Feeling Stuck and Unmotivated? How to Finally Take Action

Last updated: May 27, 2025

I got a GREAT question from a client recently:

“What are some quick ways to motivate myself when I’m feeling stuck and unmotivated?”

Listen — we’ve all had times in our lives when we’ve had trouble taking action.

Motivation is totally lacking.

The negative self-talk is LOUD.

And nothing seems to get you out of your own head.

I know I’ve been there 

But even when we’re feeling off… Life goes on.

And we have responsibilities to tend to.

Which means we have to figure out how to keep going, no matter how much we’re feeling stuck and unmotivated.

If you’re feeling stuck and unmotivated, you’ve come to the right place. Today, I’ll show you exactly how to get past it and get back to crushing that to-do list.

💡Quick overview:

• Motivation is the desire to reach a goal and the driving force behind everything we do.
• Some reasons you might be feeling stuck and unmotivated include a lack of direction in life, not setting goals, mental or physical health problems, and burnout.
• Strategies like reframing your identity, rewarding yourself, and scheduling tasks will help you overcome feeling stuck and unmotivated.

Before we dive in, who are we?

We’re Demir and Carey Bentley, founders of Lifehack Method and authors of the WSJ bestseller Winning the Week. After burning out in high-pressure careers, we reinvented our lives and created a system that’s helped 100,000+ professionals at companies like Google, Uber, and PepsiCo work less and achieve more. Learn more here.

Why are you feeling stuck and unmotivated?  

Motivation is the “energizing of behavior in pursuit of a goal.”

In simpler terms, it's the desire to reach a goal and the driving force behind everything we do. 

There are two types of motivation: Intrinsic and extrinsic.

Intrinsic motivation is when you want to do something because of how it makes you feel rather than a goal, consequence, or deadline.

Extrinsic motivation is when you want to do something to reach a goal or avoid a consequence or deadline. 

But whether it’s intrinsic or extrinsic, motivation is what gives us purpose.

And when we start feeling stuck and unmotivated, it can be hard to get that purpose back.

There are a ton of reasons you might be feeling stuck and unmotivated, like:

• Having no direction in life
• No clear goal or purpose
• Setting unrealistic goals 
• Losing sight of goals
• Self-doubt and fear
• Negative self-talk
• Mental health issues
• Physical health challenges
• Burnout
• Boredom

And I get it.

It can seem impossible to escape feeling stuck and unmotivated.

But it isn’t. 

Keep reading to find out how to do it.

How to find motivation when you’re feeling stuck 

Here are the questions, mantras, and strategies I use when I’m feeling stuck and unmotivated.

Hear about them in this video:

1. Reframe your identity 

You're asking yourself the wrong question when trying to get motivated.

When I'm feeling stuck and unmotivated, asking myself, “How am I feeling right now?” isn't helpful.

The answer is always something like, “Tired. Hungry. Bored.”

Instead, I ask myself, “What kind of person am I committed to being right now?” 

That answer tends to be more along the lines of, “A great father, a successful business owner, and a community leader.”

See the difference?

Asking myself that question helps get me into gear and start moving forward, even if I don’t feel like taking action. 

This question works because it changes your focus from how you’re feeling to who you’re dedicated to being. 

And nothing will make you feel better than moving forward and being the person you want to be. 

This is one of the core principles we teach in our Lifehack Tribe membership program, which you can learn more about here.

2. Bring purpose to everything you do

How you do anything is how you do everything, especially when you want to avoid feeling stuck and unmotivated.

If you don't bring purpose to everything you do, what's the point? Purpose gives our lives meaning, intention, and a sense of direction. 

But remember, it’s not just about the big things. 

All actions are a reflection of who we are.

Even seemingly small actions, like how you treat the barista making your coffee at the start of the day, can make a big difference.

3. Reward yourself

When you’re feeling stuck and unmotivated, ask yourself: What would make the juice worth the squeeze?

There’s no shame in saying that a reward would do the trick. 

It’s not remedial – it’s human nature! Immediate rewards boost motivation by 35%.

So don't be afraid to “dangle a carrot” in the form of a well-earned reward in front of your nose!

4. Stop overthinking

Here’s a mantra to help you stop feeling stuck and unmotivated that might surprise you:

Be dumber. Care less.

We often assume that the more we think, feel, and do, the more we achieve. 

I see it in our clients all the time. But that constant state of overdrive causes anxiety, overwhelm, and apathy.

But the mindset of “Be dumber, care less” is built on the idea that we could do much more if we just thought a lot less.

The key is creating space for yourself so your brain isn't constantly in overload mode. 

Don’t just carve out dedicated downtime – be mindful of how you spend it, too! 

Do something that clears your mind instead of scrolling your phone, consuming media, or thinking about your next task. 

5. Take action 

When I find myself feeling stuck and unmotivated, I like to repeat this mantra: I take massive action when others delay.

It reminds me of the person I’m committed to being (remember what we talked about earlier?) and helps me get into the right mindset.

But sometimes, taking action is easier said than done.

That’s why I play a mental game called Breaking the Seal. Here’s how to do it.

Set a timer for five minutes and work on a specific task until it goes off. 

You'll probably want to keep going once the five minutes are up!

It works because starting is almost always the hardest part – but it only takes five minutes to break down any mental barriers holding you back. 

6. Schedule your tasks

One of the simplest ways to stop feeling stuck and unmotivated is to calendarize your to-do list.

When you say you’re going to do something, put it on your calendar (or favorite task manager).

Carey and I love using our Google Calendars to schedule tasks and boost productivity. We even color-code them!

Calendarizing is a huge part of our Winning the Week method, and you can read about it here.

Hear more about using Google Calendar for productivity in this video:

7. Set better goals

Setting goals is one of the most important parts of overcoming feeling stuck and unmotivated. They'll help you find purpose and stay focused.

But you can't just set any goals – they have to be the right ones. 

I always recommend setting SMART goals, which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Not sure how to set better goals? I made this video to help you out:

What’s next? 

There you have it! 

A few tried-and-true mantras and strategies to stop feeling stuck and unmotivated.

If you’re ready to get rid of that feeling today, download our Win the Week worksheet.

We created it based on our Winning the Week Method framework, which has helped us and thousands of our clients boost their productivity in just a few days.

And you can get it for FREE here:

Read more:

How to work smarter, not harder as a small business owner

Why You Need Unscheduled Time (+How to implement it)

Stop Saying: “I Don’t Have Time!”