Oftentimes, you may try different ways to get motivated to start doing your work. As part of this, you may have gone through motivational quotes, speeches or life hacks. Despite this, sooner or later, you may start feeling low and it becomes hard completing the long-term work. Meanwhile, your chores get piled up pushing you to anxiety and stress. In this situation, it is necessary to complete our work even without relying on motivation. Therefore, we shall see some strategies that will help you to get your work done even with no motivation.
Strategies to Get Your Work Done With No Motivation
1. Know that motivation is temporary
Your first step to getting your things done without motivation is to realize that motivation is temporary. Usually, motivation helps you to get a headstart to achieve your goals. However, motivation may not necessarily help you to continue toward the completion of your targets. Hence, you should be mentally prepared to strive towards your goals even without motivation. In short, you should be prepared to do your tasks even at times you feel low.
2. Push yourself into beginning with the task
As the old saying goes, your first stride is the hardest one on your journey. Hence, if you have made your first few actions to complete your task, then finishing the entire task becomes easier. Eventually, you see yourself getting involved in the workflow. So, avoid overthinking and start with your work right away.
3. Abandon perfectionism
Most likely, you will not start working if you think you are unable to complete the work perfectly. In turn, this can affect your productivity. In this regard, a 2010 study performed among psychology professors reveals that perfectionism limits their research productivity. Here, you should know that perfection comes with practice. To be perfect, you should start doing the work. Notably, repeated failures and learning from mistakes makes you perfect.
4. Do Brain dumping
Brain dumping is a technique that can help you achieve a clearer state of mind. In this technique, you have to take a sheet of paper and write your thoughts on it. Literally, in this way, you are dumping the annoying thoughts of your brain into a sheet of paper. A randomised control study among students has found that long-term writing down of their emotions has helped them reduce test anxiety. So, write down anything that is presently running in your mind. Whether it is your action plans or just random meaningless pieces of ideas, just write them down.
5. Set Clear goals
Remarkably, a 2016 study of 105 groups of employees found that setting clear goals increases work performance. Ideally, adopting a target-oriented approach is best to help you complete your work. For example, in an upcoming exam, it is good to have a goal of doing your best. However, setting a target of getting within the top 100 ranks in the exam is a better strategy. Anyhow, the target should be practical and realistic. Surely, It is always good for you to aim high. Still, being too much idealistic in setting your work schedule will most likely end up leaving the goal unachieved.
6. Split your tasks
Occasionally, the sight of a long list of endless tasks can be frightening. Similarly, the workload of long-term projects can emotionally drain you. In these cases, breaking down your work into small chunks can help you a lot. Originally, there is a Japanese method known as Kaizen which means continual progress. In this method, the total work is split into small manageable parts. Also, each divided portion of work will be relatively easy as compared to the total workload So, completing these tasks will gradually lead you to complete the full project.
7. Fix achievable deadlines
Usually, you may tend to stuff maximum chores into your schedule for being productive. In reality, this leaves your work left incomplete due to time shortage. This, in turn, can lead you to further stress and inability to maintain motivation. Hence, always overestimate the time a little more than you expect to complete your project. So, if you got your work done within the time, well and good. In case, if you can complete it earlier, then you get some extra time to enjoy your life. Anyway, the stress of unfinished work can be avoided forever.
8. Maintain hygiene
Notably, a 2017 study shows that the cleanliness of the work environment leads to higher productivity and happiness among office employees. Thus, both self-hygiene and tidiness of the workplace are important factors affecting your workflow. Always, wear clean clothes and tidy up your work desk. Besides, you can beautify your work area by placing indoor plants, office decor, etc. Likewise, setting proper ventilation for air and light will also help you to get your work done.
9. Take short breaks
Generally, taking short breaks between tasks can help you regain your energy. A study published in the European journal of work and organizational psychology shows that taking short breaks can improve your work efficiency. Indeed, taking breaks can help you replenish your mental health thus continuing your work. In particular, the famous Pomodoro technique, in which you take a five-minute break for every 25 minutes of productive work can help you to get your work done.
10. Take care of yourselves
As in every situation, your physical and mental health is important for getting things done. Importantly, you should avoid junk foods, exercise and get adequate sleep. In this regard, you can plan a healthy diet plan, a routine exercise schedule and a fixed bedtime. Notably, the corporate norm of working hard even without sleep will not be good for your long-term progress.
11. Avoid distractions
Indeed, you will be having some factors that distract you from your work. To enlist, the distraction can be social media, repeatedly beeping notifications or your inner worries. Whatever it may be, avoiding distractions is crucial for your progress toward getting things done. For this, you can try the ‘digital detox’ technique in which you practise avoiding digital screens for a targeted time.
12. Break up with your addictions
Normally, addictions affect all aspects of life including productivity. In this regard, a study conducted among young adults suggests that those who got addicted to Marijuana are 35% less likely to lead a productive life. Certainly, alcohol addiction and substance abuse can carve out the lion’s share of your time. Furthermore, these toxicities push you into the deepest trenches of anxiety and depression that cause loss of motivation. Therefore, if you have any type of addiction, you should seek professional help as fast as possible.
13. Enjoy small wins
As you have put yourself into starting the work, now it is the time to celebrate your wins. Periodically, reflect on yourself and appreciate how far you have come. You should know that you do not have to wait till your final goal for your happiness. Rather, try to embrace each moment of the journey toward your goal. In this way, your joy of work can stimulate you to get your work done. Additionally, you can set some milestones between your tasks. Then, reward yourself for reaching each one of them. The rewards can be a walk through the gardens, a talk with your loved ones or a bar of your favourite chocolate.
14. Be positive, don’t be hard on yourself
Naturally, it is more likely that you will complete your work if you think it is possible. On the contrary, if you think the workload is high, you will find it difficult to continue with your work. Also, self-criticism is good but you should not cross the limits. Constantly blaming yourself for your mistakes is not a good idea. Instead, forgive yourself and learn from your mistakes. Thus, every mistake make becomes your stepping stone to success.
15. Review and Reroute
As you start working on a project, especially a long one, it is normal for you to feel overwhelmed. Mostly, depending solely on motivation is not a good strategy as it will not last long. Strikingly, a recent study published in the Frontiers in Psychology journal shows that self-evaluation boosts work engagement.
So, you need to self-evaluate your progress. That is, you should recollect your goals while starting the project. Afterwards, you should review what you have achieved till now. Finally, the thoughts on the benefits of completing the work would lead you to the finishing point. Surely, this self-realisation exercise is a great strategy to get your work done with no motivation.
Note:
It is important to remember that not every strategy works for everyone or every situation. It is important to know what strategy works for you when you have no motivation. On the other hand, there are a number of reasons why you may find it difficult to get started or complete a task. In order to overcome a struggle, it is essential to consider why you are struggling. Having trouble motivating yourself may be a sign of depression, anxiety, or other mental health issues that may need to be addressed by a professional.