Is it busyness or a lack of motivation that's keeping you from being productive?
After yet another hiatus from blogging, I have returned once again to writing on mental health and travel topics. I found myself in another major life transition and bought and moved into a new house a couple of months ago. I was so overwhelmed with the entire process that the blog was honestly the furthest thing from my mind. As the weeks continued on post-move, I was still rather busy, and kept finding more and more reasons for why I didn't have time for blogging. I am starting to realize the line between being too busy, and simply just lacking the motivation, has grown blurry. I found myself becoming less productive and doing less activities. I blamed busyness even when that season of being busy had passed. After some personal awareness and reflection, here are some ways to help determine if it really is busyness or just a lack of motivation that's going on.
Timing
Begin by narrowing down the timeline. As you look at the timing of when you started to slow down and started avoiding/saying no to tasks, figure out if it aligns with the beginning of your busy season. For example, if you are in the middle of moving and you have started to do fewer social gatherings or spend less time on your usual hobbies, you can find the link between the move and the reduction of those activities. If you look and instead you see that you started doing less of those tasks, but there's no longer a link to a rise in being busy, there might be something deeper going on for why you aren't getting to those tasks. Begin to notice if perhaps those periods of slowing down in productivity might be linked to other things happening mentally or emotionally.
Make a list
As you are in your busy season, you'll find yourself saying no to different things. This can be so helpful in not overwhelming yourself and leading to a burn out. If you feel a lack of motivation might be involved, begin to make a list of the things you are saying no to. If you notice that you are starting to say yes to certain things, but specific ones you just continue to say no to again and again, there might be a deeper reason for why you are avoiding/not addressing those things. So if you see that you are starting to hang out with friends more, and you are starting to do some of your favorite hobbies again because you have the time, but you still avoid house chores as much as possible, or you put off going back to school again, maybe it's not just that you're too busy, but you have other reasons keeping you from doing those things.
Ask more questions
Once you begin to notice that there might be something else keeping you from completing tasks/activities, try to be honest with yourself and ask some more questions to figure out what else might be going on. Take note if you are making times for things you want to do like going out, playing games, but still not making time for things you want to avoid. Make a list of the things you still aren't finding/making time for. Then start to ask why. Figure out what might be the reasons you really are avoiding them. Just be completely honest and become more aware of what's going on. It's not meant to be a time of shaming or feeling guilty about not doing those things, but rather just growing in self-awareness.
Make a decision
If you've come to the conclusion that perhaps you are avoiding certain tasks/duties not because you're busy, but rather you have a lack of desire/motivation to do them, show yourself some patience and understanding. Even if you are experiencing lack of motivation there's no reason you should shame yourself and feel guilty. Rather use this opportunity to figure out the why. What's the reason that you are avoiding them?
Are you just too tired? Maybe prioritizing your rest would help you feel more energized and ready to do the tasks. Are you feeling stressed about the task, and it feels too daunting to complete so you avoid starting it? Maybe go back to the reason why you wanted to do the task to begin with. Is it linked to a goal you've created for yourself, like trying to do more physical activity to feel more energized? Is it related to someone else and is a task that would help them out, like helping out around the house more? Find the 'why' once again and perhaps that will re-ignite the motivation you once had for it. What brought me back to my blogging today is I recently got a new subscriber to the blog, and it reminded me that there are people out there that find what I write useful at times. I started this blog with the goal of helping people with mental health or travel needs. I re-focused on my 'why' and got back to writing.
Perhaps it's a task that you simply just don't want to do. You don't enjoy it, it's something that takes too long, or it's something that someone else was supposed to do but it's now on your to-do list. Maybe even just pure laziness is the reason that you don't want to do it. Even if these reasons feel more like excuses or not justifiable for why you've avoided doing the task, begin with some grace for yourself. We are all human and prone to lack of desire, lack of effort, and we can find ourselves in a place of just simply not wanting to do something.
In these moments, don't feel isolated or ashamed for feeling something that we all do at some point or another. Instead, evaluate what it is you don't enjoy about the task. If it's something that truly does need to get done or should get done, find ways to make it more enjoyable. If, for example, you write blogs and find that it's easier and more fun to just watch TV sometimes, find ways to light a fire of motivation like reading through old blogs or thinking of fun, new topics you'd like to write on. Or, if you are avoiding house chores, maybe create rewards that you can link to the task. Only allow yourself the chance to watch your favorite TV show or play games once you've completed all the housework that needs to be done.
It's not so much the 'how' which matters, because that will look different for everyone based on their individual personality and natural ways of being. It really comes down to just the awareness and realization of noticing that something might be going on beyond just the reason of being busy. Then, make a decision on whether you want to do something about it so that you start completing your tasks/activities. If you find that you simply cannot and/or do not want to find that motivation, consider reaching out for help from friends or trusted people who can help in motivating you and even keeping you accountable if needed.
Approaching the question of whether you are avoiding certain tasks because you are busy or because you simply don't have motivation is not about finding guilt and it's definitely not about allowing others to cause you to feel guilty for not completing the tasks either. Instead, it can simply be a useful way to become more self-aware and learn more about yourself.
When I asked this question for myself, I initially felt some shame because I felt like I had been avoiding blogging out of pure laziness. But as I've taken the time to explore it more, I've found more clarity and definitely more grace for myself. I see where I was in fact in a busy season at one point that caused me to stop writing. I see where I began to do some new activities (and old ones) that I found I really enjoyed, and I could be grateful for that. I also became aware that perhaps my laziness had grown too much, and my motivation had been decreased.
Instead of feeling shame I could see this as an opportunity to become renewed in my initial goals, refocused on my purpose and my plans, and find new ways to enjoy writing once again. As we become more self-aware, we get better at managing the parts of ourselves that would benefit from change or growth. This change and growth can help in guiding us to feel more content and satisfied in who we are and the things we do.
If you feel that your lack of motivation and desire has grown to the point of reaching every area of your life and you feel like it's beginning to negatively impact your ability to navigate everyday life, perhaps consider reaching out for professional help. With the guidance of a mental health expert, hopefully you can better figure out if anything deeper is going on that could benefit from being explored, and you can learn ways to overcome any struggles you might be facing when it comes to lack of motivation.
Wherever you are in your state of busyness and/or motivation, I hope you can find encouragement to show yourself some love and care. I hope you find practical ways to manage both busyness and lack of motivation that will benefit your mental health and help you feel more at peace.
*** Anything written in this blog is based on my own personal experience and not a professional opinion. If you or someone you know is struggling with any mental health issue, please speak to a professional. For a list of some mental health resources and contacts available to you, please download the file below. ***
Thank you so much for reading my latest blog! I've chosen to no longer promote this blog site on social media (apart from Pinterest & occasionally Facebook @mindonthepath) as I am taking a personal break from most of the socials. If you are already subscribed to emails, thank you! If you wish to receive notifications of all future blog posts, the best way is to subscribe to emails below. Thank you so much to those of you who have continued to read, even with the different breaks I've taken from writing. As always, happy reading!
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