The word motivation can mean a range of different things. Ask people what motivation means to them and you’ll get a wide variety of answers.

Put simply, motivation is your general willingness to do something. Like a lot things, motivation can fluctuate – sometimes this willingness is sky high, but other times we really struggle to complete tasks which are usually second nature.
We need motivation to complete the most basic of daily chores, and this can come and go. It’s important to think about the reason why we’re completing each task

We have intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and both can be important at different times, depending on what we’re trying to achieve.
Intrinsic motivation means we do things for personal reasons, to uphold our inbuilt values and integrity.
Extrinsic motivation refers to behaviours which are driven by external factors, such as money or reward.
There are people who are very much extrinsically motivated, and others who aren’t. It’s not to say their intrinsic motivation isn’t high as well, it’s just how we’re made.

I’ve never been overly motivated by extrinsic factors. That’s not to say I don’t like nice things, or want to make a success of my business, but I have values that are important to me and they heavily influence the things that I do.
Over the past couple of months, my motivation has varied and changed each day. I’ve also spoken to clients and friends who have felt the same.
It’s completely understandable at the moment for some of us to be struggling for motivation and focus, but it’s also important to understand that this situation won’t last forever, and we can put strategies in place to keep a focal point and awareness.

Weight loss motivation may not be there, but how can we limit the impact of this – if you’re not focussed on your normal weight loss regime, what can you still do?
Exercise motivation can be low, but what small steps can you take so you don’t lose all your gains – although the losses will probably be minimal.
You can offer yourself an extrinsic reward to keep your motivation up, or you can recognise that we’re in a strange place and delay action, and it’s important to realise that both are credible options.

For me, a list of actions that I need to complete each day is important to keep my motivation high and consistent – I’ve noticed that when I don’t do this, I’m a bit disinterested and bored. Even a small list can be useful; it doesn’t need to be massive – if things seem unattainable or unachievable, we just won’t try.

Again, I’ll repeat something I’ve said before – we need to be kind to ourselves. If your motivation is low, that’s OK! Trying our best each day is all we can do.