The Only Way To Get Things Done When You Are Not Motivated!

You need a balanced dose of discipline, prioritization, resilience, hard work, hydration, and fuel for the body and mind for success on hard days!

How many times in a week or day do you have this feeling of dread overall you need to accomplish (having put off the tasks days earlier), and now that you need to work to beat the deadline or just get some things off your plate you are unable to start? At the back of your mind, you know that you must complete the pending tasks, however mundane or complex they are. But you’re dragging your feet, doing everything else but not what you need to do.

You also know that the chances of some life-changing thought, quote, or mystical force coming around and jolting you into action is an impossibility. Somehow, you cannot stop but think… If only there were something that would move things along (or get rid of that annoying feeling of demotivation) to allow you actually to do what needs to be done. There is something that will get you to the finish line — action, discipline, and resilience. You must do the hard work, your feelings notwithstanding.

“There is no magic wand that can resolve our problems. The solution rests with our work and discipline. ” — Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

Despite knowing all that, we still struggle most days and waste days waiting for motivation to strike. That may never happen in the waiting, and avoiding the work only makes you feel worse.

To help us all when we’re struggling, here are some tips and tricks that will take you closer to completed tasks and perhaps an even higher level of motivation.

Stop letting your feelings control your actions.

Remember this out-of-control, all-too-familiar spiral? You feel horrible, low, agitated, or just meh, and you can’t get around to starting work. Since you have been told that it’s okay to feel your feelings, you sit with them for too long, lying to yourself that you will get on with work the moment you feel energized and up for it. Hours pass, the deadline draws nearer, and you’re freaking out because you may not have enough time to work. The feeling of dread holds rein over your head, and then the cycle of negative self-talk sets in. All of it is bad, and you promise yourself never to make the same mistake in the future.

I have been here, I have felt empty too many times over the years for doing just this, and I’ve learned an important lesson — emotions and feelings are always there. They come and go, and what matters is how you move past them. You cannot attend to every emotion or feeling that comes over you. You may be taking a long to start because something else is bugging you.

In such cases, I recommend prioritization. Push the feelings aside for as long as you must, if it can wait. But if you must deal with it immediately, do so.

Remember that action (completed work) beats your fickle emotions at the end of the day. Your reward will be twofold — Checking everything off your list and more than enough motivation for the next day.

Eat something

Here’s a possibility — you’re in a slump, but it’s just because you skipped a meal, and not because you don’t feel like or don’t have the energy to work! So, eat something first, preferably a protein-rich meal or snack. Avoid bread or the glazed donut because they are made of simple sugars and carbohydrates that may make you feel full for a short while, causing a sharp spike in insulin levels, followed soon after by a crash because of the drop in blood sugar levels, that leaves you feeling fatigued, foggy, and unable to concentrate.

So, if you haven’t eaten, get high fiber and protein foods. These will stave off hunger for most of the day, and give you the fuel you need to work.

Low blood sugar negatively affects your motivation and performance, so you must eat for the best performance. Sometimes, the midmorning or afternoon slump is your body’s way of saying its sugar coffers are depleted.

Don’t forget your cup of coffee and hydrate.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

Dehydration kills your productivity. Did you know that in addition to flushing out toxins and ensuring optimal kidney function, drinking water increases your mental alertness and concentration by hydrating and flushing out toxins from your brain? So, perhaps, the mental fog that made you feel lethargic in the first place was the result of dehydration.

Just do it!

You’ve got to start, especially when you don’t feel like it.

Stop chasing the romanticized idea of ‘ productivity flow’ — the heightened state of attention towards tasks, a state at which we are performing at our best and our creative juices seemingly flowing effortlessly.

We don’t always reach this state. So, just because you’re struggling to get started at work or don’t seem to be able to attain that golden state of flow doesn’t mean you stop working. The pace may be slower than you’d like, but you will soon start checking off items from the list. Keep going.

You will be surprised by how fast your motivation spikes once you allow yourself to start.

You cannot eat the cow whole

Check items off your list in bits. This means breaking down your tasks into small little ones. Checking items off the list, however small and simple the tasks are, is often an easy way to get more done. One complete item often gives you the motivation to get started on the next one.

Separate your emotions from work

I had an interesting chat with a male friend a while back. We both had long, stressful days at work, and as we mulled over life and the challenges that come with adulting, the topic of preferring a male colleague or boss to a female one came up. Workplace inequalities aside, the issue was how men and women deal with personal challenges. And also how more men than women carry their emotional baggage to the office. While men are guilty of this too, most of them can better separate work from personal life. Not to say that they abandon things or ignore them completely; most men choose to deal with their other ‘problems’ after work… Unless work is the problem.

Though we’re not going to debate this, I’m also guilty of doing the same; I’ve learned over time that it is okay to set aside the things that drag us down. We can do hard things even when having bad days at home.

Setting some things aside gives you space to deal with everything that needs your attention, so your mind is not overwhelmed with everything. You can pick up the other problem later (in the day).

The next time you feel off and want to let your feelings run the day, try the recommendations above first!

I hope this article has been helpful. Let me know what you think about this subject and tips that have worked for you in the past.