Finding Motivation When Yours is Nowhere to Be Found

Every morning when I get up, I shower, work for a bit and then head from my office into the living room to enjoy a cup of coffee with my husband once he’s out of the shower. Since I don’t care much for the talking until I’m done with the coffee, it helps that I can read emails, peruse my social media pages and even use Pinterest to see what’s up in the lives of others, find outfit inspiration and or see some new and amazing way that I’m failing as a human who lives an imperfect existence. One of my favorite things to do on a Monday morning is look through Pinterest to find Motivational Monday tips, advice and quotes.

I have this thing about spending my Sundays in a happy place and then waking up refreshed and ready to tackle the week on Monday. Mostly because by Tuesday I’m over it and ready to get back to the weekend; motivational Monday stuff is good for me because it puts me in an even better mood for the rest of the day. Sadly, by Wednesday I wake up unmotivated and struggling. It happens. That’s when I have to refer back to my Motivational Monday mantra and find a way to re-motivate myself to get through three more days of life before the weekend arrives. I’ve learned a thing or two over the years, and I thought I might share those things with you to help you get over your unmotivated mid-week slump, too.

Fix your posture

When I feel myself slouching at my desk, I want to take a nap. I immediately sit upright and fix my posture as a whole. Unbelievably, it helps more than I ever imagined to make me feel better and more motivated. I automatically feel more in control and more focused when I am able to sit up straight.

Take a break

Sometimes I’m the least motivated when I’m this close to being finished with my work for the day, but my mind has already departed the building and started on other things. Working from home means at this point I’m usually thinking about tackling the laundry or sitting down with a book until nap time is over for my twins. However, I can’t concentrate and it ends up taking me far longer than necessary to get anything done.

That’s when I stop and take a break. If there is something really on my mind bothering me, such as that laundry that needs to be folded, I’ll do that and get it out of my brain. Sometimes that’s all it takes. Other times, I will go sit down with a snack and spend 10 minutes relaxing before I’m refocused and energized enough to finish what I’m doing.

Change it up a bit

I’m a schedule-oriented freak; and I mean freak. I work on routine like you would not believe. I have a daily schedule, and I like to stick to it. Would you believe me when I say that I have four small kids, including 2-year-old twins, and even they know our daily schedule so well that they help me out? It’s that bad in terms of how much I thrive on my schedule. However, sometimes my lack of motivation burns me out to the point that I have to change things up.

Every so often, doing something out of my comfort zone such as sleeping in instead of working at 5 am helps me get out of my funk and motivates me. I appreciate it, and it really does help. Sometimes a change of pace or schedule is all it takes.

Celebrate

When I’m feeling particularly unmotivated and like I don’t want to do it anymore for the day, I remind myself that there is something in it for me. For example, I work very hard all week so that I can take Fridays off work. I have some assignments that come to me on Fridays that I cannot work ahead on, so I tackle those good and early and spend the rest of the day doing things with the kids, for myself and around the house that I sometimes miss out on the rest of the week. It’s how I celebrate all my hard work. It motivates me to think of that when I’m unmotivated.

Give in

Sometimes you just have no motivation left. Sometimes it’s just gone. Sometime it’s just not there and there is nothing you can do about that. Recognizing that you’re not there today is a good start. It means you can give up, give in and recharge. I’ve found that when my motivational battery cannot be recharged in any other way, it’s time for me to give up and change my plan for the day. It helps more than you can imagine.

Photo by Getty Images