Introduction
If you’ve lost the drive to feel motivated at work, you’re not broken. It happens. The danger is hoping motivation will magically return while nothing changes. Occasionally, a new boss, a pay rise, or a shift in direction can make a significant difference. But if these changes only result in a temporary shift in motivation, it’s a sign you need to consider taking steps yourself.
The choice? Re-engage where you are, or accept it is time to move on. Both options take honesty and courage. Both are better than another year of frustration or indifference.
In Part 1, I shared the signs you have emotionally checked out. Here, we move to action: seven practical steps to help you feel motivated at work again, either by rebuilding enthusiasm in your current role or by preparing a clean exit.
Motivation at Work: Myths That Hold You Back
Myth 1: “If I loved my job, I’d always feel motivated.”
Even great jobs include dull tasks. Motivation naturally ebbs and flows.
Myth 2: “If I just push harder, motivation will come back.”
Overwork drains energy. Motivation returns when energy and meaning do.
Myth 3: “Leaving means I failed.”
Not true. Sometimes leaving is the most motivated choice you can make — growth over stagnation.
Why It’s Hard to Stay Motivated at Work
Motivation naturally rises and falls. Expecting to feel driven every single day is unrealistic, and assuming that if your motivation dips, there’s something wrong with you isn’t helpful either. In reality, motivation is impacted by multiple factors, including what’s happening in our minds, but also sleep, diet, exercise, hormones (particularly for women), and work conditions.
Focusing purely on the mindset aspect of motivation, research shows three factors matter most: autonomy (choice), competence (feeling capable), and relatedness (connection). If one is missing for too long, motivation usually crashes.
Low motivation isn’t necessarily the problem. The real problem is staying stuck in it without taking action.
Steps to Re-Engage Where You Are
When we’re unhappy at work, the reaction is often to simply quit. However, it’s important to recognise that you take you with you. So if you’re demotivated in one job, there’s a possibility you might land up demotivated in another job. Why? Because you haven’t explored the root cause of your demotivated. By identifying that, you might find you can reignite your motivation at work, without going through the often-challenging process of finding a new job.
Step 1: Identify What’s Missing
Before you can feel motivated at work again, you need to diagnose the gap. For some people, it’s a lack of autonomy. For others, it’s limited growth, poor leadership, or simply boredom from repetitive tasks.
Ask yourself: Do I have enough choice? Do I feel I’m improving or growing? Do I feel connected to my environment or my work? If the answer to any or all of these is no, then reflect on the root cause(s) of the problem; what am I really missing? Which of my values are being neglected?
Step 2: Use Clear Goals to Stay Motivated at Work
Once you’ve identified what’s missing, the next step is to look at your own role in the problem. Sometimes we expect our manager, company, or circumstances to fix everything, but motivation improves most when we take responsibility for what we can influence.
Ask yourself: Am I holding myself back from experiencing what I value? For example:
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If autonomy is low, do I avoid speaking up or suggesting new ways of working? Do I avoid difficult conversations with my manager?
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If growth is missing, am I waiting for opportunities instead of asking for them?
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If connection is weak, am I making the effort to build stronger relationships or avoiding social situations or small talk?
This is where control matters. Some things are structural and outside your influence — but some aren’t. Once you see what’s in your control, you can set goals that move you toward change.
Research consistently shows that specific, challenging goals, supported by management, improve performance compared to vague intentions. Translating insights into concrete actions not only boosts motivation at work but builds confidence that you’re not stuck.
Step 3: Build Momentum Through Small Wins
Even when goals are clear, long projects can feel draining. That’s why small wins are so powerful.
Making visible progress on meaningful work is one of the strongest motivators. Harvard Business Review calls this the Progress Principle. It’s not about giant breakthroughs — it’s about steady forward movement.
Start each day with one task you can complete fully. Break big projects or challenges into smaller tasks or weekly checkpoints. Progress you can see is progress that keeps you moving.
Step 4: Reshape Your Role to Feel Motivated Again
Sometimes the job itself isn’t the issue, it’s how you’re approaching it. Job crafting means adjusting your tasks, relationships, or perspective so the work feels more engaging.
That might mean batching repetitive tasks to free time for work you enjoy, volunteering for a stretch project, or reframing your tasks by focusing on the impact they create, not on the tasks themselves. Knowing how your tasks facilitate the ‘bigger picture’ and appreciating their necessity can make work more meaningful. Even small shifts can make the difference between dragging yourself through the day and feeling motivated at work again.
Step 5: Protect Your Energy to Stay Motivated at Work
Motivation won’t survive if you’re exhausted. Breaks are not laziness — they’re a strategy.
Research shows that short, regular breaks reduce fatigue and improve focus. Taking time to reset during the day also improves decision-making and resilience.
Work in 60–90 minute focus blocks followed by short resets. Get outside, stretch, breathe. Protecting your energy is what makes sustainable motivation at work possible.
Step 6: Lean on Relationships
Motivation isn’t just internal. It’s heavily shaped by the people around you. Recognition, belonging, and accountability all play a role.
Studies show that employees with a strong sense of workplace belonging are more productive, more engaged, and far less likely to leave their jobs. Stronger connections don’t just lift your mood; they can directly influence how motivated you feel.
Invest in one stronger relationship at work. A daily check-in, weekly coffee, or a small collaboration can make a real difference in being motivated at work.
Deciding If You Should Move On
Step 7: Set a Timeframe to Decide
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, nothing changes. That usually means either the role, the environment or both no longer fit.
Give yourself a 4–6 week “re-engagement experiment.” Apply the steps above and track how you feel. If nothing improves, it may be time to leave.
Signs It’s Worth Re-Committing
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You’ve identified specific changes (a new project, better boundaries, a role adjustment) that could restore your drive.
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Leadership is open to discussing changes and supporting you.
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The role still aligns with your long-term goals once the immediate obstacles are addressed.
Signs It’s Time to Leave
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You’ve tried to re-engage but still feel flat and disconnected.
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Your values clash with the organisation’s direction or leadership.
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The job is harming your health, energy, or relationships outside work.
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You’re stagnating, with no clear growth or progression available.
The Benefits of Moving On
Switching jobs is not always about pay. While pay rises have been shown to increase motivation, much research shows that if other fundamental issues are not resolved, this motivation is short-lived. Fulfilment, mental health and physical health matter more than financial recognition for many. More importantly, moving on can restore momentum, bring fresh learning, and align you with an environment where you can thrive.
Leaving is not quitting. It’s choosing growth, fulfilment and in some cases self-respect over stagnation. The key is not to drift but to make a conscious, motivated decision towards something that is more closely aligned with your values.
Bringing It Together
Feeling unmotivated is not a flaw. It’s feedback. The question is what you’ll do with it.
If you want to feel motivated at work again, start by identifying what’s missing. Then create clarity with goals, build small wins, reshape your role, protect your energy, and lean on relationships. Challenge the myths that hold you back.
If things still don’t change, set a clear timeframe to decide. Moving on can be as motivated a choice as staying — sometimes even more so.
Because the one option that never works is staying stuck.
Zeta Yarwood is recognised as a leading Executive Coach and Career Coach in Dubai, helping individuals across the world to achieve success in all areas of their lives. With a degree in Psychology and over 10 years’ experience in coaching, management and recruitment – working for multinational companies and award-winning recruitment firms – Zeta is an expert in unlocking human potential. Passionate about helping people discover their strengths, talents and motivation, Zeta lives to inspire others to dream big and create the life and career they really want.
For further information and inspiration, please visit www.zetayarwood.com or follow on Twitter @zetayarwood, LinkedIn or Facebook
