What's Behind Demotivation?
Sometimes it can be so hard to focus on what we’re doing that it would be better if we just left the office or left the task at hand for another day. When we’re not motivated or concentrated, everything seems to be two and even three times harder. We stop every two minutes, we sigh and try to regain the strength to go on…
When we want to achieve a goal but we can’t focus, not only do we feel overwhelmed and sad, but our levels of anxiety and stress go up dramatically.
Motivation is the fuel that we need to act, the engine we need to go forward, the missing puzzle piece of what we call our “life project.” It also serves us in making us more productive, creative and even happy.
So, why is it so hard to stay motivated and so easy to lose our way?
Demotivation can turn into a giant snowball…
But instead of this situation turning into a new challenge for us, we see the amount of paperwork of things to do and it’s hard to “rev up our engines” and get to work like we should.
Demotivation tends to be related to a lack of interest towards meeting a goal, or simply to not having understood the objective at hand.
“When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal.”
-Napoleon Hill-
Fear
Even though you may feel confident of your goals, it may be that if you dig a little deeper inside you’ll realize that you’re trembling with fear. If you have to explore new territory and get out of your “comfort zone” you may have that feeling.
You feel like you’re about to step off a cliff and because of it you don’t want to continue on with the task. This is a form of demotivation. To avoid this from happening, you have to understand your fears and design a strategy that will allow you to go step by step, going slowly but surely.
The wrong goals
As we’ve said before, if your goals aren’t clear or you aren’t in alignment with them, it can be harder to do those tasks for others or even for ourselves.
If it gets harder and harder to focus the more you work there, maybe the reason is that you’re not in sync with the precepts of the company or maybe you would prefer to be elsewhere.
Make sure your clear on what your goals are, and in the case of them not being your own, you can always twist them to fit your needs.
Focusing too much on the future
If you’re always worried about what’s happening tomorrow, you’ll never be able to get a grip on the things you’re doing now. When you’re completing a task, your mind and thoughts should be completely focused on it and nothing else. If you’re thinking about what you need to buy at the grocery store later, about what you’re doing this weekend, about your chores, about when you’re getting paid, that exam you have to do next week, on the date that your having tonight… It can be really hard to stay motivated, wouldn’t you agree?
Remember that what you’re doing now needs to serve your greater purpose up ahead. If you have a ton of work to do, then just sit your butt down and get it done! As a result, you’ll be able to truly enjoy your free time instead of worrying about everything else you should be doing.
Fatigue
At certain times of the year, it can be hard to concentrate on anything. More so than just the anxiety of being on the beach, in the mountains or sleeping in late, demotivation rears its ugly head when we’re extremely tired.
We’ve been building up tension for too long!
Sleeping soundly is the best advice in these cases. Let your brain take a break from the information overload. You’ll see how easy it is to concentrate and how fast time seems to go by. Your days off will be here before you know it!