How to Get it Done, When You Don't Feel Like Doing It
Simple psychology hacks to get you moving
My cat is lazing in the sunspot coming through the window, and if I thought I could get back up off the floor, I might just lie down next to her.
I’ll tell you what I don’t feel like doing: paying the bills, unloading the dishwasher, drafting the script.
I’m familiar with this gap between what I want to do and what I actually must do. My college kid is, too. She was texting me about how she didn’t want to study or get up early for her class. “I get it,” I wrote. “Doing the things we don’t feel like doing is a condition many of us have. It’s called: Adulthood.
Working From a Deficit
This week, it manifested in a dirty deck. I wanted my deck to be clean and primed for summer. I do not want to do the cleaning and priming. But the sun was bright and I had the time and I got up and got it done.
You might think about cleaning out that closet, finishing a project at work, or going for a run. But when thinking ends and doing begins, we pause to grab a quick snack, or one more cup of coffee, or we scroll through Instagram, and we delay, making it harder to do the thing.
You Are Not Lazy—You Are Human
This isn’t laziness—it’s an in-the-moment motivation deficit. And we can play with our psychology to manage it.
Psychologist B.F. Skinner found that we’re driven by rewards and by the desire to avoid discomfort. That’s the idea behind Skinner’s Law, and it explains why we tend to delay certain tasks—even the ones we care about— because they don’t feel good. Starting is hard and it takes not only mental energy, but physical action. When we are taking on a task, like paying the bills after a long day at work, we are already coping with mental fatigue.
The good news? You don’t need to “feel like it” to get started. You just need a few tools to break inertia and nudge you forward.
These are a few of the strategies that can spark motivation.
Start small. Two minutes of tidying or a quick brainstorm on a task can lower the mental barrier to the larger task. Often, starting is the hardest part.
Add a cue. Attach the task to a time or routine—like after lunch or after you get home. A clear signal helps your brain shift gears. When it’s time for me to write, I go to the same space whether I feel like it or not, because it reminds my body and brain what I do when I get there.
Make it fun. Pair it with something you enjoy, like music or a favorite drink. This makes the experience more pleasant and easier to return to.
Tell someone. Share your plan with a friend or partner. Social accountability adds gentle pressure to follow through.
Track your progress. Keep a list or calendar of completed tasks. Seeing it build gives you a sense of momentum.
Finally, on the tough days when I’m feeling down or fatigued, but still have adulting to do, I set a timer for five minutes. I can do anything for five minutes. Sometimes I’ll quit after that, but usually I get sucked in and push through til the job is done. In the end, I’m always glad I did it. Getting a job done always feels better than thinking about it.
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