Improving Motivation (& managing overwhelm)

Motivation is the process that moves us toward goal orientated behaviour. When motivation is low, there can be all sorts of issues… loss of self-esteem, frustration, and just not getting sh*t done, to name a few!
 
Motivation can be extrinsic (external incentives) and intrinsic (personal, internal incentives eg: joy/curiosity, fear). Whichever form it takes, the loss of motivation, stuckness and peaking of motivation are all perfectly normal human experiences. This may not impact you too much as you go through life, however for some people, loss of motivation, or even feeling hyper focused on a goal can be really impairing.
 
There are loads of strategies to deal with this, but for the purpose of this blog post, I’m going to keep it simple. Here are a few steps to assist when motivation is feeling out of balance, or when you are feeling overwhelmed.
 

1. Start with self-compassion. Self-compassion is simply this: a) acknowledge things are hard right now b) do not judge yourself c) act with kindness d) accept your situation d) recognise you are not alone with this problem.
2. Don’t wait for motivation to magically appear (or reduce in the case of hyperfocus).
3. Break it down to something small (in the case of hyperfocus, this would look more like setting a limit/boundary). Here are some examples:
4. Put your perfectionism aside. Unrelenting standards will only interfere with getting back on track. They may exist and create noise in your mind, but do not let them be the decision makers!

 
Breaking it down…
 

• Exercise for 10 minutes instead of an hour
• Set a timer for ONE thing on your todo list and only do 15/20 minutes of that task
• Ask one question of your partner about something specific, instead of avoiding the whole difficult conversation
• Read 4 pages of your book instead of feeling bad that you haven’t read a whole chapter

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If you experience chronic low motivation, you may need to seek advice to assess whether this is mental health related, as issues such as depression, anxiety, and attention deficit can play a significant role in motivational dysregulation.
 
Be kind to you, Ange
 
Extra resource: The Pomodoro Timer