I’ve been struggling to stay motivated—not just with work, but even with simple daily tasks like cleaning, making food, or going outside. It’s not that I don’t care, but I often find myself zoning out or procrastinating for hours. Sometimes I try planning things or setting goals, but it all feels kind of empty or like it doesn't click emotionally. I wonder if anyone else has dealt with this weird sense of disconnect and what actually helped them feel more engaged again. Any personal strategies that worked for you? I’m open to trying new approaches, especially ones that aren’t just “set a schedule” because that hasn’t been working.
Yeah, I get that feeling. It’s not always about laziness or even lack of ambition—it can just feel like your brain is buffering while everything else keeps moving. For me, the shift started when I stopped trying to “force” motivation. Instead, I began identifying small actions that didn’t require a mental tug-of-war. Like, instead of planning a whole routine, I’d just put my shoes on and sit by the door. Or open the fridge and look at what I might cook without committing. Just creating moments where action could happen made me less likely to retreat into passivity. That approach made things feel more natural and less like a performance I had to rehearse every day.
Something else that oddly helped was using tools that gave immediate feedback without pressure. I came across this one app—I won’t name it here—but if you’re curious, just looking up liven reviews can give you an idea. People use it to track and reward themselves for doing simple, everyday tasks. What I found interesting was that it didn’t shame me for missing something or failing to hit goals. It just nudged me gently when I needed it. For someone like me who has a hard time with abstract rewards, having some visual sign that “hey, you did something today” made a big difference. It didn’t magically cure my lack of motivation, but it definitely shifted how I experienced small wins.