What to Do When You Have No Motivation

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Whether you can’t get motivated tocleanyour house or you just aren’t feeling motivated to lose weight, a lack ofmotivationcan be the biggest obstacle to reaching your goals.

When you have no motivation to complete a task (or even start one), consider the possible reasons why you’re struggling. Then, develop a plan to help motivate yourself to get going.

Keep in mind that not every strategy works for everyone—or in every situation. Perform some behavioral experiments to see which strategies best help you reach your goals.

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Act as If You Feel Motivated

For example, rather than sit on the couch in your pajamas all day waiting for motivation to strike, get dressed and get moving. You might find that taking action will increase your motivation, which makes it easier to keep going.

So ask yourself, “What would I be doing right now if I felt motivated?” Consider what you’d be wearing, how you’d be thinking, and what actions you’d be taking. Then, do these things, and see if your motivation level increases.

1:29Everything You Need to Know About Motivation

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Everything You Need to Know About Motivation

Argue the Opposite

When you’re struggling with motivation, you’ll likely come up with a long list of reasons why you shouldn’t take any action. You might think, “It’ll be too hard,” or, “I’ll never get it done anyway.” These types of thoughts will keep you stuck.

Try arguing the opposite. When you think you’re going to fail, argue all the reasons why you might succeed. Or when you think you can’t finish a job, list all the evidence that shows you’ll be able to complete the task.

Arguing the opposite can help you see both ends of the spectrum. It can also remind you that an overly pessimistic outcome isn’t completely accurate.

There’s a chance that things might work out better than you expect. And you might find that developing a more balanced outlook will help you feel more motivated to try.

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Practice Self-Compassion

You might think being hard on yourself is the key to getting motivated. But harsh self-criticism doesn’t work.

Research shows thatself-compassionis actually much more motivating, especially when you are struggling with adversity.

Self-compassion may also improve mental health (which can increase motivation). A 2012 studypublished inClinical Psychology Reviewdiscovered that self-compassion decreases psychological distress, reduces the symptoms of anxiety and depression, and reduces the harmful effects of stress.

So rather than beat yourself up for mistakes or call yourself names, create a kinder inner dialogue. This doesn’t mean you need to repeat exaggeratedlypositive affirmationslike, “I’m the best person in the world,” however.

Instead, healthy self-compassion balances self-acceptance with self-improvement. Acknowledge your flaws, mistakes, and failures with honesty. But don’t indulge in a pity party.

Speak to yourself like a trusted friend. Ask yourself, “What would I say to a friend who had this problem?” You’d likely be much kinder to someone else than you are toward yourself. So start treating yourself like a good friend.

Additionally, coach yourself in a helpful manner. Practice using self-talk thatencouragesyou and helps you recover from setbacks.

How to Develop Self-Compassion

Use the 10-Minute Rule

The 10-minute rule can help you get started. Give yourself permission to quit a task after 10 minutes. When you reach the 10-minute mark, ask yourself if you want to keep going or quit. You’ll likely find that you have enough motivation to keep going.

So whether you lack motivation to start working on a boring report, or you can’t seem to get yourself off the couch to start a to-do list, use the 10-minute rule to motivate yourself to take action.

Getting started on a task is usually the hardest part. Once you get going, however, it’s much easier to keep going.

Go For a Walk in Nature

Fresh air, a change of scenery, and a little exercise can do wonders for your motivation. Walking in nature—as opposed to a busy urban street—can be especially beneficial.

A 2013 study published in theBritish Journal of Sports Medicinefound that walking half a mile through a park reduces brain fatigue. Being in nature offers a calming effect that rejuvenates the brain—which can help motivate you to tackle a tough task.

Pair a Dreaded Task With Something You Enjoy

Youremotionsplay a major role in your motivation level. If you’re sad, bored, lonely, or anxious, your desire to tackle a tough challenge or complete a tedious task will suffer.

Here are some examples:

Manage Your To-Do List

It’s tough to feel motivated when yourto-do list is overwhelming. If you feel like there’s no hope in getting everything done, you might not try to do anything.

Take a look at your to-do list, and determine if it’s too long. If so,get rid of tasks that aren’t essential.

See if other tasks can be moved to a different day. Prioritize the most important things on the list, and move those to the top.

You might find a slight change in your to-do list—or the way you view your to-do list—will help you to see your tasks as more manageable. As a result, you might feel more motivated to get to work.

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Practice Self-Care

You’ll struggle with motivation as long as you aren’t caring for yourself. Sleep-deprivation, a poor diet, and lack of leisure time are just a few things that can make trudging through the day more difficult than ever.

Create a healthyself-care planthat allows you to take care of your mind and body:

5 Types of Self-Care for Every Area of Your Life

Reward Yourself for Working

Create a small reward for yourselfthat you can earn for your hard work. You might find focusing on the reward helps you stay motivated to reach your goals.

For example, if you have a long paper to write for class, you might tackle it in several different ways:

Make sure your rewards don’t sabotage your efforts, however. Rewarding your hard work at the gym with a sugary treat might be counterproductive. And counterproductive bad habits will decrease your motivation in the long term.

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Seek Professional Help

If your motivation remains low for two or more weeks, seek professional help. You may also want to seek help if your lack of motivation is affecting your daily functioning. For example, if you aren’t able to go to work, your performance at work is suffering, or if you can’t get motivated to leave the house, this could be a sign of something more serious.

Schedule an appointment with your physician. Your doctor may want to rule out physical health conditions that may be affecting your energy or mood.

Your doctor may also refer you to a mental health professional to determine if your lack of motivation might be related to a mental illness, like depression. If so, treatment may include therapy, medication, or a combination of both. You may also want to consider an online therapy program to address any underlying issues and tackle your lack of motivation.

Get Help NowWe’ve tried, tested, and written unbiased reviews of thebest online therapy programsincluding Talkspace, Betterhelp, and Regain. Find out which option is the best for you.

Get Help Now

We’ve tried, tested, and written unbiased reviews of thebest online therapy programsincluding Talkspace, Betterhelp, and Regain. Find out which option is the best for you.

Causes of Having No Motivation

Sometimes, no motivation can be the problem. At other times, it’s merely the symptom of a bigger problem.

For example, if you’re aperfectionist, your lack of motivation may stem from the fear that you won’t complete a task flawlessly. Until you address this need to be perfect, your motivation isn’t likely to increase.

At other times, your lack of motivation may cause you toprocrastinate. And the more you procrastinate, the less motivated you feel. In this case, improving your motivation to get work done can help you feel better and perform better.

So it’s important to take a few minutes to consider why you might have trouble motivating yourself. Here are some common reasons for a lack of motivation:

These are just a few common reasons why people sometimes lack motivation. You might find that your lack of motivation stems from other issues, like the fear of what people think or a desire to please everyone. So carefully consider the underlying thoughts and feelings that are affecting your drive.

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A Word From Verywell

Everyone struggles with motivation issues at one time or another. The way you respond to your lack of motivation is what matters, however. Be kind to yourself, experiment with strategies that increase your motivation, and ask for help if you need it.

What Motivation Theory Can Tell Us About Human Behavior

3 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Breines JG, Chen S.Self-compassion increases self-improvement motivation.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2012;38(9):1133-1143. doi:10.1177/0146167212445599Macbeth A, Gumley A.Exploring compassion: A meta-analysis of the association between self-compassion and psychopathology.Clinical Psychology Review. 2012;32(6):545-552. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2012.06.003Aspinall P, Mavros P, Coyne R, Roe J.The urban brain: Analysing outdoor physical activity with mobile EEG.British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2013;49(4):272-276. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2012-091877

3 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Breines JG, Chen S.Self-compassion increases self-improvement motivation.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2012;38(9):1133-1143. doi:10.1177/0146167212445599Macbeth A, Gumley A.Exploring compassion: A meta-analysis of the association between self-compassion and psychopathology.Clinical Psychology Review. 2012;32(6):545-552. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2012.06.003Aspinall P, Mavros P, Coyne R, Roe J.The urban brain: Analysing outdoor physical activity with mobile EEG.British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2013;49(4):272-276. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2012-091877

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Breines JG, Chen S.Self-compassion increases self-improvement motivation.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2012;38(9):1133-1143. doi:10.1177/0146167212445599Macbeth A, Gumley A.Exploring compassion: A meta-analysis of the association between self-compassion and psychopathology.Clinical Psychology Review. 2012;32(6):545-552. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2012.06.003Aspinall P, Mavros P, Coyne R, Roe J.The urban brain: Analysing outdoor physical activity with mobile EEG.British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2013;49(4):272-276. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2012-091877

Breines JG, Chen S.Self-compassion increases self-improvement motivation.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2012;38(9):1133-1143. doi:10.1177/0146167212445599

Macbeth A, Gumley A.Exploring compassion: A meta-analysis of the association between self-compassion and psychopathology.Clinical Psychology Review. 2012;32(6):545-552. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2012.06.003

Aspinall P, Mavros P, Coyne R, Roe J.The urban brain: Analysing outdoor physical activity with mobile EEG.British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2013;49(4):272-276. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2012-091877

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