Do you ever have bursts of motivation one day, ticking off several things on your to-do list then the next day it’s a struggle to even get started? Feeling motivated can be one of the biggest obstacles to achieving our goals. At some point in our lives, we will all probably go through periods where we struggle with motivation but it’s what we do in these moments that can help us get out of these ruts.

Finding a strategy that helps motivate you to complete your goals can be helpful, but it might take some time to figure out what works best for you. So here are 5 tips to help you refocus and reignite your motivation.

Prioritise your time

When your to-do list starts to become overwhelming, spend some time to prioritising tasks that need to be done first, and break down challenging tasks into smaller steps to make them more manageable. Having this structure can help you get motivated but make sure your to-do lists are realistic with the time you have available.

Why?

Remembering why you need to get a certain task done can be a powerful motivator to reignite your motivation. This could apply to making steps towards your future goals or just enjoying the feeling of ticking off an item on your to-do list. No matter how big or small the task in front of you is, try and think of all the benefits of completing this task.

Know when to rest

If you are feeling demotivated, try not to beat yourself up about it, address the situation with some self-compassion. Acknowledge that this may not be your day, but it doesn’t mean you aren’t going to achieve your goals in the future. There are times you need to push through to get the job done, but sometimes times you will need to be flexible with yourself.  This will help you prevent burnout and feeling drained.

Sometimes when motivation is low, it may be a sign to take some time out and focus on caring for yourself. Neglecting sleep, food intake and regular exercise can reduce our concentration, mood and ability to focus making it difficult to get things done.

What’s killing your productivity?

A lack of motivation can be caused by several different reasons but sometimes it has no obvious cause. Figuring out the root of why you are feeling demotivated can help you overcome these issues and work on strategies to help you in the future.

Some reasons we may avoid tasks is because we perceive them as too difficult and want to avoid uncomfortable feelings that come up. You may also be experiencing some self-doubt, making it difficult to start a task.  Or maybe you just over-extended yourself and have a lot going on so you are feeling burnt out which will affect your motivation. Figuring out the root of the issue will help you work towards fixing it.

Finally, mental health issues could be the root of your struggles with motivation.  Low motivation and interest in tasks is a common symptom of depression and anxiety. If it starts to affect your daily functioning, such as at work, or you are struggling to get out of bed and take care of yourself, it might be helpful to seek help from a professional.

Don’t wait it out

Instead of waiting for motivation to strike, you can try and encourage your brain to feel motivated by making small changes to your behaviour. Try asking yourself “If I was feeling motivated what would I be doing right now?” Then do those things and see if your motivation increases.

When motivation is low it’s easy to come up with 100s of reasons why you shouldn’t do something, but these thoughts will just keep you stuck feeling demotivated. Try and balance out these thoughts by arguing the opposite. For example, if the fear of failing is holding you back from getting your tasks done, try and list all the ways you could succeed.

Getting started can sometimes be the hardest part, so give yourself permission to stop after 10 minutes. You may find that once you get started on a task whether that is by cleaning, writing an assignment or exercising that it’s easier to keep going once you have started.