Demotivation is one of those walls that can feel impossible to break through. For whatever reason, once that blanket comes sweeping across, it can be an absolute nightmare to try and work through. It can come in many forms; from not having the energy to finish a piece of work we’re almost at the end of, to simply not being motivated enough to get dressed and start the day’s work. Thankfully, identifying the root cause means you’re one step closer to finding a solution and a way out.
One reason for demotivation is simple; tiredness. Physically and mentally, we can end the day feeling drawn, not get enough sleep (or poor quality sleep) and we wake up without feeling in the least bit refreshed. This is more of a physical type of demotivation, and so no matter of mental gymnastics or coping methods is going to shake it off. Thankfully, unless you are suffering from medical reason for sleep deprivation, the answers are easy and clear. Avoid caffeine after early afternoon, set a time to get to bed and stick to it, and avoid any intensive work in the hours leading up to bed time. Sitting in front of a computer screen full of data is going to block you from mentally winding down.
Demotivation can also be caused by fear of failure, either because of past experiences or a lack of confidence. It’s an understandable quandary. Why put in all this hard work if we are simply going to miss the mark and fail? There is a simple phrase to remember here; “try and you might, don’t and you must certainly won’t.” If we continually use fear of failure as a barrier, we might as well never do anything. Most successes are the result of someone taking the plunge, and so we must all remember that failure is a real possibility, but equally, so is great success. And if it’s borne from previous failures, use those as a springboard to rework, improve and tailor your approach going forward.
Lack of interest in the subject matter is also another common cause. It’s totally relatable; we can all remember almost falling asleep at school during classes we had no idea in. But unfortunately the world is full of things we have little interest in, yet have to be involved with because it either pays the bills or is integral to our lives. The simple ‘one step process’ for getting over this type of demotivation is looking at it and assessing its impact; if it is minimal and has no impact on any end purpose, feel free to ditch it and not waste time on it, as it is simply sapping your energy and has no benefit. If it is of significant impact, remember what depends on it being done. This could literally be your paycheck, or someone may be depending on you to come through. Use that to motivate you.
Distraction can also be a demotivator. We mask it as motivation to do something else, like play video games or listen to music, but we are in fact procrastinating and putting off a much less attractive task. If you know what your ‘go to’ distractions are, then eliminate them; put a time limit on your games console, or better still, move to a new environment where its impossible to fall into your old traps. If you’re a homeworker, for instance, its worth heading into your office or a shared workspace where you cannot be as easily distracted.
Lastly, be aware of fatigue; this is a major unnoticed cause of demotivation, and its not noticed until its too late. You may have simply spent too much time on whatever task you’re now disinterested in, or have worked on it way past any productive end. Don’t be afraid to take a time out or to ask someone else for a second opinion; if you’re burning out, you’ll start to miss obvious or alternative ways of doing something and will slip into a pattern of demotivation.