Feeling unmotivated at work or, in general, sucks.
I get it; no matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to get yourself over the edge. You may wonder if that just makes you a lazy bum.
But it’s often not laziness.
You see, feeling unmotivated happens to the best of us. So, it’s normal to feel that way sometimes. However, you do want to address it, so it doesn’t become procrastination.
That’s why in this article, we will uncover:
- The 9 reasons why you feel lazy and unmotivated.
- And 11 simple but highly effective ways to overcome it.
So let’s dive in!
Reasons why you feel so lazy and unmotivated
You may wonder why you’re feeling unmotivated and lazy. Well, there are many scientific reasons.
Some examples include a loss of interest, lacking the proper engagement, not having a structure, unrealistic targets, or lacking any form of direction.
Just to name a few…
You may also be facing adversity and other difficulties in your life.
Either way, since there are many reasons, you must clarify why you feel unmotivated or lazy. And for each reason, I’ve given you a few solutions as starting points (which we cover later in this article).
Reason 1: Lacking direction
Say you’re working on a software product when suddenly, your company decides to pivot. However – they leave out the details of the new direction they want to move into.
How would you feel?
Not very motivated to keep working on the project, right? After all, you need clarity to know what to work on.
Well, life works like that too.
Staying motivated is challenging when you lack inspiring life goals or a vision for the future.
The solution: gain clarity, explore your options, and set audacious life goals.
Reason 2: Lacking purpose
A week later, that same leadership team gives you new instructions. However, this time they are vague and confusing.
It doesn’t seem to make sense…
And you can’t stop wondering why you’re doing what you’re doing.
You’re more likely to feel unmotivated at work when you don’t know why you do what you do – especially when it doesn’t seem to add up.
That does not just count at work but in your life too.
You must know WHY you do what you do.
Or at least, having a strong purpose worked well for Apple and Disney. But it also works great for individuals like Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Elon Musk, and many other inspiring leaders.
The solution: gain clarity and find purpose.
Reason 3: Unrealistic goals
When you set unrealistic goals for yourself, one or two things might happen:
- You may first feel excited (and then move to #2).
- You become anxious about the complexity or size of the goal you set out to achieve.
Audacious unrealistic goals are valuable while setting long-term goals for your wildest dreams and aspirations.
However, in the short term, they’ll crumble your motivation.
So, if you want to feel motivated, back up your audacious ambitions with realistic short-term goals.
The solutions: set process goals and optimize for flow.
Reason 4: Lacking a routine
A routine is nothing more than a set of habits. And there are many good books about habits for a good reason:
They make taking action almost effortless and significantly reduce your reliance on motivation.
But without them, you’re fighting your battle hill-up.
Say you want to work out more often, and every day after work, you’ll check to see how you feel about working out.
What will happen?
Sometimes you will go. Other times, you will feel too exhausted after work. Guess which option is more likely to recur?
You will probably skip too many sessions…
And perhaps even quit a couple of months later because you don’t see any results for your hard work.
Start building habits and reduce your reliance on willpower and motivation as your fuel source.
The solution: optimize for flow and develop a routine.
Reason 5: Lack of focus
Today, you worked out and feel excited to work on a side project. In no time, you’re getting into complete focus.
Just to receive a phone call…
After you hang up, you get back to work. Where was I…?
While you regain your focus, it doesn’t take long for your boss to walk in and ask you to help him prepare for an urgent meeting.
Interruptions are annoying.
And they’re especially annoying when you’re focused.
Not only are interruptions annoying, but according to Muse, it takes a whopping 30 minutes to regain your focus.
Even for seemingly innocent distractions…
Think about an email that pops up that you need to read now. A buzzing phone you must check because it may be necessary. Or simply catch yourself watching cat videos while doing research.
The solution: remove distractions and optimize for flow.
Reason 6: Losing interest
One key reason for feeling unmotivated isn’t laziness but a loss or lack of interest in work or life.
For example, you might get hired for a project but suddenly have to work on a different one that doesn’t suit your interests.
That can also happen with promotions.
Perhaps your new role in management doesn’t suit you because you prefer hands-on work.
Other times, it’s simply a shift in personal goals and values.
Either way, note when you lose interest in what you do. Because when you no longer feel engaged, you will lose motivation too.
The solution: gain clarity, explore your options, find purpose, and optimize for flow.
Reason 7: Self-doubt
When you lack self-belief, you simply won’t take the first step.
Why would you start a project or side hustle if you already believe you will fail? Better save yourself the trouble, right?
Self-doubt is a major motivation killer.
It’s a dragon that you must slay. Not only to stop feeling unmotivated and lazy but also to live your best life.
The solution: take responsibility, optimize for flow, and just do it.
Reason 8: Victim mentality
Do you feel unmotivated at work because people don’t do what they’re supposed to? And instead, do they interrupt you constantly so you can’t get anything done either?
Annoying, right?
How can you succeed in such a workplace…?
Perhaps you also struggle to make positive changes at home. For example, you might attract people who only blame and complain about everything.
Why is life so unfair?
You may suffer from the victim mentality if you identify with the above. When you do, you feel like the world is against you. And that you can never succeed because of external factors.
The real problem is that you gave your power away.
Fortunately, you can get it back.
The solution: take responsibility and just do it.
Reason 9: Vampires
Vampires are people that suck the energy out of you.
These people drag you down, judge others relentlessly, and endlessly complain about the tiny things that happen at work.
Quite unmotivating.
And I think it’s obvious how being around vampires leads to a loss of motivation – and joy in general.
The solution: take responsibility and surround yourself with uplifting and inspiring people.
11 Highly effective ways to regain motivation
The better you can pinpoint why you feel unmotivated and lazy, the easier you make it to pick the right solution.
Not all of these items will be relevant to you.
While I have given starting points above for the right solution, you still want to try different options. That way, you can find what works best for you.
Solution 1: Gaining clarity
Clarity is essential for gaining unstoppable motivation, greater self-confidence, and living your best life.
When you feel unmotivated, try to understand why. What reasons in this article explain your situation the best?
Sometimes, it’s pretty straightforward, like lacking a routine.
Other times, it may be more nuanced. For example, a shift in values can cause a mismatch between what’s important and the current direction of your life.
That’s why gaining clarity often is crucial.
Here are some critical questions to ask yourself regularly:
- What are your ambitions, desires, and personal goals?
- What’s most important to you, why is that important, and is your life aligned with that?
- Are you excited about life, and if not, why not?
- What’s holding you back from achieving what you want?
- Are you still working within your strength?
It will benefit you to build the habit of self-awareness.
Solution 2: Explore your options
Many people feel stuck and frustrated because they lack options.
For example, I felt stuck because I studied Finance and didn’t want to pursue a career in that area. So, why didn’t I quit?
Because I didn’t know what else to do…
I lacked options and felt helpless.
Today, that’s completely different. I’m trying many things and am learning various skills. Perhaps even too many.
Anyway, here’s the key message:
Explore more options – at all times. Mix up your hobbies, pursue your interests, learn new skills, or take on a different project.
Do it for the sake of exploration first.
The perfect thing will come to you when you’ve explored enough options, whether that means the ideal opportunity, the right passion, or good people.
Solution 3: Take responsibility
You should take 100% responsible for your life.
Why?
Because you’re always in control over how you think, feel, and act in any situation. So even when you’ve got a shitty hand, you’re responsible for how you play it.
It’s a powerful mindset shift.
When you take full ownership over your life, you regain personal power. You take back the driving seat of your life, which empowers you to make the necessary changes.
But what if someone really screwed you over?
I get it – things happen that aren’t your fault. And perhaps you’re very unlucky.
But what’s the alternative?
Not taking responsibility and staying sour? Who would that affect most? Exactly, it will only affect you. And perhaps also those who love and support you.
So instead, try to let go and take 100% responsibility for what you will do next. Regain your control back.
Solution 4: Set audacious life goals
You need to pursue something that excites you to get out of bed in the morning.
Striving for a promotion, for example. Or working on a side hustle or other business to get freedom and flexibility.
The question is: what are your ambitions?
What difference would you like to make?
It’s okay if your aspirational goals feel unrealistic and scary – they reflect your wildest dreams and desires.
No idea where to start? Why not create a bucket list with all the cool things you want to do, learn, and experience?
And then start pursuing them.
Solution 5: Set process-oriented goals
Massive life goals are inspiring and provide direction. But what happens when you only set big goals?
You’ll grow impatient and anxious.
Big goals are great, but they take a long time to achieve. And that’s very difficult for us humans to comprehend.
That’s why you need realistic goals too.
Such goals are much smaller and provide you with stepping stones to success.
Here are some important rules when setting short-term goals:
- Identify goals that support your vision. What are the short-term goals that yield the highest impact in the long-term to achieve your life goals and purpose?
- Set goals that are realistic to you. You must believe in your ability to get the job done.
- Set process-oriented goals that focus on actions, not results. While actions are 100% in your control, the results often vary on external factors.
Take these three simple rules into account when setting short-term goals. It will motivate you to become an action-taking machine.
Solution 6: Optimize for flow
While unrealistic short-term goals destroy motivation, so do too easy ones. That’s why you should find the exact balance between the two.
Mihaly explains this concept in his book Flow.
He explains that to achieve peak performance, you must have realistic yet slightly challenging goals.
We already covered the first part.
The second part is that a goal should stretch you a little. Why? Because otherwise, you become bored and unmotivated.
When you get the balance right, you achieve flow.
You do your best work in the flow state and experience the most pleasurable growth. In other words, you feel great, and your performance sky-rockets.
Here are 3 ways to adjust the challenge of your goal:
- Break it up into smaller goals.
- Get clear on exactly what to do to achieve your goal.
- Change the timeframe to make it easier or harder to achieve.
You may have to fizzle around a bit to get this right. But just remember that you want to aim for that flow experience.
Solution 7: Develop a routine for success
Routines are a set of habits that help you achieve success.
Many successful people have an optimal morning routine. For example, Barrack Obama and Gary Vaynerchuk start their day in the gym. And Tim Cook starts with his mail.
But do note that the perfect routine does not exist.
What matters is YOU.
- Do you wake up fast or slow?
- Does reading benefit you to get going?
- Or does working out benefit you the most?
- Are you most creative and want to use your morning energy to do innovative work first?
- Do you benefit from intermittent fasting, or do you need to have breakfast first thing in the morning?
Additionally, you must figure out precisely what’s required to achieve your desired success. Then, include that into your routine.
For example, for me, that’s writing. So I’ll do that when I feel most creative during those early morning hours.
Identify and develop good habits that suit you.
And keep adjusting until you find a routine that empowers you.
Solution 8: Just do it
Nike has it all figured out with their slogan, Just Do It.
Sometimes, that’s the simple answer. Just get your head down and get it done.
Sure, you won’t feel motivated all the time. Sometimes, your boss is being unfair to you. And perhaps the mistakes you’re supposed to fix were not your fault.
When that happens, you have two decisions:
- Not doing it – which will often cost lots of energy, might affect you negatively, leading to a loss of self-confidence and developing the habit of procrastination.
- To just do it – which develops the ACTION habit despite your circumstances, grows self-discipline and confidence, and will make you feel great when you get stuff done.
Sometimes, it’s better to suck it up and get it done – even when you don’t feel like it.
Solution 9: Find purpose
When experiencing a lack of motivation, you likely also lack a sense of purpose.
You know, the reason why you do what you do.
For example, if your purpose is to get by in life, that’s not very motivating. But if it is to create the world’s best ice-cream flavor, that’s much more inspiring, right?
A purpose is the main reason for getting out of bed in the morning. It’s the most profound source of motivation.
So, what’s the key to finding your purpose in life?
- Find something highly relevant and meaningful to you;
- That contributes to something bigger than yourself.
That’s it.
If you figure out one of the two items, that might motivate you in the short term. But figure out both elements, and you will keep going even when you feel unmotivated or lazy.
Solution 10: Remove distractions
While we have more tools to be productive than ever, so do we have more distractions. And being aware of them is crucial.
So, take any given day and track how much time goes to:
- Doing actual work;
- Spending time on social media;
- Spending time on the internet in general (not working);
- Checking your emails;
- Snacking and taking breaks;
- Etc.
Take special note of the number of times you’re distracted by seemingly harmless things. For example, when you receive an email that catches your attention.
Yes – just that email is a problem.
Not because it takes away the 10 seconds to check the mail but because it takes you minutes to regain focus on what you were doing.
You see, small distractions stack up and have consequences on your productivity and motivation.
The simple solution?
Eliminate all possible distractions. Turn your phone on flight mode. Close your inbox. Put on your headphones or go to a place where you can do an uninterrupted block of deep work.
Audit your day to find out what distracts you the most.
And then find ways to eliminate or reduce it.
Solution 11: Surround yourself with uplifting people
Yes, those around you make a big difference.
It helps to have a strong support group that inspires you to keep going. Those kinds of people will lift you even when you’re feeling unmotivated from time to time.
That doesn’t mean you should cut everyone else out.
Instead, reduce the time you spend around those who drain your energy. And increase the time around those who inspire you.
But where do you find such people?
Here are some ideas:
- Attend specific industry events. For example, attend a developer conference if you’re a developer. Or marketing events if you’re a marketer.
- Go to personal development meetups. Like you, these people also seek to improve themselves. Those can become great friendships indeed.
- Attend events or conferences that inspire you, whether Blockchain, marketing, blogging, or entrepreneurship – find what interests you and just go to meet people.
- Find a mentor. Find someone who you would like to learn from. But rather than asking for advice, seek to help them with whatever they’re doing first.
There are many ways to find and connect with like-minded and inspiring people. And if you cannot attend live events, just show up in online groups more often.
The key to building good relationships is providing more value than you seek.
Closing thoughts
We uncovered that laziness is often not the leading cause of feeling unmotivated. Instead, many different reasons cause people to lose motivation.
You will soon regain momentum by becoming aware of those reasons and then using the correct solutions.
Additionally, check out the best motivational books to rebuild that Sparta-like motivation.
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