Strategies to Boost Motivation: Understanding Why They Work

Motivation can be challenging for everyone, but especially for people experiencing depression, anxiety, or ADHD. These strategies can help you get started and maintain momentum on tasks and goals

Understanding Motivation Basics

Motivation comes from two main sources:

• Intrinsic motivation (doing things because they feel good or meaningful)
• Extrinsic motivation (doing things for external rewards or to avoid negative consequences)

Both are helpful, and these strategies use both types.

Starting When You Feel Stuck

1. The Five-Minute Rule

What to do: Promise yourself you’ll work on a task for just 5 minutes, then allow yourself to stop if you want. Why it works: This reduces the perceived size of the task, making it less overwhelming. Often, the hardest part is starting. Once you begin, momentum often builds naturally, and you’ll likely continue past the 5 minutes. This works because it bypasses the brain’s tendency to overestimate how difficult or unpleasant a task will be.

2. Body Doubling

What to do: Have someone else physically present or virtually connected (via video call) while you work on tasks, even if they’re doing their own thing. Why it works: Social accountability activates our brain’s social reward systems. The presence of another person reduces the mental effort needed to stay on task because your brain gets small doses of positive reinforcement from the shared experience, and the social presence helps maintain focus when motivation is low.

3. Task Breakdown

What to do: Break any task into the smallest possible steps, then focus only on the very first step. Why it works: This reduces cognitive load and decision fatigue. Each small step requires less activation energy to start and gives you a clear, achievable target. Completing micro-steps triggers small dopamine releases with each accomplishment, gradually building momentum through positive reinforcement.

 

Maintaining Motivation

4. Visual Progress Tracking

What to do: Use a visual method to track progress: checklist, progress bar, sticker chart, or jar of marbles that moves from “to do” to “done.” Why it works: Visual progress triggers the brain’s reward pathways by making abstract progress concrete. Seeing accumulated progress activates the “completion bias” in your brain—we naturally want to finish what we’ve started. It also provides measurable evidence that counters negative thoughts about lack of accomplishment.

5. The Pomodoro Technique

What to do: Work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. After four cycles, take a longer 15-30 minute break. Why it works: This creates manageable work periods with built-in rewards (breaks). It harnesses your brain’s ability to focus for shorter periods and prevents burnout by scheduling recovery time. The time-limited nature creates helpful urgency that increases focus, while regular breaks prevent mental fatigue that drains motivation.

6. Reward Pairing

What to do: Pair unpleasant or challenging tasks with something enjoyable (like listening to favorite music, having a special drink, or sitting in your favorite spot). Why it works: This creates positive associations with the task through classical conditioning. The pleasant experience releases dopamine, which helps your brain form more positive connections to the task itself over time. This gradually reduces resistance to starting the task in the future.

 

Deeper Motivation Strategies

7. Values Reflection

What to do: Write down why a task or goal matters to you personally. How does it connect to your deeper values or long-term goals? Why it works: Connecting tasks to meaningful values activates intrinsic motivation, which is more powerful and sustainable than extrinsic rewards. This works by engaging the prefrontal cortex (the “thinking brain”) to override the limbic system’s resistance to difficult tasks by reminding yourself of meaningful reasons to persist.

8. Motivation Bridging

What to do: Find one aspect of a boring task that connects to something you genuinely care about or enjoy. Why it works: This re-frames the task to tap into existing intrinsic motivation. Even when the overall task isn’t interesting, finding one element that engages your natural interests or strengths creates an entry point for engagement. This works because the brain’s reward system can be activated by even partial alignment with interests.

9. Implementation Intentions

What to do: Create specific “if-then” plans: “If situation X happens, then I will do Y.” For example: “If it’s 2pm, then I’ll spend 20 minutes on my project.” Why it works: This removes the need for decision-making when motivation is low. Having a pre-made plan bypasses the high energy cost of deciding when and how to start. Research shows this strategy activates different neural pathways than general intentions, making the behavior more automatic and less dependent on fluctuating motivation levels.

 

Motivation for Different Brain Types

10. Novelty Creation (especially helpful for ADHD)

What to do: Find ways to add newness to routine tasks: use different tools, change locations, add background music, or tackle the task in an unconventional way. Why it works: Novelty stimulates dopamine release, which is often lower in people with ADHD. Creating new elements adds interest that activates the brain’s seeking and reward systems. This works because the brain’s attention system is naturally drawn to new or changing stimuli, which can compensate for reduced intrinsic interest in the task itself.

11. Momentum Maintenance (helpful for depression)

What to do: Build routines with tasks arranged from easiest to most challenging, with no gaps or decisions in between. Why it works: This uses behavioral activation principles that are effective for depression. Starting with small, achievable tasks builds a sense of capability and momentum. The continuous structure eliminates points where motivation might drop off, allowing you to “ride the wave” of initial activation into more challenging tasks.

12. External Structure (helpful for executive function challenges)

What to do: Use timers, apps, scheduled check-ins with others, or environmental cues (like items placed strategically as reminders). Why it works: This compensates for internal executive function challenges by creating external scaffolding. When internal regulation systems (like working memory, time awareness, and task initiation) are compromised by ADHD or depression, external structures serve as prosthetics or aids that reduce the mental effort needed to stay on track.

 

Troubleshooting Motivation Problems

13. Resistance Exploration

What to do: When you feel blocked, write down or voice record all your specific concerns, fears, or obstacles regarding the task. Why it works: This helps identify specific barriers rather than viewing lack of motivation as a character flaw. Often, resistance has identifiable causes (fear of failure, uncertainty about steps, feeling overwhelmed) that can be addressed directly once named. This works by engaging problem-solving brain regions rather than remaining stuck in emotional resistance.

14. Energy-Based Scheduling

What to do: Track your energy and focus levels throughout the day for a week, then schedule your most challenging tasks during your natural high-energy periods. Why it works: This aligns tasks with your body’s natural biological rhythms and cognitive resources. Working with rather than against your circadian rhythms and natural energy fluctuations reduces the amount of motivation needed, as you’re using tasks at times when your brain is naturally more capable of focusing and initiating.

15. Permission to Be Imperfect

What to do: Explicitly decide and state that doing something imperfectly is better than not doing it at all. Why it works: This counters perfectionism, which is a common motivation killer. Setting a lower threshold for acceptable performance reduces anticipatory anxiety and resistance. Many people with anxiety, depression, or ADHD struggle with all-or-nothing thinking; this strategy creates a middle path that allows for movement and progress without requiring perfect conditions or performance.

 

Remember

• Different strategies work for different people and different types of tasks
• Your motivation naturally fluctuates based on many factors including sleep, stress, and physical health
• Sometimes motivation follows action rather than preceding it
• Be patient and experiment to find what works best for you

If motivation problems are significantly impacting your daily functioning despite trying these strategies, discuss this with your healthcare provider, as it may relate to your treatment plan or medication needs.