Whether you work in the office or from home, keeping yourself motivated can be a major challenge. This is especially true when life seems to throw you curveball after curveball.

When demotivation sets in, it can cause you to become less motivated as you lose sight of the goals you set for yourself. Learning how to deal with demotivation is the key to pulling yourself back up and getting back to the work you love.

Wondering how to deal with demotivation? Keep reading to find out.

What is Demotivation?

Demotivation is defined as a lack of motivation that can be caused by any number of factors that can affect every aspect of your life. This lack of motivation can bring your once productive work to a grinding halt faster than anything else.

When demotivation kicks in, it is difficult to rise above it and get back to work day after day. This is especially true when unexpected situations arise that pull your focus away from what truly matters.

Losing your self-motivation can be detrimental to your work performance since you no longer have the desire to be productive. This occurs because you have likely lost focus on the goals you set for yourself in the beginning.

What are the Common Causes of Demotivation?

When demotivation sets in, it is sometimes difficult to pinpoint what the cause is. This is because it may not be just one factor that has contributed to the lack of motivation, but many causes that are put together.

Here are a few of the most common causes that may be causing your demotivation:

1. Your work no longer interests you

Typically, at the beginning of a new job or business adventure, you are likely to be extremely excited about the opportunity. Maybe it is even the job or business idea of your dreams, or so you think at the time.

Demotivation can occur if the work you are doing no longer holds your interest for much of the time. This can happen for many reasons including the most common reason which is that you are overwhelmed.

If your work is no longer interesting to you, it is important to find out why. This often means going back to the beginning and rediscovering why you made this choice, to begin with.

2. You do not have enough to do

Many times, especially when you are starting a new business, it is difficult to bring in enough work. This can result in high stress since this is your new livelihood and not having enough to do translates to not having enough money.

When you do not have enough to do, whether you work for yourself or someone else, it can be challenging to stay motivated. There is often not enough to occupy your brain to keep you busy in the long run.

As this happens, it is important to understand why you do not have enough to do and make strides to change it. Oftentimes, it may mean a conversation with someone else or rethinking your plan altogether.

3. You have more to do than you have time

Some people have the opposite problem than the one stated previously. Instead of not having enough to do, they end up with way more to do than they have time and resources to do.

This can cause an overwhelming amount of stress which can then result in the individual giving up what they have worked so hard to achieve. As a result, motivation wanes and productivity suffers.

It is important to keep in mind that whether you work in an office or at home, there are times that the work is going to fluctuate. This means that while things are busy, there may come a time when things are extremely slow.

How Demotivation Affects Your Work

When it comes to demotivation at work, it is important to understand how it can affect your overall productivity at work. In most cases, motivation to get the job done is directly related to how you feel about the work in general.

Demotivation causes many problems within the workplace such as the inability to get your work done. If you supervise other employees, then this lack of motivation can begin to affect their productivity as well.

Ways to Deal with Demotivation

It is important to note that demotivation does not have to mean the end of a job or business opportunity. In times such as this, it is vital that you not make any rash decisions that you may regret down the road.

If you are demotivated about your work, you need to take some action steps to get back to where you started. This will help you to move forward through demotivation instead of succumbing to its powers.

Here are some things you can do to deal with demotivation:

1. Take a Break

Sometimes when you begin to feel demotivated, it is important to take a step back from work. This is because when you lack motivation it is difficult to get anything worthwhile completed.

When you are feeling this way, you need to take a break from the monotony of work and go do something else. This could mean that you go take a walk, read a book, or even take a vacation.

One of the best ways to re-motivate yourself is to take a step back and take the time to focus on something else. Doing this is especially important if you have been burning the candle at both ends for some time now.

2. Reflect on the Work You Have Done

It is also important to take the time to reflect on where you started and where you are now. This will help you realize all of the work you have done to make a difference in whatever field of work you do.

This reflection can be either formal or informal based on how much time you want to spend on getting your motivation back. Reflection can include creating a journal of sorts to jot down your thoughts about your work.

Taking the time each day to reflect on your work and your original goals can help you to refocus and reignite the passion you once had for the work you do. 

3. Get Moving!

If your work is more sedentary by nature, you may want to consider taking the time to get yourself moving. This can mean starting your day with a new workout program or incorporating something throughout your day.

Physical activity can release endorphins and other chemicals into your body that can help you to feel better about yourself and what you are doing. The result can typically be just the answer you are looking for to get you back on track.

Taking just about 30 minutes every day to participate in some type of physical activity can work wonders on your motivation. You will not only look better, but you will feel better overall.

4. Don’t Forget Self-Care

Similar to the release and re-motivation you will get when you work out, the same is true when you focus your attention on self-care. Keep in mind that self-care is not selfish, it is just the opposite.

Self-care is vital for you to incorporate into your day to keep you motivated and focused on the task at hand. It is one thing, or several things, you can do for yourself that is not focused on the daily grind.

Taking the time every day to do something for yourself can be just the change you need to keep you motivated for many years to come.

5. Set New Goals

Just as you did at the beginning of your journey, whether you work at home or in the office, you may need to set new goals for yourself. This is often because you either reached your previous ones or they do not apply anymore.

Many times when people set goals for themselves, they are more likely to create ones that are either too easy to accomplish or so difficult that they never see progress. When either of these occurs, demotivation can be the result.

If you are feeling demotivated, take a few minutes to reflect and create new goals that will keep you focused on your work for the immediate future.

6. Talk to Someone

For some people, the lack of motivation can affect not only their productivity at work but their overall well-being. Lack of motivation often leads to anxiety about the work not being done and even worse, depression.

If demotivation exists for too long, it can result in you getting fired from your job or losing clients if you work for yourself. Over time, this tends to lead to feelings of depression and further anxiety.

Talking to someone else can often help you to see things through a different lens which can then create more motivation for you. This in turn can help you get over the hump of demotivation and back to the task at hand.

7. Stay Focused on the Positive

When you begin to feel less motivated than usual, it can often lead to negative thoughts which tends to make things worse. These negative thoughts and feelings can then lead to further negative feelings and even behaviors.

When you are feeling a lack of motivation, the negative thoughts tend to make things worse by further demotivating you. Over time, you are then less productive than before, and getting even the smallest tasks can be difficult.

Refocusing your thoughts on the positive, even if it is forced in the beginning, can help you to stay motivated and more productive overall.

8. Schedule Your Time

One mistake many people make is to keep themselves so busy that they tend to neglect the other aspects of their lives. They think that success means that they should be working all of the time.

This could not be farther from the truth, since more work tends to cause you to burn out even faster. There is a fine line between hustling to make the money you and your family need, and working so hard that you forget the importance of family.

Creating a schedule for yourself and writing it down can help you to achieve the work-life balance that is truly important. This is one of the most important ways that you can keep yourself from burning out.

9. Don’t Let Mistakes Rule Over You

It is important to keep in mind that everyone makes mistakes, but letting them rule over you is an even bigger mistake. This is because reliving a mistake over and over can lead to negative thoughts which then lead you to demotivation.

Mistakes are a natural part of life but should never be used to keep you from doing the things you want. Letting your mistakes rule over you can cause you to have a lack of motivation and can even lead to giving up entirely.

When you make a mistake, you should take the time to reflect on it and then let it go. This allows you to acknowledge it but then put it in your past so you can continue down your path to success.

10. Find Networking Opportunities

One of the best ways to deal with demotivation is to surround yourself with other like-minded people. Doing this can give you ideas that maybe you have never thought of but can pull you out of your slump.

When people who are in the same type of business get together, even if they are competitors, it can lead the way to greater success. This is because it allows you to share what is working for you and what is not.

Those in your network typically have great insight into what you should do to stay motivated so you can get the work done.

Ready to Get Yourself Re-Motivated?

The bottom line when it comes to dealing with demotivation is that this is something that often happens to everyone at some point. Whether you work in an office or from home, you are likely to feel the effects of demotivation at various points in your career. 

If you are a manager or business owner and suspect that your employees are losing interest at work and becoming demotivated, there are still things you can do. The ways to stay motivated above may be for individuals, however, they can easily be adapted to fit with managers dealing with demotivated employees as well.