The Struggle Is Real and Challenging To Stay Motivated During Pandemic

Many people struggle with finding motivation. You may struggle to get the dishes washed, have laundry piling up, or have a ridiculous amount of work that has yet to be completed. Before you know it, a task that may only take half an hour is now taking over a week to be done.

The struggle to stay motivated was intensified as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world out of seemingly nowhere. It is tough to stay determined when you are fearing for your health, maintaining social distance, and having to wear a mask. Every person’s world was turned upside down, and there was no way to prepare for how it would impact our ambition and motivation.

If you identify with any of these challenges, you are not alone. There are millions of people across the world wondering where their motivation has gone to, and it is easy to quickly become discouraged and lose heart. This could be you, and if so, keep reading to find out the top strategies for staying motivated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Set Daily Goals

Before the pandemic began you may have prided yourself in being a hard worker and completing all your work in a timely manner. Now, you may have been struggling to be the person you once were.

Having a long list of things to do and not being able to cross those things off can quickly become daunting, and make you feel defeated. Because of this, setting goals for yourself that you can cross off each day will help build your confidence and maintain your motivation.

If you build daily goals, no matter the size of them, you are likely to build confidence and feel accomplished with them. In turn, this creates motivation to keep achieving your goals and anything you have planned for yourself because your brain knows that you are capable of succeeding.

Before you know it, you will have accomplished more than you ever thought.

You may be used to achieving much more than you are right now, and that is okay. Try not to get too hard on yourself for not meeting every goal you expect yourself to. We are in a pandemic, after all.

Create a Schedule

Are you finding yourself procrastinating work, and then before you know it you have started your “morning” in the middle of the afternoon? This might be you, and one thing that can help you with this predicament is creating an individualized schedule that maximizes your ability to get things done.

If you have a schedule, there is much less room for you to lose track of the time. Instead of getting distracted by unnecessary tasks and random ideas, creating a schedule gives yourself time allotted to certain activities that you know you cannot stray from.

Schedules not only keep you on track but also organized and level headed. This can be especially helpful if you are working from home and have trouble with procrastinating your tasks and assignments. Make a promise to yourself that you will stay on your schedule, and if writing it out keeps you accountable, do so!

Creating a schedule allows you to stay motivated amidst even the most chaotic of times. You can spend less time worrying about what you need to do next, and more time getting the task done.

Set Some Time Aside During the Day for Relaxation

If you are all work with no time for relaxation or play, then you will quickly become burned out and overwhelmed with life. Not allowing yourself enough time to decompress and have fun will make you lose motivation faster than anything else.

Relaxation can be defined by what you feel re energized from. For many this can look like sleeping the day away, while others find that they are recharged when they complete a painting or finish knitting a blanket. This will look different for everyone, and what works for one person will not always work for the next.

Remember that rest is productive, too. Even though you may not be able to do social outings or events, you can still take a short nap or take some time to mediate. Whatever way that you can relax best, be sure you are making time during the day to do so.

Try to Virtually Socialize with Others

This pandemic may be especially difficult for you if you are a social person who enjoys having face to face interaction. Even introverts are starting to find themselves grasping for any type of in person contact. Sadly, to stay safe there must be certain protocols in place including not visiting with others.

Having a limited amount of daily human interaction will lower your motivation before you even realize it. Your mental and emotional health will begin to spiral, ultimately lowering any ambition due to simply being exhausted. Just because social distance is a factor does not mean that you cannot interact with others.

There are a variety of ways to talk with your family and friends who you are socially distanced from. If you enjoyed watching a TV show or series over a couple of drinks pre-pandemic, do it over a video chatting service!

Even if you are not a fan of TV shows, you can still spend time catching up with each other and gossiping on the latest at home drama. Do not forget that you can also have a movie day together on streaming devices such as Netflix or Hulu. You are also able to play virtual games together, or even make up games of your own!

Prioritize Mental Health

Your physical health is one of the main concerns to keep up with during the COVID-19 pandemic, but not the only concern. Social distancing worries about health, and all other issues that come with this pandemic can quickly lead to anxiety, depression, and has a potential to create even more mental health issues. 

Paying attention to your emotional, spiritual, and mental health are equally as important to keep tabs on. Failing to check in with your mental state can result in a lack of motivation and can contribute to the downward spiral of mental health.

The state of your motivation highly depends on your mental health and where it is at. A head that is full of anxiety is a head that is much less likely to complete important tasks. Getting an adequate amount of sleep, food, of sunshine are also crucial to a thriving mental health.

Many people have shame or guilt when admitting that their mental health is not where it needs to be. If this is you, do not be afraid to take a day off from work or set aside time to be alone. Even though it might feel silly because you cannot always see poor mental health, it is just as likely to hurt you as a heart attack or stroke can.

If you find yourself struggling to prioritize your mental health, there are excellent resources on the internet that allow you to talk to a professional about what you are experiencing. Some therapists and counselors’ offices have even remained open for those who are going through a crisis.

You can also take some time to journal, exercise, or do anything else that allows you to feel peaceful and ready to start your day with a positive mindset. Most importantly, remember that you are not the only one going through this.

Be Okay with Productivity Level

If you are experiencing feelings of laziness and you are not motivated to do much of anything, you are not the only person experiencing this. Every individual in this world is going through something similar, and there comes a point where you must accept it. Not accepting your lowered productivity level will harm your motivation and self-confidence.

Your feelings of productivity and accomplishment before the pandemic may have come from getting all your work done, meeting a certain quota or number, or even meeting others face to face. Because much of these things have been delayed or not possible at this moment, you should not expect yourself to have the same productivity level as you did before the beginning of the pandemic.

It is necessary for you to have grace and forgiveness towards yourself during these trying moments. If you can accept that you may not be as productive as you once were, you are more likely to stay motivated instead of becoming frustrated with not meeting your own expectations.

Creating new expectations, priorities, and goals for yourself may be necessary to keep your motivation in check. Instead of trying to achieve all that you normally do, begin with half of that number. If you find that to be manageable and easy, you can increase it as time goes on. The most important thing is to not become overwhelmed too quickly.

If you are having a difficult day, week, or even month, make a list of what is important to get done and what can be pushed off for a later time. Doing this will help you determine what your mind needs to be focusing on and what it can let go of. Everyone is having trouble adapting to this new normal, and that is okay.

Reward Yourself

You must understand that if you are able to complete anything that is considered productive then you have a good reason to celebrate. Although it may not seem like a big deal to you, remember to reward yourself for the things you get done because this pandemic has made everything difficult.

By giving yourself a reward, you are also giving yourself more motivation to complete a task. Doing this will give you something exciting to look forward to, and help you complete a task quicker. Do not let your anticipation get the best of you and remember to complete your work thoroughly.

Rewarding yourself can look like many different things. If you enjoy the outside, reward yourself with a bike ride across town after you write that long report. If you find your joy in baking, then feel free to bake yourself cookies after giving that presentation you worked hard on. Anything that is separate from your work and enjoyable is considered a reward.

Challenge Yourself

Another crucial part of staying motivated is to give yourself challenges that will keep you ambitious and wanting more. Having a friendly competition with yourself will bring out the competitive nature in you, and you will be shocked to see how much you can get done with a little push.

If you do not challenge yourself, you may never find out all that you are capable of. If meeting a certain quota or number does not bring you much anxiety, then try to get a certain number of activities done within a particular time frame.

Challenging yourself can also appear as challenging yourself to take a break. There are numerous people who think that they must work all the time with no exception. If you can recognize that resting may be a true challenge for you, let that be what you practice every now and then.

Remember to set your goals and expectations with a realistic approach so that you do not come out frustrated and overwhelmed. If you stay reasonable, then you will stay motivated.

Push Yourself and Set Goals To Stay Motivated During A Pandemic

There are not many things that are easy to do during the COVID-19 pandemic, including keeping your motivation up. No matter what you are struggling to stay motivated with, it is frustrating to not hold the same amount of enthusiasm that you used to. Again, remember that you are not the only person who is suffering from this problem.

If you notice that you are consistently unmotivated, consider giving yourself a chance to relax, finding a fun hobby, or meeting with some friends on Zoom. Sometimes pushing yourself and setting goals for the day might be what you need. More than anything, do not forget to give yourself some grace, and accept that you are in difficult times.

Karen A Mulvey is a personal social blogger and mom with 14 years of experience in the every day world of motherhood and sustainable product research. Karen is on a mission to help everyday families select sustainable, non-toxic organic products, stop stressing about uncertainties on sustainable home goods and apparel, and start living the life they’ve always wanted.

Follow Karen at @karenAmulveycs | Karen A Mulvey

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