9 Ways to Motivate to Yourself to Work When You Are Struggling Mentally

Overthinking is for suckers

How can you work when you mentally your brain is fried? When life is taking its toll, and the thought of sitting down to type an article or conduct some research for a project is all too much?

I struggle with the idea of totally unplugging from the hustle, shutting everything down, and focusing on my mental health. However, sometimes, you have to get on with it and thrash out those tasks especially, if you have bills to pay.

Here are some practical ways to motivate yourself to work when you are struggling mentally.

What is Motivation?

Motivation is the process that guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. It is that voice in your head that pushes you to act. Some say that motivation is a myth and that wanting to do something should have nothing to do with actually doing it. I recently read an article on wisdomination.com titled ‘Screw motivation. What you need is discipline.’ One quote stood out for me; here it is:

“Motivation, broadly speaking, operates on the erroneous assumption that a particular mental or emotional state is necessary to complete a task.”

If motivation is a myth and achieving a particular mental state is unnecessary, this article is somewhat pointless. However, I believe that there are certain situations where you do need to psych yourself up to get it done. Whether or not we can call that motivation is a question for another article; however, there is no one size fits all approach. Everyone is different. I meditate or pray before I start work every time. When I am not in the mood to get anything done, I pray harder, and I breathe deep. I talk myself into it.

Overthinking every action is undoubtedly one of the surefire ways of sinking into a downward spiral of procrastination, not getting anything done, and lounging around the house, waiting for the perfect moment to start that critical task. A “just do it” attitude is the easiest way of pushing yourself to take the first step toward achieving a particular goal. Just get on with it! Anyway, for some people, hacks, tips, and tricks are necessary, so here goes.

Nine ways to motivate yourself to work when you are struggling mentally:

1. Plan Out Your Day

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail, yep! Sometimes overplanning can lead to analysis paralysis, a downward rabbit hole of procrastination, and overthinking. However, a simple plan for the day can facilitate the process of getting started. When I don’t plan my day out, I sit there staring into space, feeling anxious, and apprehensive about what action to take first.

Planning doesn’t have to be complicated; make a simple three-item plan. Write down three of the most critical tasks for the day and get up and go! Long, unrealistic lists of things to do can often create anxious fits of “how the hell am I going to get that done?” Instead of overwhelming yourself with mammoth tasks, edit your things-to-do list and focus on the essential things.

Structure = Calm focused Productivity.

No structure = Stress, fear, and uncertainty, and nothing gets done.

I vote for planning any day of the week!

2. Make Lists

I mentioned list-making above, and it forms an integral part of the whole planning process. Writing down the most critical tasks eliminates the guesswork and provides you with the structure you need to start implementing tasks instead of neglecting them.

“People who want to appear clever rely on memory. People who want to get things done make lists.” — Peter Mcwilliams

3. Break it Down

“Break the unreasonable down into little reasonable chunks. A big goal is only achieved when every little thing that you do every day gets you closer to that goal.” -Mary Kate, Escaping the 9 to 5

Small chunks are more comfortable to digest than large pieces. Apply the same concept to your work; instead of telling yourself that you need to write 100,000 words, set yourself the task of writing 3,000 words a day instead. Break the 3,000 words up into short, manageable writing sprints of 1,000 words each. Boom! Three thousand words written in no time! No brainer, it’s done!

4. Be Honest With Yourself

Check-in with yourself and identify the reasons why you don’t feel up to the task. There might be a genuine and legitimate reason why working is not the main thing on your mind right now. Are you burnt out? Do you connect with your work, or would you rather be doing something else? You might be ill, over-stressed, or exhausted.

“During those times, an individual needs to identify what is getting in their way. Only then can they move ahead.” -Lynn Berger, mental health and career coach.

A severe case of burnout might need professional attention or a long-term, effective strategy to tackle the problem.

I experienced a severe burnout case three years ago when I produced content for one of London’s most prominent music agencies. At the same time, I was writing 10,000 words of content for my blog every week and working for several other clients at the same time.

It all came crumbling down when I finished a Skype meeting with a new major client in New York City. I sat there, feeling physically and mentally drained. I shut my laptop and sat there in tears for two or three hours. At that moment, I booked a flight to Florida and spent eight weeks recovering from workaholism.

Sometimes a break is what you need to refuel and recharge. Don’t be afraid to admit it either. If you need a break, take one!

5. Review Your Progress

From time to time, check on yourself and review your progress — Pat yourself on the back for completing tasks and. Check off completed tasks and highlight things that still need to be done.

Use this as a time to reward yourself for a job well done. Instead of punishing yourself for not getting certain things done, go easy on yourself and remember that you are doing your best. If you are not doing your best and recognize your shortcomings, try and improve but don’t give yourself a hard time, make small adjustments.

Aim to get 1 percent better each day instead of aiming to achieve great things in one day, make small yet significant changes each day.

6. Take A Break

I am going to keep this one short. Non-stop work is not suitable for anybody, take deliberate and planned breaks, rest is just as important as work. Give yourself the time to rest, recharge, and refuel.

7. Music

Play that funky music! Put on your fave playlist and groove! I can only play loud, thumping music when I am planning and researching. When I am writing, I need soft, instrumental music or focus music.

Listen to whatever takes your fancy, but music is such an effective motivator, now go ahead and press that play button!

8. Check Your Diet

Diet is essential, it’s crucial, and sometimes too much junky, processed food can leave you feeling sluggish and demotivated. Yes, sugary foods give you a quick burst of energy, but they slap you in the face with the worst energy slumps. Therefore, instead of eating the bad stuff, add more fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and lean proteins to your diet. Drink plenty of water and feed your body with wholesome, nutritious meals.

• Replace candy with fruit and nuts
• Replace fizzy drinks with carbonated water and lemon
• Replace Potato chips with homemade or store-bought vegetable chips
• Replace fast food with a homemade version. Check out this homemade and healthy veggie burger recipe right here >>> Veggie burger recipe

9. Get Dressed Up

Getting dressed up is an effective way of boosting your mood and energy levels, primarily if you work from home. I have been working from home for years and the days when I sit and work from bed in my pajamas are my least productive days.

The days when I get up and get dressed like I am going out, I feel focused, more productive and I thrash out all my tasks for the day. It might not work for you, but it works amazingly well for me. Give it a try!

Final Thoughts

The key to getting things done and achieving goals is cultivating daily habits to finish small tasks. Focus on the process and understand that feeling burned out is normal, taking breaks, rewarding yourself for making small gains, and remembering that identifying why you struggle to get things done is crucial.

Start small, build up, and focus on tiny, incremental improvements each day.

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