You are drained – physically and mentally. And sometimes for no reason too.
You wake up to start the day on a productive note, but it slips from your hands. As each hour passes, you still haven’t gotten up from the couch to do something.
You might even have a project planned out, but you have no desire or energy to act on it.
And this feeling doesn’t pass. It just grows bigger as the days go by.
At this point, you’ve likely asked yourself the questions,
“What’s wrong with me?
“Why can’t I do the things I want to do?
“Why am I in a slump?
“Why do I have zero motivation to do anything?”
Don’t despair.
This blog post will answer the question of why you feel lazy and unmotivated and will give you tips on how to feel reenergized so you can achieve your goals.
Table of Contents
10 Reasons Why You Feel So Lazy and Unmotivated
1. You Have a Purpose, But Can’t Take Action
You already have a goal or purpose in life, and you probably have a plan to fulfill it.
But when it’s time for you to take action, you freeze. It’s almost as if you’re paralyzed, and you tell yourself, “Tomorrow.”
But when tomorrow comes, you’re still stuck in place.
I’m so familiar with this emotion, and this happens because we’re either scared of failure and rejection or doubt ourselves.
Because our goal means so much to us, it becomes overwhelming, and all these baseless fears hinder our progress.
Here’s what you can do to change this:
- Understand your mind’s fear response: Your brain never wants you to step out of your comfort zone. Unfortunately, all the good things happen out of it. So, recognize when you’re making excuses and be brave enough to take the plunge.
- Accept failure and rejection: Both are inevitable and the greatest teachers. Start viewing failure as a mentor for success and rejection as redirection to something better.
- Trust yourself before you doubt yourself: In how many situations have you doubted yourself but still managed to survive and thrive? Believe that you know what you’re doing, and if you don’t, then you’ll learn. But don’t stand in your own way.
- Fear regret more: The best way to move forward is to fear something far scarier than failure and rejection — regret. Imagine all the regrets you’ll face if you never work on this goal/purpose.
- Take super small steps: Stop thinking that you need to knock out your goals/tasks in one go. Instead, do something small every day and be consistent.
2. You Don’t Have a Purpose or Passion
On the flip side, you feel lazy and unmotivated because you don’t have a purpose.
Just the mere act of thinking about what you would like to do is exhausting, and it’s the type of exhaustion that makes your soul tired.
Here’s what you can do to change this:
- Journal: Contrary to popular belief, journaling isn’t just an outlet for emotions or a way to document your life. Journaling also encourages self-reflection. It’ll help you come up with answers about what feeds your soul.
- Forget about what other people think: Most of the time, we have an idea about our purpose, but our family, friends, and society make us think twice. Never accept a purpose or goal that someone else chose for you. Study if you want to and not because your family said you should. Start a business if you want to and not because your friends are doing it.
- Try everything that makes you curious: The best way to figure out what you want is first to understand what you don’t want. And the only way you can do that is to try a bunch of things. You never know what will strike a chord with you.
- Make personal growth your purpose: If you adopt continuous improvement (Kaizen) as your life’s purpose, then success will inevitably find you. Commit to becoming a better version of yourself.
3. You Have an Unhealthy Lifestyle
Sometimes, the only plausible answer as to why you’re feeling lazy and unmotivated is because you have an unhealthy lifestyle.
If you don’t eat the right foods, do enough exercise, or get an adequate amount of sleep — you will crash and burn.
Here’s what you can do to change this:
- Draw up a meal plan for the week.
- Consume what your body needs, not what it wants.
- Use an app that reminds you to drink water if you forget.
- Eat more healthy sugars from fruit rather than from candy or cookies.
- Snack on nuts instead of candy.
- Get 7-9 hours of sleep every night. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, I recommend reading the book Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. Matthew’s research studies will scare you into creating a healthy sleep schedule.
4. You Spend Too Much Time On Your Phone
Phones are great distractions because they overstimulate us and provide instant gratification. They can even trick you into thinking that you’re doing something productive.
But really, they’re just a massive time-suck and can make you feel even more lethargic.
Moreover, social media makes us play the comparison game. We see our peers doing so much better than us, and we feel worse about our lives.
Here’s what you can do to change this:
- Mute your notifications and place your phone far away: Out of sight, out of mind. When I have my phone near my workstation, it’s an involuntary response to want to check it. However, when I don’t have it close to me, it’s amazing how easy it is to forget about it.
- Make reading your escape: If you really need an escape, try reading — it’s much healthier, and your creativity and productivity will improve.
- Delete a few apps: Do you really need more than two social media accounts? Since I quit social media (I only use Whatsapp now), I’ve felt free, more secure in my skin, and clear-headed.
Related Post: How to Successfully Do a Social Media Detox
5. You’re Doing Work That’s Not Meaningful To You
You’re going to feel lazy and unmotivated if you’re engaged in work that’s not fulfilling to you.
Two years ago, I had the most mind-numbing job. It was repetitive and unchallenging, and I felt like I didn’t make an impact.
As a result, I became lazy and unmotivated. I didn’t want to go the extra mile; I hated waking up every day, and honestly, I wanted to die.
But all that changed when I discovered how writing could positively change my life and others.
I still have my normal “lazy” days, but I don’t feel empty like I used to before.
Here’s what you can do:
- Figure out what “meaningful work” means to you: Everyone has a different definition of what they find fulfilling. Somebody who owns a cleaning company has a different idea of what impact he’d like to make on the world than a writer or coder. What does it mean to you?
- Learn new things: I studied accounting in college. When I got my degree, I learned almost everything about digital marketing, e-commerce, freelance writing, and blogging. If I had never explored these areas, I probably would’ve stayed stuck in some boring accounting job.
- Find joy in your current job: It’s difficult, but even supposedly “meaningless” work has pros. For example, it gives you an income, teaches you new things, helps you become a better team player, etc. Be grateful for the work you have and look for something better in the meantime.
6. You Severely Lack Discipline
Discipline is what separates the dreamers from the successful.
The reason why you’re lazy and unmotivated might not be because you’re fatigued or have no purpose. It could be because you haven’t learned self-discipline — and it really is a skill that can be learned.
Here’s what you can do to practice self-discipline:
- Stop relying on motivation to work on your goals: Motivation is fickle — it comes and goes. If you aren’t feeling motivated to do a task, tell yourself that you’ll only do it for 2 minutes. I guarantee that once those 2 minutes are up, you’ll want to continue with it.
- Forget instant gratification: Instant gratification, like watching a YouTube video instead of doing a work task, is a temporary high. And after that high, an extreme low sets in because you realize you still haven’t completed your task. Therefore, create a habit of “work now, and reward later.” You’ll be more prone to getting the task done, and you can relax without any pressure later.
- Develop systems and keep at them every day: James Clear very famously highlighted the importance of creating systems rather than goals in his book Atomic Habits. Systems or habits are small steps you take every day that will lead you in the direction of your dreams. For example, writing 300 words a day if you want to become a writer. James says that your systems have to be simple to stick with them in the long-term. Over time, when you become accustomed to writing 300 words every day, you can increase that word count to 700, and so forth.
- Take responsibility for your actions: Your success is in your hands. Even God doesn’t help those who don’t help themselves. Write things down, stick to your plan, and question why something didn’t get done. Your best accountability partner is yourself.
7. You Lack Inspiration
Inspiration is hope. It can keep you going even on the toughest of days.
If you’re feeling lazy and unmotivated, it could be because you need to fuel your inspiration tank.
The easiest ways to get inspired are to listen to a TedTalk, watch a great YouTube video, or read a thoughtful blog post. Sometimes, all you need is a change in perspective to get going again.
Additionally, make sure you follow the right people on social media, from thought leaders in self-improvement to successful people who positively influence you.
Who you surround yourself with online and offline matters.
8. You Have Limiting Beliefs
You might be telling yourself you’re lazy and unmotivated because that’s what you believe. This could be due to low self-esteem or something a parent instilled in you.
For example, if your parents repeatedly told you you’re lazy and up to no good since you were young, you’ll be inclined to believe that even when you’re older.
Or perhaps you’re the one telling yourself that you aren’t good enough and destined for great things.
Here’s what you can do to change this:
- Stop sabotaging yourself: Get out of your head and prove yourself wrong.
- Stop letting others’ perceptions of you shape who you are: I’ve been called stupid, useless, worthless, and lazy at some point in my life. I used to believe it, but I consciously changed how I viewed myself. Remember that people only know 1% of you — only you know the 99%.
9. You Might Be Depressed
Laziness and lack of motivation are significant signs of depression. If you’ve been feeling this way for a long time, then you might be depressed and not know it.
Here’s what you can do:
- Heal and be kind to yourself: Take your time to heal and get down to the bones of your grief. Journal, self-reflect, and carve out alone time.
- Ask for help: Speak to close family and friends about what you’re going through. You can also get professional help. Sometimes, we need others to ask us the questions we’re too scared to ask ourselves.
10. You Don’t Have a Balanced Lifestyle
It’s common for laziness and demotivation to set in when you’re burnt out from working too much.
In fact, burnout is a safety response of the body to force you to get some rest. The only issue is that it can last a long time, and it can make you feel lazy.
Here’s what you can do:
- Do the things you enjoy regularly: In life, there should always be a balance to keep things working in harmony. Stop waiting for a vacation after 6 months of working to take a break. Schedule time for your hobbies every week or even every day.
- Rest enough: Take mid-day naps if you have to, or just sit outside and stare at the trees. Rest is necessary to sustain productivity in the long run.
Final Thoughts
Laziness and lack of motivation are two feelings that can make us feel physically and mentally ill. However, they can be beaten if you figure out the reasons you’re feeling that way.
I hope this post answered your question, “Why am I so lazy and unmotivated?”
Let me know your thoughts on this post. Thanks for reading :).
Other posts you might like:
- How to Finish What You Start (And Make Yourself Proud)
- 22 Effortless Sunday Habits for a Less Overwhelming Week