What to do when there is no motivation at all

Watch your progress

If you feel a strong urge to procrastinate, grab a pen and paper. Write down one task you can close today to move forward. For example, prepare a commercial proposal paragraph or draw up a timetable for investors. Now mute your phone and get busy. Commit yourself completely to it, even if you only have 15 minutes.

It's not worth saying right away that this is the most banal advice in the world. Wait until the end of the day and take another five minutes to take stock. Think about how the task went, why it is important to you. Write down your answers and repeat the entire process the next day. This way you will notice a gradual movement forward.

Nothing motivates you like your own progress. And the first step towards it is to determine what needs to be done on this day.

Harvard psychologist Teresa Amabile described this in The Progress Principle. Together with colleagues, she tested how daily work habits affect motivation. She asked 238 creative professionals to keep a diary for one working project.

At the end of each day, participants summed up the results by describing one memorable event and their emotions. They also assessed themselves and colleagues in terms of manifestation of creativity, quality of work and contribution to team cohesion. “We wanted to understand what makes people happy, motivated, productive and creative at work,” says Teresa.

After examining about 12,000 records, the researchers noticed a coincidence. It turned out that people are more likely to think creatively and work productively when they are focused on a task and are fully involved in it. And "good" working days are days when there has been some progress in business, even if only small.

Break the loop of procrastination

We usually try to avoid painful and unpleasant actions, but procrastination only increases the discomfort. It is of two types - preventing and rewarding.

In the first case, we try to avoid losing or failing. For example, you are worried that you will perform poorly in public, and you postpone preparation. In the second, we believe that the necessary action will help to become better, but we avoid it because it is difficult.

Both types of procrastination are tied to emotions that dictate your actions. You either shield yourself from unpleasant feelings by doing other things, or you choose pleasant feelings right now instead of benefits in the future.

To deal with this, treat the feelings as changeable weather.

Admit that you have a desire to procrastinate, but don't dwell on it. Take two minutes to get to work. For example, if you need to make a report, open a new document and write whatever comes to mind. In a couple of minutes, important thoughts are likely to start popping up.

This method will help with any task that you put off. To make it even more effective, combine it with some kind of ritual - brew a cup of tea, meditate, light a candle. Gradually, you will get used to the fact that after this action you need to get to work.

Stop waiting for inspiration

We used to think that motivation is a spark that ignites us and starts our soul motor. In fact, everything is exactly the opposite. We achieve something when we start doing something.

“Motivation is“a fire that slowly flares up after you painfully light it by hand, fueled by the satisfaction of progress,”says writer Jeff Hayden, author of The Myth of Motivation.

So don't waste time. Identify which emotions are holding you back from getting down to business and try to push them aside. Work for two minutes and see what happens next. And track your progress regularly. Your pride and motivation will grow when you see what can be achieved with consistent daily actions.