Lost Your Spark? Here Are My Tips For Regaining Motivation

Spring quarter is when I tend to feel myself drifting from my responsibilities whether they be for school, personal fitness goals, or even simple activities like spending time with friends. And I can safely say, I’m experiencing that lack of motivation right now. Typically, my friends describe me as a very productive person who wakes up early and is on top of things. While I still wake up early and get done what I need to do, I can feel that my energy is slipping. I’m procrastinating more, and to be completely open, I’m doing (closer to) the bare minimum for my classes when I should be taking full advantage of the resources and time I have while in school. 

If you are experiencing the same thing or sometimes go through cycles of getting into this “off” rhythm, hopefully, this post can help you by sharing some tips on how to regain your motivation. 

I’ve already written a post on burnout and shared plenty of helpful tips there, so I recommend you check it out if that’s what you’re experiencing. However, in this post, I want to focus more on lack of motivation which I believe is more something that causes burnout rather than being the same thing. In the post on burnout, I mention that catching it early is an important step. I’d say that’s exactly what we’re doing here. 

First, check on your routine

As I’ve started to recognize this lack of motivation, I’ve realized that I also don’t have a normal routine currently. Some things I’m doing correctly are waking up at 7:00 (basically) every day and going to my classes every week. But otherwise, I don’t have much of a norm for the time I dedicate to working out and studying. 

After recognizing this, I plan on setting aside specific times for working out each day and getting work done. For example, I will run at 7:30 am every day and study from 4-6:00 pm every Tuesday and Thursday. At the same time though, I want to take variation in where I do these things. Changing my running and study spots will keep me from getting bored with these activities. 

This will look different for everyone but the point here is to reexamine your routine and see where there is room for improvement. I never want to sound like we all have to do the same thing every day because that sounds like a boring life to me, but I certainly find that when I am not freeballing every day I can get more done and end the day feeling like I accomplished everything I wanted to. 

Create small goals

If you find yourself procrastinating, creating small goals is an important step to take. I find that when I dump everything I have to do in the next few days on a to-do list I get overwhelmed and then push off my work even more. Choosing one task to get done every time you sit down for your study session helps set boundaries which leads to better motivation. Once you finish a task, you should also have a plan for the break you want to take.

Be cautious of how you spend your downtime 

The Harvard Business Review emphasizes the importance of spending your downtime doing more enriching activities instead of simply “vegging”. The article that I linked says that it’s important to “focus on an approach goal — doing something pleasurable — instead of an avoidance goal — not checking email.” I also believe that doing more meaningful tasks helps build a culture around the way you live your day-to-day life. If you’re more used to being productive in your downtime, you’re more likely to act that way all of the time. 

Do one thing you enjoy each day

This tip goes back to checking in on your routine because you can embed this into your day-to-day. Some examples of things I prioritize each day because they make me feel good and happy are running (preferably with a friend) and having my morning coffee while working on the NYT games or the puzzle I have going in my living room. When I do these in the morning, they set me up for a great day. However, I also sometimes use them as a study break. I just have to be careful that I don’t get too sucked into the puzzle…

Find some inspiration

My last tip for regaining motivation is finding inspiration. However, it’s important to be specific with the inspiration you seek. I scroll on Pinterest and look for outfits, arts and crafts, and cooking inspo every day. But since I’m struggling to find motivation in my school work and fitness goals specifically, I want to cater my search more towards those goals. That’s not to say I can’t find aesthetically pleasing pictures of running and studious girlies though. 

I recently was at a cafe getting work done with my roommate and after being productive for a decent amount of time, I went on Pinterest during a break and we found ourselves creating an entire business plan. Side mission much? While it’s great that we became passionate about our new venture, it probably wasn’t the best project at the time since it kept us from finishing our work. All inspiration is good inspiration, but when you’re struggling in a specific aspect of your life (work, fitness), it’s probably the most beneficial to find inspiration in that field. 

I hope I was able to share some helpful tips on finding your motivation. 

Sending virtual hugs and high-fives,

Chlo

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