You’ve probably heard the advice, “Don’t rely on motivation.” We agree that you shouldn’t rely solely on motivation, but rather focus on organizing your environment and methods. That said, motivation still plays a significant role in your success.

We’ll explain what you can do if you’re lacking motivation.

I’ve often heard people say, “Just do it — action is the best way to find motivation,” but when I lack motivation, I find it hard to take action.

Another approach we suggest is resting, but we also recommend trying the methods shared in this blog.

Small steps are important

You take small actions, one step at a time.

But I can’t do anything.

Your actions are still significant!

What do you mean?

If you can’t start anything and you’re lacking motivation, even the smallest action is still a big deal for you.

First, you’ll need to make that action smaller and smaller.

For example, you have this task: “Study text 5 pages a day”.

  • You can study 5 pages. Motivation is good
  • You can study 3 pages. You still have motivation.
  • You can’t do anything. You’re lacking motivation.

Many people divide tasks into smaller steps, but it’s often smaller than you expect.

  • You can study 5 pages. Motivation is good.
  • You can study 3 pages. You still have motivation.
  • You can study 1 page. You still have a little motivation.
  • You can read the textbook. You still have a bit of motivation.
  • You can open the textbook. You no longer have motivation.
  • You can hold the textbook. Your motivation has just run out.

It’s such a small task; anyone can hold a textbook. If you can’t start any task, try breaking it down into smaller steps.

Anyway, the priority is to keep the task going

But if I just hold the textbook, it doesn’t make any progress.

That’s right. This method leads to another achievement.

Exactly. Someone who only holds a textbook or opens the page doesn’t make much progress.

However, you are getting closer to the textbook and touching it every day.
You will experience emotions.

What emotions will I experience?

  • I would like to study a little.
  • I still don’t have any motivation, but I will try just reading.
  • …(Nothing will happen for a while.)

You’ve probably heard that if you want to stop something, you need to distance yourself from it. If you leave temptation behind, you can stop it.

This method is the opposite. Your tasks are always close to you, and you see or touch them every day. This is very effective for you.

I hide the snacks or desserts, I can stop eating too much.

That’s right. When you are close to something, you’re more likely to want to do it in the near future.

Again, you can restart studying.

But when can I restart studying again ?

The answer depends on the person and the situation, so we can’t say exactly when.
However, I’ve tried this method again and again, and I’ve noticed that I’m doing more and more, and continuing becomes easier than before.

Of course, if you’re not interested in something or you don’t need to do something, you can stop at any time.
Being willing to stop something is a good thing.

You can continue doing your tasks while breaking them down into smaller steps

In my experience, I’ve studied English for many years. Let me show you how my motivation level changed.

  • When I got a new text, my motivation was high, and I studied 1 page a day.
  • As soon as my motivation dropped, I studied just 1 question a day.
  • When my motivation dropped further, I only opened the textbook.
  • Eventually, I got bored of just opening the textbook, so I touched it, then checked my task.
  • After a few days or weeks, my motivation came back, and I thought, “I should answer the question.”
  • So, I opened the page, answered the question, and then I wanted to study 1 page!
  • My motivation returned! 1 page a day.
  • I had extra motivation and studied more—2 pages a day.
  • I continued with good motivation—2 pages a day.
  • Then, my motivation started to drop again, and I went back to studying 1 page a day. ← Now!

Before, my motivation was completely zero, but now I can study 1 page a day even when I don’t feel motivated.

Motivation can disappear suddenly, but one day, it will return. There are no special occasions for it—motivation comes and goes.

So, our first recommendation is, if you want to keep going with something, you should make your tasks manageable.

At one point, my motivation was zero, but I was still able to continue for several reasons.

  • Simply put, my skills improved, making it easier to keep studying.
  • I know my motivation is sometimes up and down, so I just keep doing it.

Motivation isn’t stable. I understand that.

If I don’t have any motivation, I just wait for it to come someday, or I can keep going even without motivation.

Lack of motivation today? Just keep taking the next step!

Small steps every day make us productive.

I see! I think I can do that.

This method isn’t for urgent or time-limited tasks, but it’s great for the long term.

The tip is to watch or touch them every day, right?

That’s right. It’s a very simple method, but also a very important one.

Partners should always check your to-do list and support you every day.

You can create small tasks and do them every day, even on tired or busy days.

I know it’s hard to continue without motivation at first,
but we’re here to support you with tips on breaking tasks down and creating an efficient environment through daily messages.