start a new mental loop of productivity.

Your brain will say “oh look! I actually did something. And it felt pretty good. I should keep going”.

You’ll probably be surprised that once you get started with any task, your momentum will grow.

It will take some effort because those bad mental habits are sometimes hard to beat, but each time your motivation is low and you take that step towards your goals anyways, your confidence will start to build too!

Wanna Learn More?

Check out my free workbook – Your Daily Productivity Checklist.

I show you how to get your brain organized to start your work day with success so you can stop procrastinating, get more done, and reach your goals, all without feeling totally overwhelmed!

I put together this checklist to help you get your workday started on the right foot and actually make progress towards your goals! When you start your day with your brain primed for productivity and efficiency you’ll get more done!

You can get your free copy at www.drnicolebyers.com/checklist

Show Highlights

[01:56] Having one of “those days” and how it affects my performance.

[03:30] Start with something small when you don’t want to work.

[05:17] The importance of setting a time limit for tasks.

[06:50] Try a change of scenery to boost motivation during your day.

[08:42] Get started and work for five minutes to get you moving.

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