Motivation Made Simple

Ashley Lambeth
Feb 8, 2019
4 min read

Updated: Apr 27

Those days it all feels heavy AF... start here

ACTION - DOPAMINE - MOMENTUM - MOTIVATION

You know what you need to do the workout, the walk, the business admin, the simple tasks that move your life forward and yet… you don’t do them.

You stay in. You withdraw. You tell yourself you’ll do it tomorrow.

I’ve been there too.

And for a long time, I thought the problem was simple: I just needed more motivation.

But that’s not actually how this works.

Chill, you are not lazy

When you feel unmotivated, your brain isn’t failing you, it’s protecting you.

The brain is wired to conserve energy and avoid discomfort. When something feels overwhelming, uncertain, or emotionally loaded, your nervous system shifts toward avoidance.

This is tied to how the brain regulates stress and effort, particularly through areas like the prefrontal cortex (decision-making) and the limbic system (emotion + threat detection).

If something feels hard, your brain will try to avoid it.

That can look like:

skipping workouts
avoiding admin tasks
staying inside instead of moving your body
disconnecting or withdrawing

Not because you’re lazy, but because your brain is trying to keep you safe.

The ACTION Hit

Research on dopamine (the neurotransmitter tied to motivation and reward) shows that it’s not just released when you anticipate reward after you begin taking action.

This is why:

You don’t feel like going to the gym… but once you start, you feel better
You avoid a task… but once you open your laptop, it feels manageable

Your brain needs evidence of movement before it gives you the chemical support to continue.

So, if you’re waiting to feel motivated first…you’ll stay stuck.

Top 6 things we can control

1 - Start Before You’re Ready (The 5-Minute Rule)

One of the most effective behavioral tools is lowering the barrier to starting.

Studies in behavioral psychology show that the biggest resistance isn’t the task

... it’s the initiation of the task.

So instead of: "I need to do a full workout”

You shift to: "I’m just going to move for 5 minutes.”

That small start reduces resistance and activates momentum.

And once you start, your brain begins to shift:

dopamine increases
resistance decreases
continuation becomes easier

2 - Lower the Activation Energy

The harder something feels to start, the more likely you are to avoid it.

This concept is often referred to as activation energy in habit formation research.

Your job isn’t to force discipline, it’s to make starting easier.

Examples:

Instead of “go to the gym” → “drive to the gym”
Instead of “finish admin work” → “open laptop and send one email”
Instead of “do a full workout” → “put your shoes on and step outside”

When the barrier is low enough, action becomes more likely.

3. Change Your State to Change Your Mind

Your mental state is directly influenced by your physical state.

Research shows that movement:

increases endorphins (feel-good chemicals)
reduces cortisol (stress hormone)
improves cognitive function and mood

Even a short walk can significantly improve energy and clarity.

So, when you feel stuck, don’t sit there trying to think your way out of it.

Move.

Even 10 minutes can shift everything.

4. Remove Decision Fatigue (Implementation Intentions)

One of the biggest drains on motivation is decision-making.

The more you think about whether you’re going to do something, the less likely you are to do it.

This is where a proven strategy called implementation intentions comes in.

Instead of deciding in the moment, you decide in advance:

“If I feel overwhelmed, I will set a 10-minute timer and start.”
“If I skip the gym, I will go for a 20-minute walk.”

This removes the mental negotiation and replaces it with a clear action.

5. Act From Identity, Not Emotion

Motivation is unreliable. Identity is not.

Research in habit formation shows that behavior sticks when it’s tied to who you believe you are, not how you feel in the moment.

So instead of asking: "Do I feel like doing this?”

You shift to:

“What does someone like me do in this moment?”

For me, that looks like:

I move my body, even if it’s not perfect
I handle what needs to be handled, even if it’s messy
I don’t wait for the perfect mood to show up

6. Acknowledge What You’re Feeling — Then DO IT Anyway!

Sometimes the lack of motivation isn’t about discipline, it’s about emotion.

Stress. Pressure. Fatigue. Life.

Research shows that suppressing emotion often leads to more avoidance behavior, not less.

So instead of ignoring it, acknowledge it:

“I feel off today.”
“I’m overwhelmed.”

But don’t stay there.

You don’t need to solve everything before you act.

You just need to take one small step forward.

As a recovering perfectionist I can attest to a very small mantra that is DEF a trick to calling myself out... "It does not have to be done; it just has to be perfect"

And that my friends, is where we grow ;-)

Let's do it-

Ashley