I know I’m not the only one in the world who has sat in front of their laptop, staring endlessly at their screen, waiting for inspiration to hit them, while they’re thinking about all the work they need to do, but just can’t bring themselves to do them. Whether it be writing code for a class project, composing an email for work, or even just trying to send a funny message to a friend, we’ve all been there– Where we can’t seem to be *inspired* enough to do the task at hand. We just feel unmotivated. However, feeling unmotivated is unmotivated by a specific reason. We just feel “blah” and can’t seem to come up with anything substantial.
… At least, that’s what I believed in the past. Now, I recognize that feeling unmotivated and uninspired rarely come without a root cause. That root cause can be anything, from burnout to stress overload to depression, or a combination of a lot of different causes.
I think a lot of us (in the context of being an adult because that’s what I am) forget to be mindful of how we really are and feel because life gets hectic and messy. As an example of this, I can think of at least five things I need to do by the end of tonight, fifteen things I need to do by the end of this week, and one hundred things I need to do by the end of this month (and that’s not including things I do daily anyway, like making dinner or loading the dishwasher). In addition, just thinking about the things we need to do takes a heavy toll on us as well (the concept of mental load comes to mind).
(The above paragraph was probably exhausting to read because you were just reminded of the hundreds of things you need to do as well)
I’m here to say: be kinder to yourself. When you’re feeling exhausted, stressed out, burnt out, listen to your body and your brain. Take a breather, collect yourself, and come back to what you were working on with a fresher perspective.
People say that the best way to combat feeling unmotivated is to discipline yourself, and the way to combat feeling uninspired is to search for things that inspire you. I don’t disagree with these statements, as these are also the way to start forming good habits. However, I am a proponent of striking a balance between being mindful and having discipline. For example, if you’ve been studying constantly and reading the assigned modules for the week, but you can’t even muster up one line of code for your class project, that’s not you being undisciplined– that’s you being exhausted and burnt out.
In conclusion, be kinder to yourself and be mindful of the messages your body and brain are sending you. Don’t blame yourself for feeling unmotivated or uninspired. It’s good to take breaks.
