Low Motivation & Procrastination
Procrastination has been such a common problem for so long that every generation has something to say about it: “Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part,” “The French don’t have a word for deadline,” “Never put off until tomorrow what you can take care of today,” etc. If you notice a trend of judgment, blame, and guilt, it’s not just you, and that’s part of the reason so many of us get stuck in a procrastination cycle. We procrastinate and can’t bring ourselves to forgive ourselves for being “unmotivated procrastinators.” The problem is that everyone procrastinates and everyone is motivated to do some things and unmotivated to do other things. The behavior of procrastination and the state of being unmotivated are not global characteristics of a person.
Too Much To Do
It’s worth taking a moment to look at your to-do list and your schedule and ask if you are approaching any of this with realistic expectations. If you have too much to do, the overwhelm alone can make you shut down and avoid doing anything.
According to 10 Scientifically Proven Tips for Beating Procrastination, if you are feeling overwhelmed by your task list, a good place to start is to choose one thing you want to accomplish that week. If you can get it done immediately, for example, if it’s a task that can be completed in five minutes, go for that.
Gretchen Rubin’s advice to tackle a nagging task is similar. If it’s bothering you, it’s distracting you from other things. Just get it done. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be done.
Being Mean to Yourself
Guilt needs to go. Nobody gets everything done. As an adult, if you’re realistic, there’s always more stuff to do. Something could be cleaned. Something in your house could be maintained. You could get ahead on a project at work. You could make a bigger dent in your to be read pile, or spend more time with your partner, your kids, your friends, or your dog. You could work out more, etc. There’s always something to do, but realistically, we need rest. In times of physical and mental stress, we need extra rest.
It’s important to have unscheduled time that is just for you.
Embrace the mantra that your productivity does not define your value. Without dumping energy into feeling bad about what you aren’t accomplishing, you will have more energy to actually get things done, and you will feel happier.
Rewards and Celebrations
Take the drudgery out of the to do list and celebrate when you get something difficult done. It’s also important to celebrate milestones in your career, skill development, or just getting through a difficult day. Gretchen Rubin even took the retro approach of keeping a star chart for herself so that she could literally give herself a gold star for maintaining a good habit. Need inspiration? This list of 205 ways to reward yourself includes free options as well as options that don’t involve food. (If you want food options and shopping options, those are on there too.)
Each Day is a New Opportunity
I hope that you find some suggestions in her that help you have more compassion for yourself when you feel stuck and can’t seem to get things done, and maybe even some inspiration that helps you finally complete that nagging task. What usually works for you when you’re dragging your feet on something? Let me know in the comments.
