Laziness isn’t real, neither is motivation

Written by Andi (Amanda) Williams, Principal Psychologist. Known for Keeping the Socratic Method Alive. Known for analogies or ‘Andi-ologies’.

This article was written by the author without AI; it’s a natural product made from recycled electrons, and any errors in tact, or fact, are transmission errors made by the electrons.

TLDR; motivation is a symptom, not a cause. Motivation is a by-product of feeling healthy and well. If you find yourself feeling ‘lazy’ on a regular basis, please talk to a professional.

Where did my motivation go?

‘Help, I’ve lost my motivation and I want it back’. I couldn’t tell you how often I’m asked that.

Sadly, there’s too much ‘internet wisdom’ is about how to regain your motivation. Even usually reputable sources might have good information, but can miss a key point: motivation can’t be magically created. Motivation is mainly a by-product of feeling healthy and well.

I often say, there are essentially two kinds of experiences: healthy awake well-motivated people, and, unwell tired de-motivated ‘lazy’ people.

It may sound counter-intuitive, but motivation is not the cause of your problems, it’s the problems that’s causing the drop in your motivation. There are a few common reasons why motivation ‘disappears’ and we act ‘lazy’, so let’s go through them one by one.

Problem 1? sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation is the most common cause of lacking motivation.

If you are tired during the day, OR you are drinking (needing) caffeine every day, OR you fall asleep within 5 minutes: you’re definitely sleep deprived.
Learn more sleep advice here.

Far too many people underestimate their sleep needs. Some find sleep inconvenient. Some believe that ‘oversleeping’ is bad for you (that’s not actually a thing). Some have so many responsibilities that sleep is treated like a luxury instead of a necessity. If any of those apply to you, please learn more about sleep. It will probably shock you to know that even 7.5 hours sleep per day, is probably sleep deprivation – and no, sleeping more on weekends doesn’t fix it.

Sleep deprivation can shorten your lifespan, damage your health, change your personality (for the worst) but worst of all, you won’t even be aware that you are sleep deprived. 😱

How is it possible that I don’t know I’m sleep-deprived?

A side-effect of sleep deprivation is an inability to accurately estimate your cognitive abilities. For example, imagine how ‘out of it’ you would be on day 3 if you didn’t sleep at all for 2 straight days? Science: people who slept 6 hours or less per night for 14 days, are exactly that ‘out of it’, but when those people are asked they insist that they feel just fine.

Put another way: after 2 weeks of sleeping 6 hours every night, you’re as mentally impaired as if you haven’t slept for whole 2 days, but you think you’re fine.

Ever seen ‘that’ person in the bar that thinks they’re fine after 3 beers but you can see them slurring and wobbling when they walk? After skipping sleep, you’re ‘that’ person. 🤕 Awkward!

Problem 2? Poor Health

body health

Special shout out to all those with chronic illnesses, disabilities and injuries. You all work so hard to stay healthy despite your challenges and it’s not easy to stay motivated when biology/society expectations/the universe seem to be working against your goals. It can be… frustrating (I’m putting that politely)… when other people tell you that you don’t ‘look sick’. 😒

Running out of spoons can mean your motivation drops suddenly. That’s normal. Banking some spoons for tomorrow, or planning extra rest for the day before and after a big event, and regularly visiting your treating professionals, are the best ways to keep your motivation and your body at it’s best (but you probably already know that 😉 just a friendly reminder) .

brain (mental) health

Similar to sleep deprivation, people often underestimate the effort of complex thinking on their energy levels. Your anxious brain might be thinking about everything all at once, or struggling to manage biological chemical imbalance even with the help of medication, or fighting a battle with traumatic flashbacks, or any number of other exhausting tasks. There are many reasons our brains become overloaded. If you are struggling with stress and anxiety for more than a few hours or a few weeks (depending on the stressor), please talk to a professional.

Problem 3? Comparison Bias

Life lesson: for the average person, you probably struggle with motivation about the same as everyone else. One of the problems with social media photos and ‘motivational posters’ (I can’t tell you how UNhelpful most of those are!) is that it leaves you feeling as though everyone is more motivated, better looking, more successful, etc. The reality is, they really aren’t.

A photo is one second of your day; how likely is one second to give a good estimate of your day, let alone your life? It isn’t. When was the last time you posted something you failed at, or a photo where you didn’t look good? You didn’t, you wouldn’t, and that’s the point.

If you want to improve how you see yourself compared to others, and gain a more realistic or more helpful mindset, please learn more about comparison bias and cons talk to a professional.

If you are starting to experience difficulties at work or at home, waiting until things get worse can cost you more than money. Help is available, and you definitely aren’t alone (even if it feels that way). 💚💛 Please talk to someone, like a free crisis service. If you want to talk to Andi, book online now or contact us.

Problem 4? Personality

The question of whether people need to be motivated to ‘do something’, was a big question in early organisational psychology, and helps to explain why some people ‘micromanage’ others.

I’ve yet to meet someone who isn’t, on a deeply fundamental level, naturally intrinsically motivated or ambitious in their own way. People are generally keen to take initiative and ownership at work and in their lives. We’re all motivated as part of a physiological drive to meet our basic needs – we might seek food or hygiene or warmth, depending on the feeling of discomfort we’re experiencing. These motivations usually develop in larger or more specific goals. If you are struggling to identify your goals, there are people who can help you.

If you find yourself trying to force yourself or someone else to do something (aka ‘light a fire’ under them to make them) then something is probably wrong.

Problem 5? Environment

This is the concept of ‘setting yourself up to succeed’. Put in the effort to create an environment around yourself that enhances your ability to complete the tasks that matter to your life goals. Stop relying on the idea of ‘motivation’. Create routines, structures and habits that help you to actually accomplish what you need to. Learn to reframe your ways of thinking (such as any form of CBT). Plan time to get more sleep, plan ways to reduce caffeine, plan self care time, plan time to organise your time!

Here’s three low/no cost and easy ways to improve your health by changing your environment:
- Invest time into learning how to prepare and cook food. Harvard Medical School research shows that home cooking tends to improve nutrition, lower calories, support weight loss, and reduce diabetes. Cooking can also increase your creativity and social connection. If you don’t know how to cook, invest time in learning how, and then do it regularly; practice achieves mastery! Don’t throw out food that’s safe to eat; just by reducing the number of processed foods in your home over time will encourage you to eat more home prepared foods.
- If you aren’t willing/able to reduce screen time, change how you interact with your devices. For example, I recommend ‘scroll walking’ aka ‘doom-strolling’ – find a safe place (not near a road please) for you to walk laps, while scrolling on your phone. Just 30 mins is 3000+ steps 🤯 You could also try, ‘read walking’ – carry a novel around while you read it – a solid workout for your arms too if you use a hardcover! Your local library has free books and free audiobooks, or you can try the Lifeline Book Fest.
- If you don’t follow a conditioned sleep routine, set an alarm to go to bed, the same way you set an alarm to get up. You don’t have to follow it every night, but it will help keep you avoid losing track of time (…wait… just one more episode…😉). Set aside a 10 hour block every day for sleep, self care, and relaxing activities like muscle relaxation. You don’t have to use all 10 hours, but it’s better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it. (Shout out to parents of infants – 10 hours isn’t a realistic daily goal, but if you can’t do it at least a few times a week, it’s worth reflecting on how sustainable your current choices are.)

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