Motivation is one of the biggest struggles that we all face, whether in the workplace, for our own business, or in our personal lives. Pushing ourselves to do a difficult, tedious or intimidating task is not easy, and some days all we feel like doing is bingeing on Netflix.

There are few people who can say they have not found themselves losing hours on social media when they are supposed to be working, who have put off an important task because they couldn’t seem to get started, or have a “one day” dream that they have never seemed to be able to turn into reality.

Through certain strategies you can be more productive, enthused and happy at work, which is better for everyone: the employee, the team, and the business in general.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the five biggest factors which can wear away our motivation which could be holding you back at work or in your personal projects.

1. Fear

Fear is a major factor which can hold us back in many aspects of our lives. It is also very common. Many people are controlled by fears: fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of standing out. These psychological behaviours run deep, and they are rooted in our ancestor’s desire to keep themselves safe. In a hunter-gatherer society, avoiding risks and keeping yourself safe from dangers was very sensible, and vital to survival.

However, in our modern lives, more often than not this fear serves only to hold us back. Often the only way to address this is to recognise the fear, acknowledge it, and then essentially ignore it. It really comes down to taking the leap. One of the most powerful ways you can address fear is by simply taking the first step toward your goal. Once you’ve taken the first step, the rest is easy.

2. Burnout

Sometimes it’s a good idea to work hard to keep ourselves motivated, to push through the slump and make ourselves be productive. However, if we push too hard, we risk getting burnt-out, which is the ultimate motivation ruiner.

Figures show that in the UK, 15.4 million working days were lost in 2017/18 due to work-related stress, anxiety and depression. This is why it is important to practice healthy habits, in particularly when it comes to healthy eating, exercise and sleep, and take time for self-care: productivity and success is a marathon, not a sprint. Taking time to rest is not only vital for staying motivated, it is also important for your health: studies show that taking afternoon naps is a sign of good health, for example.

3. Self-doubt

Like fear, self-doubt can consume us and attack our motivation without us even realising it. Many people, even those who seem confident and self-assured on the outside, are plagued with self-doubts. Being afraid that you are not good enough, that you will fail if you attempt something can prevent or deter you from even trying.

Self-doubt often manifests in things like indecisiveness and procrastination which we might not realise actually go back to this as their root cause. Introducing structure can help to combat self-doubt, and many of the other issues mentioned here, and keep you on track when the motivation starts to fail. Having a daily schedule or task list you need to follow helps you to overcome self-doubt, as you can suppress these negative doubts and simply follow your list.

4. Losing Sight of Your End Goal

It is easy to get bogged down the details and day-to-day tasks even when you are working within a much bigger picture. Often these daily tasks can be quite boring. Even if you enjoy the work, doing the same thing over every day gets boring and repetitive.

It is difficult to motivate yourself to do a boring and task if you are only seeing that task as the end in itself. However, if you see that task as the next step on the road to achieving your broader goal, and recognise how it fits into that journey, you will be able to find motivation. This mind set doesn’t just apply to entrepreneurs and business owners: whether you are working towards your own personal project or within a broader team, there is always a bigger goal or objective that should drive you.

5. Unrealistic Goals

Having goals and keeping them at the forefront of your consciousness is important, but it is also critical that these goals are realistic. Unrealistic goals are one of the quickest ways to losing motivation and could cause you to give up entirely. Whether these are goals you set yourself or are imposed on you by a manager, unrealistic goals are setting you up for failure. As it becomes obvious that you are not going to be able to get there, it is not surprising that you don’t feel motivated to keep working.