When Motivation Is Gone And The Demands Keep Coming

Most mornings I wake up facing a day that holds promise and beauty. Opportunities are in front of me, in the warmth of familiar tasks and encounters and in the challenges that will come personally and for our team.

Some mornings I wake up a little flat. Running away looks dreamy and so does hibernating in front of Oprah or the entire Jane Austin BBC box set. Maybe for the guys it’s a day of Top Gear, being in the shed, out fishing, or indulging in a novel when we ‘should be getting stuff done’….

The occasional black day can be jollied along as we simply pick ourselves up by the bootstraps. But sometimes those days keep coming.

When there are a few of these in a row here are some hints:

Get Moving Early. Structure up your morning so you can move along almost automatically. Put exercise clothes by the bed so we can fall into them. Schedule tasks into time slots so that we don’t have to be deciding and choosing - we simply follow our plan. Regular exercise can feel like the last thing to help, yet it is wonderful long term killer of the sluggish feeling.

Eat As Well As You Can. Choose fresh food, good food, water and a little bit of what we fancy to improve our well being. Even though sugar and chocolates promise us we’ll feel better, they are not great long term helpers.

Plan A break. A mini break will probably need to suffice at first. A half day, a full day or two days if we can. Do whatever rejuvenates us best. It will probably involve some rest, a location that is tinged with nature (as close by as a garden or the local beach), and an activity we enjoy.

Health Check. If we haven’t had one for a while, visit a health professional. As people with full lives we can often ignore signs that our health has deteriorated and we might be in need of a little help. 

Take A Good Look. Checking in with a supervisor, coach or spiritual director can help us identify any parts of our being that might be crying out for change. The space and conversation they offer have been a real source of help and perspective for me and I hope the same for you.

These are my hints, what have you tried and can share?

Monica O’Neil

Director

Vose Leadership
Perth, Australia