How to get motivated to do anything – even when you really don't want to

Daniel Gavalec · Updated October 17, 2026

To get motivated, stop waiting for motivation: shrink the start to five minutes, decide in advance exactly when and where you will do it, and set up your surroundings so that starting is easier than not starting. The urge usually shows up during the work, not before it. Below: why willpower alone fails, five starting rituals that get you through the first minute, quick plans for studying, working out, cleaning and work, and rewards that help rather than backfire.

Motivation vs. systems: why "just force yourself" fails

Getting yourself to do something means acting for your future self while your present self wants something else. The trouble is that we rely on motivation, and motivation is like the weather: sunny one day, raining the next. If you only exercise on days you feel like it, you will not exercise often.

A system is more like central heating: it works whatever the weather. It has four parts:

1. A clearly set start – when, where and what exactly.
2. A tiny first step – so small it would be silly to skip.
3. Prepared surroundings – things ready, distractions out of reach.
4. Instant feedback – a tick, a record, a small reward.

Peter Gollwitzer and Paschal Sheeran (2006) combined 94 independent tests of implementation intentions – plans in the form "when situation X arises, I will do Y". People who set such plans followed through noticeably more often than people with only a general goal. "I need to start studying" and "Tuesday at 5 pm at my desk I open chapter 4" are further apart than they look. More in implementation intentions.

5 starting rituals that get you through the first minute

1. The five-minute rule

Promise yourself just five minutes. If you want to stop after that, stop – no guilt. Usually you won't, because the hardest moment is switching from "not doing" to "doing". And even if you do, five minutes are done.

2. The smallest possible version

Not "go for a run" but "put on my shoes and step outside". Not "clean the flat" but "clear one surface". The point is to start, not to finish straight away – see the two-minute rule.

3. Decide when and where in advance

Put it in your calendar like a meeting: "Wednesday 7:00, living room, 15 minutes of a workout video." When the moment comes you are not deciding, just keeping a promise. Repeated often enough, it becomes a habit – though it takes longer than the famous 21 days: in a study by Phillippa Lally and colleagues (2010), new daily habits took a median of about 66 days to feel automatic. See how to build habits.

4. Set up the night before

Workout clothes on the chair, notes open on the desk, the vacuum by the door. Everything you do not have to look for in the morning is one less excuse.

5. A starting cue

The same song, the same tea, the same headphones before each start. After a few repetitions, the ritual helps you slip into work almost automatically.

How to get motivated: quick plans by situation

If it is not one task but your drive in general, start with no motivation to do anything.

Rewards that work (and ones that backfire)

The brain favours whatever pays off now. Distraction pays off instantly; work pays off in weeks. A reward can even the odds – if you use it well.

• It comes right after the effort, not "at the end of the month".
• It does not work against the goal. Cake for a workout or an hour of scrolling for an hour of study undermine the goal.
• It is proportionate. Small rewards for small steps, bigger ones for milestones.
• It is decided in advance, not negotiated with yourself afterwards.

Katherine Milkman and colleagues (2014) tested temptation bundling: allowing a favourite activity only during the unpleasant one. Participants whose gripping audiobooks were available only at the gym went more often at first than the control group; the effect faded over time. At home it works too: a favourite podcast only while cleaning, a favourite coffee only while writing. More in how to reward yourself.

When you cannot make yourself do anything

Sometimes it is not one annoying task but a general slump: nothing appeals, not even things you used to enjoy. That is not laziness, and a stricter plan will not fix it.

• Short term (a few days): cut your day to the minimum – food, sleep, one necessary thing. Rest is legitimate.
• Longer (weeks): if the slump lasts, worsens or comes with sadness or hopelessness, talk to your doctor or a therapist. If you are in crisis, call your local emergency number or find a free helpline at findahelpline.com.

Try it now: set up your start in CORTEX

CORTEX (free for everyone) brings these principles into one system:

• When and where in advance: quick capture (key Q) understands "Workout tomorrow @7:00 ~15m *weekly" – time, length and repetition included.
• Small steps: split a big task into subtasks and watch progress. Every finished task earns XP based on its priority.
• Instant rewards: XP and credits you spend in the shop on rewards you define yourself ("episode tonight", "new book").
• No deciding during the day: Plan My Day fits tasks into free slots, so you know what is next.

app.getcortex.online/planner